Cleansing is the first, if not the most important step in your skin care regime. It is often misunderstood and dismissed. Without proper cleansing, your skin care regimen and the products you use, will not be effective. Good cleansers give your skin care the right start!
It is not enough that your facial cleanser is efficient in removing dirt and debris, it is essential that the cleanser itself does not contribute to your skin problems, inhibit the action of the products you use or is the cause of new or additional skin problems.
An effective, quality Cleanser prepares your skin for RESULTS and should:
- be non-comedogenic, non-allergenic and gentle, yet effective
- be non-irritating, non-drying
- leave your skin clean, supple and clear
- remove dirt, debris, makeup and excess oils, yet not strip your skin of its essential oils
- should not irritate and aggrevate sebaccious glands and their oil production
- be water rinsible - this ensures all traces of the cleanser are removed and no film is left behind, as with tissue-off cleansers, to inhibit and interfer with subsequent products used
- be anti-bacterial agent free - except in very specific conditions and situations
A proper cleansing routine does not stop at the face, but should include the neck - front and back - and the chest / bust areas. Cleansing twice a day, in the morning and at night is a must. It is never a good idea to go to bed with makeup on, despite what some say, it is not a good thing.
Cleansing with just water or soap?
Cleansing with just water, is not sufficient. It cannot breakdown the surface oils to which debris and dirt sticks. Cleansing with soaps is not recommended as these invariably contain pore clogging ingredients such as tallow. Cleansing with tissue-off cleansers is not recommended as they will leave traces, a film, behind no matter how well you wipe - this film interfers with and inhibits the products you use afterwards. Nancy K. Brown cleansers are fully water rinsible and do not contain soap or soap like ingredients.
Cleansers with disinfectants / anti-bacterial agents?
Great care must be taken when using cleansers which contain disinfectants or stripping agents, they will cause irritation, sensitization and may actually aggrevate certain skin conditions. The daily use of antibacterial agents for face and body cleansing is also problematic. It upsets the delicate microflora balance [the body's useful and fuctional bacteria], and increases the incidence of harmful bacteria resistance to antibacterial agents and antibiotics. Nancy K. Brown cleansers do not contain disinfectants or anti-bacterial agents.
Cleansers with AHA's or BHA's or other exfoliants?
Cleansers containing AHA's or BHA are not recommended. A cleanser does not stay on the skin long enough to allow the exfoliant to perform its function, the only real effect of AHA's and BHA in cleansers may be irritation. All-in-one cleansers, which also promise toning and/or moisturization are at best disingenious, for how can you cleanse and tone and/or moisturize at the same time? It is not possible. These are completely opposite actions. At Nancy K. Brown, we belief cleansing and exfoliation are best done as separate actions - as such Nancy K. Brown cleansers do not contain exfoliants.
Cleansing through sweating or perspiration?
Despite popular belief, saunas or sweating / perspiration do not cleanse the skin. In fact, sweating / perspiration deposits salts and other irritants on the skin, which should be removed as soon as possible with a proper cleanser.