When it comes to caring for your skin, cleansing is one of the most important things that you can do. This is how you set your skin up for success with the rest of your skincare routine. Allow your skin to remain covered with a layer of grime, sebum, and other impurities and you’ll only block your other skincare products from working their magic, while also leaving your skin vulnerable to free radical damage.

If your cleansing routine could do with an upgrade, you’ve come to the right place. Read on as Introstem shares 10 skin cleansing habits that can truly transform your complexion.

1. Start With Clean Hands

Although most of the skin cleansing habits that we’re going to share are geared toward your face, it’s important to start with your hands. After all, you’ll be using your hands to apply your cleanser. Laying a load of dirt into your cleanser as you massage it in isn’t going to do your skin any favors. Rather than removing all of the dirt on your face, you’ll only end up pushing more dirt onto your skin via your hands.

So, before you begin on your face, start by giving your hands a wash. To ensure that they’re clean, wash them for at least 20 seconds, using lukewarm water. Make sure that you’re thorough, getting into all of the crevices, including around your nails.

2. Keep Your Hair Away

If you’re trying to speed through your skincare routine and decide to leave your hair loose while washing your face, you’ll only be causing more problems for yourself. 

Not only will you have wet strands to deal with, but any product residue, dirt, or oil from your hair will transfer over onto your face, interfering with your skin cleansing efforts. Having to stop to tuck your hair behind your ears will only dirty your hands, countering the benefits of the hand washing you just did.

Ideally, before you start cleansing, tie your hair back from your face. A headband can be useful too. This will pull away any hairs that are lingering around your hairline. You’ll then be able to work your cleanser right up to your hairline, which is essential for a thorough cleanse.

3. Use a Separate Makeup Remover

Although many cleansers are more than capable of removing makeup, it would still be a good idea to use a dedicated makeup remover, especially if you’re wearing heavy makeup.

Why? Because the main purpose of a cleanser is to remove dirt and other impurities from your skin’s surface. If it has to deal with a layer of makeup too, it’s not going to be able to do this quite so well. The makeup will act as a barrier. By the time your cleanser pushes past it, it’ll be running out of steam. Removing your makeup first will allow your cleanser to focus on your skin, giving you better results. 

Don’t have a makeup remover and need to cleanse your face? The next habit on our list will help to save the day…

4. Double Cleanse When Needed

As you can tell from its name, double cleansing involves cleansing the skin twice. The process begins with an oil-based cleanser, which tackles oil-based impurities on the skin. These include sebum, makeup, and pollution. Once this has been rinsed off, a water-based cleanser is used to remove sweat and dirt.

Although double cleansing is slightly more time-consuming than a single cleanse, it has its benefits. It gives you a much more thorough cleanse, efficiently clearing the way for the rest of your skincare routine.

With that said, double cleansing isn’t always needed. If you choose to double cleanse daily, there’s nothing wrong with this, but if you’re trying to cut back on how much time your skincare routine takes, you can also save this technique for when your skin really needs it. If you’ve been hanging out at home all day, a single cleanse may suffice. However, if you’ve spent the day in a heavily polluted or grimy environment, or you’re wearing makeup, double cleansing can be extremely beneficial.

5. Use the Right Cleanser

There are so many cleansers out there, each one promising the world when it comes to their efficacy. Unfortunately, very few of them manage to deliver on those promises. In fact, an alarming number of cleansers actually damage the skin. They cleanse too much away, leaving the skin’s natural protective barrier suffering.

If you want your skin to glow, one of the skin cleansing habits to get into ASAP is picking the right cleanser formulas. One priority should be a sulfate-free cleanser. Sulfates are notorious for impairing skin barrier function. Ideally, you should also be using a cleanser that moisturizes the skin while providing antioxidants and other beneficial ingredients.

This is where the Introstem Stem Cell Mousse Cleanser shines. Its sulfate-free formula is brimming with botanical oils and antioxidants. Not only will your skin look ultra-refreshed after using it, but it will feel strong and healthy too.

6. Always Cleanse Before Exfoliating

It’s easy to fall into bad skin cleansing habits. For some people, this involves skipping their cleanse if they plan on exfoliating. After all, an exfoliator basically provides a deep cleanse, so surely an additional cleanser isn’t needed?

Technically, this is true. You could exfoliate without cleansing and your exfoliator would likely do the job of your cleanser. However, that will prevent it from doing its own job – ie. exfoliating your skin. All of that dirt and sebum on your skin’s surface will stop it from reaching your pores, which is where it needs to be. 

If you often skip the cleanser before exfoliating because doing the two in conjunction leaves your skin feeling sensitive or dry, you can solve that problem by opting for a more skin-friendly exfoliator. The Introstem Stem Cell Facial Peeling, for example, combines mandelic acid and bamboo powder. Both are gentle exfoliants that do a beautiful job when combined, without irritating the skin. 

7. Don’t Scald Your Skin

Do you use hot water when skin cleansing? 

For many people, the answer would be yes. Unfortunately, this is only causing harm to your skin.

Your skin’s natural protective barrier, the one that’s responsible for moisture protection and preventing environmental irritants from entering your skin, is largely made up of sebum. This is the oil that your skin naturally produces. Sebum melts when it comes into contact with hot water, immediately leaving the skin barrier compromised. This then causes everything from dehydration to deeper cell damage.

Don’t worry, this doesn’t mean that you need to subject your skin to icy-cold water twice a day. Instead, find a comfortable middle ground. Aim for lukewarm and your skin will look all the better for it.

8. Be Gentle With Your Skin

Have you ever aggressively scrubbed your cleanser into your skin in a bid to give yourself a deeper cleanse?

If so, you’ll be surprised to learn that being harsh with your skin isn’t going to cleanse it better. In fact, the opposite will likely happen in that you’ll end up damaging your skin, negating the benefits of your cleanse.

How? Because roughly scrubbing your skin while pulling it in various directions not only harms the skin barrier but also damages the protein fibers that keep your skin taut and smooth. The more you pull at your skin, the faster your skin will start to sag and wrinkle.

This is why it’s so important to be gentle with your skin when you’re cleansing. If your skin needs some extra attention because it’s particularly dirty, a gentle double cleanse would be far more effective than an aggressive single cleanse.

9. Don’t Forget Your Neck

We’ve already talked about how you should be bringing your cleanser all the way up to your hairline. However, make sure that you don’t forget about your neck either. 

Many people consider the neck to be a part of the body. They cleanse their neck with their body cleanser, rather than their facial cleanser. While, technically, the neck is a part of the body, the skin here has more in common with the skin on the face. It’s just as prone to wrinkling and sagging, whereas the skin on the rest of the body is slightly stronger and more resilient.

As a result, your neck needs to be included in your skin cleansing routine, as well as the rest of your skincare regimen. Whatever you use on your face, do the same with your neck. You’ll have a much smoother and firmer décolletage because of it.

10. Never Leave Freshly Cleansed Skin Bare

Once you’re done cleansing, it’s important to immediately follow up with the rest of your skincare routine. Ideally, you want to do this while your skin is still slightly damp after it has been cleansed. As soon as your skin begins to dry, this means that moisture is evaporating away. Blocking this in as soon as possible with your skincare products is essential if you want your complexion to thrive.

What should you use after cleansing?

The best next step would be a toner. Go for a hydrating formula, such as the Stem Cell Facial Toner from Introstem.

After this, apply a serum. For best results, pick one that has been designed to specifically tackle the visible skin concerns you’re dealing with. If you’re looking for a multi-tasker, a vitamin C serum, such as the Stem Cell Vitamin C Serum, never fails. 

Finally, finish off with a moisturizer. This not only gives the skin a moisture boost but also locks in all of the other products that you’ve just applied. In the mornings, the VitisCell Facial Shield Cream SPF 30, which is a two-in-one moisturizer and sunscreen, would be a fantastic choice. Meanwhile, the Stem Cell Night Repair will give your complexion everything that it needs overnight.

Skin Cleansing With Introstem

When it comes to skin cleansing, it’s important to get things right. Take the time to build up healthy cleansing habits and these will soon become second nature. You’ll soon be able to cleanse to perfection each and every time without having to think twice about it, and your skin will deeply benefit as a result.

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