You carefully used an apt makeup remover for your no-makeup-makeup look from brunch and went on to use your routine cleanser. As soon as you start toning your face, your cotton pad keeps coming back with dirt and makeup traces. Now you’re thinking if there was even a point in using a face wash. Let us help you out.
A facial cleanser primarily has one job- to clean your face by removing dirt, makeup traces, excess oil, and other impurities from the skin, along with being gentle on sensitive facial skin. While the entire consumer audience is getting sidetracked by extra USPs of these branded products like brightening, exfoliating, anti-pigmentation, and whatnot, we are here to remind you that if your facial cleanser is doing everything other than cleansing your face, it’s time to set your priorities right.
The Red Flags You Definitely Should Not Be Ignoring
Your friends might hold you accountable for ignoring the obvious red flags your ex gave you, but your skin is going to evidently show your accountability towards ignoring skincare red flags. And it’s not going to be pretty. We are taking a wild guess here and hoping that you do not look forwards to impromptu acne breakouts, congested skin, or blackheads. If we are, then tally your cleanser results with this list of facial cleanser red flags below and pray to God your cleanser doesn’t check any of the boxes.
Is It Really Double Cleansing If Your Facial Cleanser Is Useless?
Coming back to the above-discussed scenario, if you are double cleansing and still finding traces of dirt or makeup on your toning pad, it means that your dear facial cleanser is not doing its job properly. Instead of falling for exaggerated claims like anti-ageing, go for a cleanser that thoroughly cleanses your skin while being gentle. leave the TLC to the rest of the skincare.
Is It Blackhead City On Your Skin?
You’re not Dr. Pimple Popper but do you want to be her regular client? We’ll play it safe with a ‘no’. If your skin is experiencing a lot of pore blocks, it means that you ignored the makeup traces we talked about above and it has caused your skin to develop black and whiteheads. Maybe your ‘extra gentle’ face wash is not working out for you. While it might be a good choice for dry or sensitive skin types, this red flag is a sign for you to go for a deeply cleansing formula.
If Acne Is Not A Literal Red Flag, Then What Is?
Acne- red flag. That’s because acne causes redness. Red flag. Get it?
As amusing or not-so-amusing our humour is, acne is actually not funny at all. Although acne can be caused by a hundred other reasons, if you are experiencing new breakouts right after including a new facial cleanser in your routine, you have found the imposter. With an exception of AHA and BHA cleaners, which can make your skin purge (looks like acne, but totally different that acne), it’s a different scenario. But if what you thought is purging has lasted you more than three to five weeks, it’s probably your skin screaming for help. Get an appropriate cleanser that not only suits your skin type, but also your skin concerns.
On another note, if you are just beginning to include exfoliating acids in your skincare, add them in the form of serums. Mixing different skincare actions in one product is a tricky game.
We Like Tightness In Our Butt, Not On Our Skin
While there are some cleansers that are not thorough enough for some skin types, you can also go the other way round. We beg you to not, though. If your facial skin feels really tight after using a facial cleanser, chances are it is sucking your skin dry with its harshness. You do not want that. Coming back to gentle cleansing, if you have already a dry or sensitive skin type, you must have experienced this at least once. The trick is to go for cleansers that are free of soap, sulfate, alcohol, and salicylic acid. Most of the time, these types of cleansers won’t lather and provide you a soothing cleansing in a gentle way.
If you experience any of the after-effects of cleansing discussed above, it’s time to make a switch. Closely observe your skin type and concerns (can change with seasons for some), and keep on updating your skincare according to them to have happy, healthy skin.
Features Image: Pexel
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