Double cleansing is exactly what it sounds like. It involves cleansing the face twice, to make doubly sure that all the dirt and grime is washed off your face.

Especially when you live in a city and pollution is everywhere, your makeup is not the only thing you need to worry about when cleaning your face.

Dust and haze particles have negative effects on the skin, and if not cleaned off properly will cause premature ageing, breakouts, and also reduce your immunity.

When, and how, ­should you double cleanse?

Many people worry about whether you can over cleanse your face, and the answer is–yes you can.

It varies from person to person, however.

A person with drier skin should not cleanse their faces too much for it strips off too much of the natural oils and moisture on the face, leaving you more susceptible to patches of dryness.

A person with oilier skin can get away with cleansing twice a day, once in the morning and once at night, without having to worry too much about dryness and irritation.

For someone with combination skin, it’s really up to you – if you feel particularly oily in morning, you could cleanse your face. Other than that, leave cleansing to the end of the day.

With all that being said, you should definitely double cleanse at night.

The Double Cleansing Process

Step 1 – Start With An Oil-based Cleanser

The first cleanser should be an oil-based cleanser. “Like dissolves like” and oil-based cleansers will effectively wash away the oils and grime built up on your face throughout the day. Oils also effectively remove SPF residue.

With the increasing staying power of makeup nowadays, oil-based cleansers are better at dissolving and removing waterproof makeup too.

Step 2 – Follow Up With A Gentle Cleanser

The next cleanser should be a gentle cleanser. Most people like to use foam cleansers after the oil-based ones because it leaves the skin feeling clean and soft. This is also because foaming cleansers can penetrate deeper into the skin, cleaning what the oil-based cleanser has left behind.

While most people prefer to use a foam after oil cleanser, the formula of the cleansers does not really matter. It really depends on what you like for your own skin.

What is more important are the ingredients in your cleanser. While some ingredients may leave your skin feeling drier, some may help in moisturizing, while others may be more suitable for sensitive skin. Depending on your skin type or skin concern, you need to be aware of the ingredients that you have inside your cleanser.

Benefits of double cleansing

Besides the obvious cleaner skin, there are many benefits to reap from double cleansing.

1. Smaller Looking Pores

Double cleansing helps to reduce the buildup of dirt and grime in your pores significantly. Needless to say, this leaves you less prone to comedones and pimples too. You can also follow up the double cleansing with these tips to minimize large facial pores.

2. Increased Effectiveness of Other Skincare Products

Double cleansing also increases the effectiveness of other the skincare products in your skincare routine. With a clean canvas, it is easier for other products to work on your skin.

Anti-aging skincare can be more effective on the clean skin where there is no surface layer of buildup blocking the penetration of skincare. This also means that products like leave-on serums, exfoliators and moisturizers that you put on your very clean, double cleansed skin, will work so much better!

3. Anti-aging Benefits

Research has shown that clean skin reaped twice the results of anti-ageing products than those with less clean skin.

Double cleansing is also especially effective if you live in the city where pollution is very inescapable. While double cleansing itself cannot reverse the ageing process, it helps fight against the effects of pollution which can be detrimental to your skin.

4. Brighter Skin

Double cleansing also leaves you with brighter skin, as a result of better breathability of the skin. With no dirt on your skin, it results in a more youthful looking skin. By a stretch, this also means less need for makeup to cover up or enhance your natural beauty, and this also treats your skin better.

With a lesser need for heavy makeup, there is a lesser chance of any remnants of makeup left on your skin when you double cleanse, and this beautiful cycle of good skin will leave you, and your skin, happy.

Conclusion

There we have it – double cleansing in a nutshell. Remember that everyone’s skin is different, and everyone will react differently to different products. Try out slowly what works best for you and your skin, and you will eventually find a skincare regime that is perfect.