Is cleansing making your skin dirtier?

We believe that cleansing is the most important step in any skincare regime. If you get it wrong, your skin will ultimately be playing catchup.

Many of us have been led to believe our skin must be left feeling squeaky clean after cleansing, achieved by using soaps, or foaming cleansers. However, this feeling can be a sign of your skin crying out for moisture or that your skin’s natural barrier function has been compromised.

Our skin’s natural barrier function protects our skin from bacteria, environmental impurities, irritation and to a degree, UV damage. It safeguards the skin from losing water and becoming dehydrated, while regulating the internal cellular functions responsible for keeping our skin healthy and young. This protective barrier contains precious oils that are vital for its preservation and disrupting or stripping these oils by cleansing incorrectly can mean many skin imbalances can occur, including blocked pores, oiliness, irritation, redness, dryness and dehydration.

What happens when you get cleansing wrong?

You become oilier.

Soaps and foaming cleansers require a type of surfactant for that suds-up effect. These surfactants are also found in dishwashing liquid. Squirting dishwashing liquid onto an oily plate will cut through grease and grime, which is awesome for a dinner plate.

But you don’t want to do this to your face.

Cleansing our face the same way strips the skin's preserving oils. Removing these oils triggers your skin to produce more oil to compensate for the loss.

Your skin will become dehydrated and congested. 

Stripping the skin's natural oils will result in water evaporating from the skin. Water is needed for a variety of skin functions, such as the skin’s natural exfoliating process.

The outer layer of the skin is comprised of flattened cells that create a barrier against physical trauma. As time goes on, new cells bump their way up to the surface, allowing for natural shedding of these excess skin cells. These cells are held together by a type of intercellular cement or bonding. When the skin has the right amount of water, an enzyme is activated to help dissolve the bonding to allow the skin cell to be shed, keeping the skin refined and smooth.

Lack of water in the skin can cause an increased accumulation of dead cells on the skin’s surface. These cells fall into and onto the pores, blocking the natural oil flow, resulting in blockages and congestion.

You may start experiencing breakouts. 

The skin's acid mantle is a layer of oil and water that is, as the name suggests, more acidic.Its role is to protect the skin against irritation and from bacteria entering the skin.

Many cleansers, especially foaming cleansers are more alkaline in nature, meaning they have a higher pH and will break the skin’s protective acid mantle, leaving the skin vulnerable to bacteria that can infect the skin’s oils and cause inflamed breakouts.

Not feeling so squeaky clean now?

Irritation and skin dehydration are other not-so-healthy side effects that can be experienced from stripping the skin during cleansing.

It is easy to stop harming your skin with harsh detergents - instead, try balancing your skin with cleansing oils, creams or balms that are free from synthetic surfactants.