Why You Should Always Cleanse In The Morning

Cleansing is the first and arguably the most important step to attain beautiful skin. Unfortunately, we have noticed over the past few years that many people seem to struggle with this step, either by cleansing inappropriately, or using the wrong products. We have talked about common cleansing mistakes before (to read it again, click here) and today, we are asking our founder Wendy to answer some questions regarding morning cleansing.

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During colder months, or when the skin is sensitive, is it okay to skip cleansing in the morning? Wouldn’t cleansing too much make the skin feel drier?

Wendy: Ideally, you should really be cleansing in the morning and at night. If your face feels tight or dry after cleansing with a face wash, rather than pondering on whether to skip your morning cleanse, you probably should change your cleansing product first.

For instance, foaming cleansers are a predominant cleanser type in Hong Kong, but they usually contain sodium lauryl sulfate (SLS) or sodium laureth sulfate (SLES), which strip the skin of its natural oil, can damage the skin’s lipid barrier, and are too alkaline for skin health. This weakens the skin’s water retention ability, which leads to dryness and pre-mature aging, as well as its defence ability in stopping harmful bacteria and pollutants from entering the body through the skin, resulting in acne, irritations, redness, and inflammations like dermatitis. In fact, they can trigger and exacerbate eczema and rosacea symptoms.

With a gentle, non-foaming cleanser, be it a cleansing cream, lotion, or gel, even the driest, most sensitive skin types can wash their face twice a day without drying or irritating the skin.

 

Product Recommendation
EATH LIBRARY
Smooth Operator Purifying Cleansing Gel  <- Click to shop 

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Can we just use water then to quickly rinse?

Wendy: I mean, you can splash your face with water to wake yourself up, but water alone cannot cleanse the skin of dust, irritants, and bacteria, nor can it break down oils and skincare products used the night before. And worse, if you don’t quickly follow up with toner etc., it will speed up trans-epidermal water loss, making your skin more dehydrated.

High quality cleansers these days are filled with hydrating, nourishing ingredients, which means, instead of making the skin dry, they can actually add nourishment and hydration back to the skin.

 

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But my skin is clean from the night before, and if it doesn’t feel oily, why is it necessary to cleanse with a cleanser in the morning?

Wendy: Let me give you a few reasons:

1. Remove traces of skincare from the previous night
   Unless you don’t use any skincare products at all, chances are, there will be residue of products from the previous night left on the skin surface no matter how much they get absorbed by the skin throughout the night, whilst some products are actually designed to form a film on the skin for protection and repair purposes. Now, if you don’t wash everything off in the morning, the ingredients in the morning skincare routine won’t be able to penetrate the skin and do their job. Your makeup will not glide on as smoothly as it should either.
   
   
2. Wash away dead skin cells and oils accumulated throughout the night
   Your skin enters the most active state of self-repair and cell turnover when you sleep, so although you may not see it, there is likely dead skin cells and unwanted sebum on the skin or in your pores. In fact, there may also be saliva, sweat, or even traces of hand cream, hair oil etc. It’s therefore necessary to wash them off in the morning.
   
   
3. Rid the skin of bacteria and irritants
   Circulated air from your fan, air conditioner or heater can kick up dust, mold and other environmental irritants, They can fly in from your open windows and land on your face. Let’s not forget bacteria, hair products or dust mites on your pillow case, blanket, or even the person sleeping next to you! You wouldn’t want that on your face the whole day until you wash it off at night now, do you?

Product Recommendation
AGENT NATEUR
acid(wash) Lactic Acid Brightening Cleanser  <- Click to shop

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What about natural handmade soap then? Is it better than foaming cleansers? I know it’s often promoted to be good for eczema.

Wendy: The only reason natural handmade soap could potentially be good for eczema is that it is primarily made up of oils (and no, contrary to popular belief, preservative allergy isn’t all that common so I wouldn’t even count that as a benefit). Technically it’s better than foaming cleansers, but it still does not mean it is good in the long-term. I personally wouldn’t use it for a number of reasons.

• Natural handmade soap often has a base of coconut oil and shea butter in high concentration, which are comedogenic and can easily clog pores.
  
  
• Since all handmade soap is waterless and made primarily of oils, they have low water solubility. This means unless you rinse very thoroughly with warm water, it will easily leave residue behind. Not only will that residue on the skin prevent absorption of follow up skincare products, it will block pores too.
  
  
• Our skin's barrier is slightly acidic with a pH between 4.5 and 6.2, depending on factors such as age, gender, ethnicity, climate, and body part, whilst collected research shows the the skin is healthiest at around pH 4.7. This is because with more acidity, the skin can combat harmful microbes and damaging free radicals that can accelerate the aging process. It also helps with barrier function, moisture retention, and microbiome health, i.e. more good bacteria and less bad bacteria on the epidermis. Natural handmade soap generally have a pH range of 8.0 to 10.0, as anything under pH 8 means no cleansing power in soap, which means overtime, they can easily disrupt skin health.
  
  
• They usually don’t contain preservatives or anti-bacterial/anti-microbial agents. This means they expire quickly, and although waterless, can still develop mold and bacteria down the line due to the humidity, and constant changes of temperature in the bathroom.
  
  
• There are often unnecessary coloring in handmade soap that can easily irritate the skin. Why would you want different colors in your soap to begin with anyways? A pretty looking soap is not going to cleanse your face better… I just don’t get it?
  
  
• The quality of the oils, where they are from, how they are extracted and processed, are extremely important in determining their nutrient profile and efficacy, which obviously, greatly impact their prices. In other words, high quality oils are expensive. Using culinary olive oil as an example, Lion & Globe’s pure olive oil only costs HK$69.90/1 liter, while the Italian Comincioli extra virgin olive oil costs as much as HK$840/1 liter! Let’s face it, handmade soap is relatively cheap. Thus in my opinion, it’s highly unlikely those handmade soap can afford using high quality oils in their formulas. If they are not of high quality, what’s the point of using a handmade soap to begin with?

At the end of the day, if the main reason for using natural handmade soap is because of its seemingly natural formulas, there are so many high quality and highly efficacious oil-based and water-based cleansers out there these days that are meant for sensitive, inflammatory skin but without the above cons. So why risk it?

 

Product Recommendation
TWELVE BEAUTY
Purifying Cleansing Beauty Cream  <- Click to shop

Product Recommendation
Agent Nateur
holi(cleanse) Cleansing Face Oil <- Click to shop

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If I’m in a hurry (let’s face it, all of us do in the mornings), will a micellar water suffice then?

Wendy: Most people think micellar water is gentle and quick, which it is, but it can leave surfactants behind on the skin. While most people can tolerate gentle residual surfactants on skin, some surfactants are irritating, and some people may develop an allergy to them with repeated use, resulting in red, itchy, or puffy skin. It is therefore better to rinse it out just to be on the safe side.

Product Recommendation
KLUR
Gentle Matter Daily Moisture Cleanser  <- Click to shop

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What about face wipes?

Wendy: For starters, face wipes do not cleanse the face properly, yet most of them consist of a lot of harsh ingredients. Secondly, constant rubbing of the skin with the face wipe will drag the skin and cause wrinkles and fine lines. And last but not least, it’s like the most environmental unfriendly thing to use?

I mean, if you’re on a plane, in a rush after gym or yoga, or want to change your makeup when you have to go to a dinner party from the office, then yea, it is undoubtedly convenient. Other than that, I don’t really see a reason for using face wipes at all.

Product Recommendation
MARIE REYNOLDS LONDON
Goji Mallow Cleanse™  <- Click to shop

 

 

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