Cleansing your skin:
rituals for healthy and radiant skin

Cleansing the skin does not necessarily involve soap and water, which is not for everyone. It means finding the right gestures and products for each skin type to cleanse it thoroughly and gently.

Why is it essential to cleanse the skin?

Our skin is the body’s first line of protection and defence. Its slightly acidic pH, dryness and colonisation by billions of beneficial bacteria allows it to close the door to many aggressors: viruses, parasites, bad bacteria, fungi, etc. The skin of the face is the most exposed and often abused. Pollution, tobacco smoke, dust, make-up, a wide range of various products – not always of the highest quality – cold wind and burning sun irritate it throughout the year. So for the sake of taking care of your face, cleansing it must go beyond simply removing any make-up. Cleansing must also free the skin of traces of perspiration, dead skin cells, excess sebum if it has an oily tendency, etc.

Carefully and respectfully cleansing the skin will leave it clean, neither dry nor too shiny, and the complexion luminous. The skin cleansing ritual is a moment of care that should not be whipped out in just a few seconds. Indeed, it delivers a gentle massage that stimulates blood microcirculation and promotes cell renewal.

First step: Make-up removal

How to have perfect skin: In the evening, removing all traces of cosmetics, foundation, eye shadow and lipstick from the skin is the first essential cleansing step. All these residues are mainly composed of fats. However, water and oil do not mix, which is why it is impossible to simply remove make-up with water. Ideally, due to their affinity, balms and plant oils should be used to remove excess fat residue without overly damaging the hydrolipidic film that protects the skin.

Micellar water Very popular among cleansing products, micellar water is composed of an aqueous base containing detergent products called “surfactants”. The molecules of these compounds group together in spherical packets called micelles, whose surface has an affinity with water (hydrophilic) and whose interior has an affinity with fats (lipophilic). That allows these detergents to adhere to the fats (make-up residue, sebum) and trap them. Then all it takes is a swipe of a cotton pad to eliminate everything. Desirable, as they are practical and effective, micellar water should only be used occasionally, such as after an evening out, but not every day if you have fragile skin, due to the presence of detergents.

Second step: Cleansing the skin

In the morning, it is necessary to cleanse the skin to eliminate traces of night sweat and toxins that were removed. Which products should be used? Whether you are a man or a woman, how can you get beautiful skin quickly in just a few steps?

Soap is nice, but it is better to reserve it for your hands. It tends to destroy the natural hydrolipidic film that protects the skin. As for tap water, if it is hard, it contributes to drying out the epidermis. For cleansing the skin, it is important to choose mild cleansing products containing ingredients of natural origin, preferably without soap or alcohol, and which suit your skin type. Even people with oily skin should avoid anything that tends to destroy the hydrolipidic film. Such skin might look healthier and less shiny immediately afterwards, but this stimulates the production of sebum, which would become even more abundant.

Third step: Moisturising the epidermis

Essential for all skin types, hydration helps to create the ideal conditions to restore the skin’s natural protective film. Milks and toners are more suitable for combination to oily skin, while dry or atopic skin requires richer textures and nourishing products.

Take the time to apply the product and allow it to really penetrate with a gentle massage of small circular movements. Balms and moisturisers provide the upper layers of the epidermis with nourishment and protection, but water also comes from the inside. Drinking plenty of water is essential to promote skin hydration.

Treatments that complement cleansing the skin

Finally, you can take the time to add a more thorough treatment to your cleansing rituals on occasion.

For example, an exfoliant stimulates cell renewal by removing dead cells from the stratum corneum and activating microcirculation. But be careful to choose products that are soft, non-abrasive and not too harsh. Mechanical exfoliation acts by rubbing on a cream containing more or less fine grains. For sensitive or fragile skin, it is better to opt for a chemical or enzymatic exfoliation, which acts without friction and without abrasion. It should be performed once every two weeks.

Depending on their composition, masks can moisturise, exfoliate, nourish the skin, tighten pores, etc. It’s even better if you take advantage of the time to relax and de-stress!

Whether you are a man or a woman, well-cleansed and hydrated skin will stay supple, radiant and young for longer. It will be less marked by expression lines and the complexion will be pretty. Having perfect skin is worth a few minutes of attention in the morning and evening …

Three key points to remember about cleansing your skin:

• Make-up removal, cleansing and hydration are the three essential actions for healthy and beautiful skin, provided you choose gentle products that suit your skin type.
• The skin’s beauty also comes from within: Drinking plenty of water, as well as eating healthy, is essential. Brewer’s yeast is a good supplement, as it is rich in B group vitamins, which promote cell renewal of the skin, nails and hair.
• Remember that oily skin does not gain anything from being stripped, as it will react by producing more sebum. Gentle and natural ingredients are the best qualities to look for in cosmetic products.