Our skin is one of the largest and most delicate organs of the body that goes through a tremendous lot each day, with the onslaught of makeup, or exposure to various temperatures while we slug it out. As we go through our day, it collects dirt, grime, and pollutants that need to be gotten rid of. Even if you were staying home, experts strongly suggest we wash our faces twice a day. There are various theories out there on how often or when you should wash your face, but more than the frequency, it matters how we wash our face in a way that we do not over or underdo it, by scrubbing it so hard that we damage the delicate acid mantle of the skin. Here are our top 5 acers to help you wash your face just right!
First things first we need to remove the makeup thoroughly. You can do this in two steps-pick up a gentle natural essential oil or a blend of essential oils to remove the layers of makeup. In the next step, remove the oil along with the dirt and makeup with a gentle face cleanser like Shankara’s Hydrating Cleanser, which uses a blend of some of the world’s most exotic essential oils and extracts including the cooling and ultra-soothing chamomile, lavender, margosa, aloe vera, sandalwood coconut oil, avocado butter, aspen bark extract, fennel sweet, grapefruit, and calendula. They combine in this luxurious hydrating cleanser that leaves skin feeling soft and supple but never greasy. It removes the makeup gently but effectively without hurting the precious acid mantle of the skin.
There has been a debate going on since the beginning of time, about whether you should wash your face with hot water or cold water. Advocates on each side suggest it is either hot or cold water that helps open up the pores of the skin. But really, the question about the temperature of the water is more to do with, how water at extreme temperatures can irritate your skin. So experts suggest you use lukewarm water, which is good for delicate epidermal tissues.
(Also read: 3 tips to boost hydration of your skin, as Vata peaks)
Granted, they are easily available at your nearest cash and carry store. But what is less known about these commercial mass-produced bar soaps is, they can potentially harm the pH of the skin, and thereby the skin’s acid mantle. Like we said in the first point, you can always use gentle facial cleansers since they are personalized keeping an individual’s type of skin in mind, and use ingredients that do not hurt the acid mantle of the skin. The acid mantle of the skin is important since it protects the skin from harsh pollutants and bacterial infections, and provides just the right acid environment for the good cells to survive.
Preferably use fingers instead of a washcloth, to exfoliate the skin, starting from bottom upwards in circular motions for at least 60 to 90 seconds. This will heighten the exfoliation of the skin. Do make sure the exfoliator you use comes loaded with ingredients like glycolic, sodium ascorbate. In fact, most alpha hydroxyl acids are good exfoliating agents. You can find some of these ingredients in Shankara’s Microcrystal Exfoliatorthat has been crafted with the inclusion of herbs like turmeric, aloe vera gel, silica, sodium ascorbate, enriching extracts of thyme, oregano, olive leaf extracts, rosemary leaf, goldenseal root, and lavender flower.
To use it, simply
A lot of us massage our faces but forget attending to the neck region while cleansing or exfoliating the skin. But this region also collects dirt and pollutants just as much as your facial skin, if not more. So make sure you apply and massage the cleanser over the face extending down below Adam’s apple, covering the entire sides of the neck and throat. You need to do this to avoid the stark pigmented contrast in the skin below the chin and above it.
Keeping these five most important things in mind will give you a younger-looking, clean glowing yet supple skin, protecting it from the harshness and excesses of daily makeup.
