Daily Skin Care: How to Wash Your Face Properly

It is important to have a daily skin care regimen and that includes learning how to wash your face properly. My grandmother, in her sixties, was one woman who had such beautiful skin and one way of keeping it in that condition was washing it regularly.

I remember that I had to be forced to wash my face since I felt extremely lazy at the end of the day. But my grandmother in her wisdom to understand that my skin needed to be gently cleaned to remove dirt or make-up got a cotton ball, dab a bit of facial cleanser and wiped my cheeks. I was astonished to see that it was dirty!

From that day on, I just had to wash my face whether I was too tired or not. I see that it does wonders for my skin.

Let’s begin!

STEP ONE: Make sure your hands are clean by washing them properly with antibacterial soap. This ensures that you don’t transfer to your face whatever germs or dirt that your hands have come in contact with during the day. Tie your hair to keep it away from your face, ears and neck so you can have easy access when you wash your face.

If you have eye make up, remove it using a make up remover.

STEP TWO: Water temperature is important. Wet your face with warm water as this opens your pores. Never use hot water to wash your face. Hot water dries your skin.

STEP THREE: Place a small amount of cleanser on your wet hands. You need to find a cleanser that your skin responds to. Choose a creamy cleanser if you have dry skin or a clear cleanser if you have oily skin. I have been using an organic product that is locally produced and does not contain harmful ingredients. Some also use scrubs to exfoliate. My cleanser has bamboo beads and luffa that gently exfoliates that is safe for everyday use. No soaps please as this is too strong for your face.

STEP FOUR: Use your fingertips to massage the cleanser on your face. Massage your hairline, forehead, nose, nostril area, mouth, chin and cheeks. Massage your neck using upward strokes as well as those behind your ears. My grandma said that gently massaging the skin is the key to maintaining healthy skin. And even if you reach the grand old age of 50, you will find that it was worth it.

STEP FIVE: Rinse your face and neck with tepid water to close your pores.

STEP SIX: Use a clean and soft towel and pat your face dry. Be gentle don’t rub the towel on your face. Make sure you use a clean towel so that you avoid putting dirt or bacteria back on your cleaned face.

Helpful Notes to Remember:

For those with large pores, you can use a toner to help tighten the pores. It will also remove any remaining cleanser.

Avoid fragrances in your facial products as well as preservatives like parabens as this causes allergic reactions.

Use a moisturizer as this will keep your skin hydrated. And yes, even if you have oily skin, you do need to moisturize.

Use an eye cream made for your eyes only. The area surrounding your eyes has a different type of skin and must be treated differently.

Each skin is unique so be observant and see what works for you. You can always consult a dermatologist for better results.

Looking and feeling good is a choice. And it is all about creating good habits. Your daily skin care should include proper washing of the face.