Most of us have a neat combination of micellar waters, makeup wipes and skincare products that we rely on for smoother, clearer skin, but are they all they’re hyped up to be?
What is double cleansing?
Double cleansing is pretty much what it says on the tin. It consists of cleansing your skin with a number of products one after the other – something we’re all guilty of in the hope we’ll get the Kim Kardashian skin of our dreams. But apparently, it’s not as great for you as we first thought.
What does it do to your skin?
“The problem with multiple cleansing steps is that this disturbs skin barrier function – and this is not good,” skin expert Dr Sam Bunting told Byrdie.
“It’s important to realise that ‘squeaky clean’ skin means you’ve gone too far; I think skin should have no residual tightness after cleansing if you’re using the right product.
What should we be doing?
Sam recommends getting to the source of your skin issues rather than covering them with tonnes of products, whether that be makeup or skincare. Once you’ve nailed the root of your problem, you’ll need less of both, and therefore, less cleansing.
She says: “My advice to patients, many of whom suffer from acne and rosacea, so are very dependent on cosmetics, is that if you need to double-cleanse, you need to re-examine your makeup practices.”
We’re not sure we’re ready for that commitment *just* yet…but we’re definitely cutting down after it was revealed that charcoal masks could actually be doing us more harm than good.
Are peel off masks bad for your skin?
One such skincare fad we’ve been seeing a lot of is peel-off charcoal masks. It’s fair to say charcoal and peel-off masks are having a moment (hilarious fail videos anyone?), but one dermatologist has issued a stark warning against them.
According to Her.ie , doctors and dermatologists are warning that the masks can leave permanent scarring and pigmentation, especially for people who have darker complexions.
Qualified facialist and aesthetician, Andy Millward, said: “To anyone tempted by or intrigued by these charcoal masks… don’t! Just don’t.
“As a one-off, the skin is likely to recover without issue. But continued use, stripping away the skins natural oils and irritating the skin is a sure fast track to secondary skin concerns.
“You have been warned.”
We’ll certainly be heeding his words.
This isn’t the first skincare scare we’ve had recently. According to skincare-savvy Jennifer Rock, founder of The Skin Nerd, micellar water isn’t as brilliant as beauty brands have had us believe.
Speaking to Her.ie , she said: “Neither [is good for the skin]. I would almost, almost rather that people sleep in their makeup [than use them].
Should you take off your makeup with Micellar Water or Wipes?
“I think that my biggest concern is that people seem to rely on [micellar water and makeup wipes] to take off their makeup when they actually need to also use a thorough cleanser.
“But if I had to pick, micellar water would marginally be better.”
How many steps should be in your skincare routine?
She also says that going too wild in your skincare routine can also be doing your skin more harm than good… we feel very attacked right now.
“Sometimes, people are obsessed with the idea of having 16, 17 steps in a skincare routine instead of just making sure they get everything right,” she added.
Her favourite must-have products for maintaining a good routine include her Cleanse-off Mitt (obviously), as well as Academie’s Radiance Serum and Image’s Clear Cell Cleanser, which are both great for stress skin.
