Cleansing options from a holistic perspective~
Choosing the right cleansing routine can set your skin up for better balance, using clean ingredients and proper products based on your skin type can make significant improvements to imbalanced skin. Our choices can make a big impact for our health overall and also can significantly impact Mother Earth from: the chemicals used in creating products; to the industrial runoff from those toxic formulas; to the plastics that can leech into the products, our skin, and our environment; plastic is not getting recycled like we have been led to believe. When we have a cleansing routine that is right for our skin specifically, it helps to achieve balanced skin and there are ways we can do it which actually will help restore balance to Mother Earth as well.
Product recommendations from Holistic Skin Care Therapy are selected specifically according to those which are non toxic, non hormone disrupting, free of plastic packaging and are created to help restore the flora and fauna of the lands the plants are grown on.
Cleansing to protect the pH level of the microbiome~
Our skin has what is called a microbiome, or acid mantle, which is a microscopically thin layer acting as a barrier function, on the surface of the skin. It’s comprised of a blend of our own oil and beneficial bacteria. When it’s in balance, it works to keep harmful bacteria, pollution and dirt from penetrating the surface of the skin, which is what helps prevent breakouts, redness, sensitivity, and rashes.
The microbiome of the facial skin likes to keep a pH of around 4 – 5.5. Varying too far from this is what helps to get our skin into a state of imbalance. That’s when we become more prone to dry skin, redness, acne, rashes and sensitivities. That thin, but mighty, protective barrier can be completely stripped away simply by our choice of cleanser. Many soaps and cleansers are usually a higher alkalinity, they can contain ingredients (reviewed in the next paragraph) which further compromise the health of our skin and they often don’t contain nutritive oils that can provide nourishment back to the skin. At the bottom of this article is a link to ‘Well and Good’ who discuss the acid mantle in more detail if you are interested.
This is how our simple cleanse can start a proverbial domino effect of imbalanced skin. It highlights the importance of a proper cleansing routine to achieve and maintain balanced skin.
The importance of starting with clean products~
Products should all be as clean and unrefined or processed as possible, using a minimal amount of ingredients preferably coming from an organic* source. Avoiding things like colors, parabens, phthalates, sodium laurel/laureth sulfate, propylene glycol, triclosan, toluene and yes there is even formaldehyde in some facial cleansers. Products labeled with ‘fragrances’ could be incredibly pure and healthy but the mystery fragrance blend added in can turn it into a toxic cocktail. All of these: can strip skin of vital oils; are void of any nourishing ingredients; throw off the pH level* which can lead to greater imbalances in the skin; store toxic chemicals in various organs and systems within the body; have the ability to significantly throw hormones out of balance. When the body is in some state of overall imbalance, products that contain any of these ingredients in addition to being a higher pH than skin can tolerate, can lead to break downs in the protective barrier on our skin.
*Organic can mean many things to different people~I relate it to ingredients grown, harvested, processed and packaged with no chemical compounds that are created in a lab to kill organisms, provide long term preservative support or are known to cause disruption and destruction to cell growth.
Healthier products to consider~
Many of the products that I have found contain hydrating plants and nourishing oils that leave the skin feeling clean and hydrated after use. While often in bar form, they are not at all like typical soaps, (like Dove) which can leave your face feeling tight and dry.
A few favorites of mine to look at include brands like Nopalera (https://nopalera.co) Niawen (https://niawen.com) and Skwalwen Botanicals (https://skwalwen.com.) There are dozens of other small brands that my practice leans towards. I will acknowledge that while some may be a slightly higher pH, they also provide the nourishing and restorative oils that our skin finds supportive during a cleanse.
For complexions experiencing imbalance, there may be other preferred recommendations for cleansers. This is where a personal consultation could be considered to take a deeper look at what is right for your skin specifically. I do offer complementary Discovery Calls with a link to schedule at the end of this article.
If shopping for any of these is not an option, and you find yourself at the local pharmacy trying to find something to use, check out ‘Skin Deep’ https://www.ewg.org/skindeep/. This is an incredible, free database that Environmental Working Group has put together to verify the safety of ingredients in thousands of products. They have an app so you can easily take it mobile, and a fantastic new update they have is to filter products specifically by those created by Black Owned Businesses!
If a product you are looking to use includes any ingredients rated on Skin Deep are any higher than a 2 or 3, best to use it only for the short term as it may have a greater potential to cause some sort of imbalance to the skin or the body due to some particular ingredient. 1 and 2 are the cleanest and safest to use, products go up in number to 10 depending on the level of toxicity.
‘Fragrances’ can also greatly affect the level of toxicity that a product can have as our labeling allows toxic chemical compounds to be safely labeled as ‘fragrance’ in so many body care and household items. Compare items on Skin Deep within brands comparing those that have fragrance to those which don’t and see if the rating changes at all.
Another option for purchasing quality skin care products is through Wellevate, which is an online marketplace for high quality skin and body care items. You can link through the website under the shopping cart and set up an account, once you have established a new account, I can provide a 10% discount for you to use. If you become a client, you get a 20% discount.
What type of skin do you have?
To determine best choice of products it is helpful to know your skin type. Looking at how your skin feels around 2pm is a great way to start;
Balanced Skin=feels like it has no noticeable issues this time of day
Sensitive/Compromised Skin=feels like it has tender or sensitive areas which need soothing
Dry Skin=feels like it needs more moisture
Oily Skin=feels like it needs to be washed due to excessive oil or shininess
Acneic Skin=feels tender or raw because of active lesions
Combo Skin=often feels dry on cheeks, but oily on nose, chin and forehead
One of the simplest and most impactful ways to take care of your skin is by removing dirt, oil and impurities at the end of the day. If you use use makeup or sunscreen, a double cleanse before bed, will ensure that the product and oil is removed during the first cleanse, any residual is removed during the second cleanse, leaving a truly clean skin. If you wear eye makeup, gently massaging a milk cleanser over the eyes will help break down the heavier pigments before cleansing. Going to bed without cleansing and removing the dirty buildup will lead to clogged pores which will cause breakouts. Cleansing at night also can potentially speed up your morning routine if you have to remove eye makeup before you can apply fresh.
A good part of the imbalances that we experience start with our cleansing routines: cleansing too often; using a product wrong for our skin; using water that is too hot. One example is acne, a common misconception is to cleanse more to keep things clean. Over cleansing leads to over stripping, which can make the skin more raw and cause it to become more easily irritated, which in turn causes more breakouts to happen, which makes us want to cleanse more to clear it up.…we can quickly see where this leads. The double cleanse at night is a general rule of thumb when makeup or sunscreen is worn. If the double cleanse feels like too much, keep it to one and just be sure to rinse well.
Skin cleansing suggestions by skin type~
Balanced Skin-a single cleanse at the end of the day is sufficient for most people, using warm water and a mild cleanser; foaming, milk or oil; are all great for this skin type, personal preference is usually the deciding factor. If makeup is used, or sunscreen, cleansing two times in a row will be more supportive; the first is to remove the makeup, dirt and oil, the second is to cleanse the skin of any remaining buildup. Cleansing in the morning is not usually necessary and can lead to drying skin too much or over stripping and starting a cycle of imbalance. A cool to warm water rinse is sufficient to start the day.
Sensitive/Compromised Skin-will benefit from a mild, gentle cleanser like a milk or oil, as depending on the foaming cleanser, it may be too harsh. Using cool to warm water will keep the skin less irritated than hot water and keeping the cleansing to one time a day is best. A single cleanse at night to remove the dirt and oil from the day will be most helpful, a secondary cleanse immediately after only if makeup or sunscreen has been worn for the day. An additional cleanse in the morning will most likely be too much for sensitive skin so if anything, just a cool to warm water rinse at the start of the day. Sensitivities can happen for so many reasons, starting with simplifying the cleansing routine could hopefully be the start to healing the barrier function of the more delicate skin.
Dry Skin-will benefit from a ‘less is more’ attitude when it comes to cleansing. A morning cleanse will most likely cause an increase in dryness which can lead to drier skin and breakdowns to the barrier function which can contribute to blemishes or premature aging with an even drier skin. Milk and oil cleansers will help to keep dry skin hydrated through the cleanse as foaming cleansers can cause a deeper removal of oil from the skin surface. However there are exceptions and I have found a few foaming cleansers and hydrating cleansing bars that are lovely for a drier skin. A single cleanse at the end of the day will be best for dry skin, if makeup or sunscreen is used, it will benefit from cleansing two times at the end of the day; first to remove the product, dirt and oil, the second to cleanse the skin of remaining buildup. Cool to warm water will be more supportive than hot which will strip more oil and cause more imbalance.
Oily Skin-this is the only time that cleansing two (or sometimes three) times a day could be beneficial; but it will be important to pay attention to how your skin is responding to those cleanses and listening to your skin to determine if it needs another cleanse or not. Using a foaming cleanser will most likely provide the greatest feeling of clean and freshness, but it is possible that an oil based cleanser may help provide balance. It sounds counterintuitive, but worth a try if you are up for more oil to experiment with. As a teen, I had oily skin and could not have imagined using an oil cleanser, even now with drier peri menopausal skin, I don’t personally like the idea of oil to cleanse so it is understandable if you aren’t up for this one.
When you wake in the morning, does your skin feel as oily as it dose at the end of your day? If so, a single warm water cleanse in the morning can help to remove excess oil, if not, just rinsing with warm water should be enough. If at mid-day or around 2pm, you feel like your skin is thick with oil, perhaps blotting with tissue or a clean towel would be sufficient; this is where you need to see how you respond to that additional cleanse if you add in an afternoon option. If that extra cleanse leaves you feeling like your skin is at all stripped, it will be best to avoid cleansing and either rinse with warm water or just blot with a clean towel. When you over strip dry skin, it will try to compensate and produce even more oil to balance it back out. Night time will require a warm water wash, once if no makeup or spf is used, a second cleanse should be done to remove any remaining buildup of product, dirt and oil.
Acneic Skin-wants extra care but does not want too much extra care…it needs to stay clean, hydrated and protected, but all too often, in this process it ends up getting over stripped during cleansing, over exfoliated and over medicated to try to clear up blemishes. All of these will only exacerbate the break outs and cause more issues with the skin. A mild, gentle cleanser, foaming or milk cleanser could all be suitable, this is again where you will have to listen to how your skin is responding. How does it feel after the cleanse? It should feel fresh but not really tight and definitely not raw.
Combination Skin-may need a little experimenting to see which cleanser offers the best results. If we go off of the typical cleanser for certain conditions like foaming for normal and oily or milk for dry and sensitive, but the skin has both going on, try targeting the one that is more bothersome. Meaning, if oil is more troublesome try a gentle foaming cleanser, perhaps one that is meant for sensitive skin and has hydrating ingredients added to it. If the dryness is more bothersome, then try a milky cleanser and see how that affects both areas. With combo skin, finding a cleanser that makes both areas feel cared for is most important, you can do more to balance and support those areas after cleansing with certain hydrators.
Here is an article from the American Academy of Dermatology, their general cleansing recommendations are what I would follow, but keep that cleanse to once a day unless skin is oilier as explained above.
Here is the Well and Good article that goes into more detail about the acid mantle which is extremely relevant if you have skin issues like dryness, sensitivity, redness, acne or rashes; https://www.wellandgood.com/what-is-skin-ph/, it also includes a link to product recommendations. While I haven’t tried any of them, they are all worth considering depending on what you might be looking for.
These are all very basic and general instructions, for more specifics tailored specifically to your needs, especially as it relates to skin care products, please reach out to Tanya directly at 415-320-5556 to schedule a free discovery consultation or set one up on the website at www.holisticskincaretherapy.com. You can also link the Wellevate shopping opportunity through that same website link.
Thank you for taking time to read this article, I hope you found relevant and helpful information here!
~Tanya
