BEST FACE WASH BY OWLPURE
HOW TO CHOOSE BEST FACEWASH FOR YOUR SKIN
The world is filthy and gross. As you go about your day, your face gets coated with all sorts of gunk, including dirt, bacteria, dead skin, and oil that you naturally produce (called sebum). So, the purpose of washing your face is to clear all of that up and maintain healthier, good-looking skin. But hey, if you ignore or overlook proper facial hygiene, what’s the worst that can happen?
Well, you probably won’t look like the Cryptkeeper, but for most of us, proper face washing prevents clogged pores (that goes double for those of you who wear makeup, as makeup is notorious for that) because backed up pores are where the trouble begins.
Underneath your skin are sebaceous glands that excrete sebum, and as this paper in the Journal of Lipid Research explains, sebum has many functions. It binds to dead skin cells and travels out via your hair follicles and through your pores as a way to protect your skin, but also possibly as a way to deliver antioxidants, like vitamin E, to the skin’s surface. The delivery of vitamin E through sebum, the research paper’s authors hypothesize, may play a role in maintaining skin health.
If your pores are clogged from a mixture of sebum and outside pollutants, the process backs up and builds up, potentially along with bacteria. The result? Whiteheads, blackheads, cysts, blemishes, and acne. So, for those of us who have oilier skin, sweat a lot, have skin conditions that require it, or wear makeup—there’s no other way to skin it—we need wash our faces right.
Choose the Right Facial Cleanser for Your Type of Skin
The point of a face-washing cleanser is to remove dirt, sweat, and makeup without also completely drying out your skin. When navigating the health and beauty section, your safest bet is to go with descriptors like fragrance-free and gentle (unless you’ve been instructed otherwise by your dermatologist), but oh, the choices! Do you go with a cream or a gel? Do you buy oily or acne-specific washes?
First, note that many products are created for specific skin types. Some help with heavier-duty cleansing, and others are better at safeguarding delicate skin. Here’s how to choose based on your skin type.
For People with Dry Skin
Dry skin has a hard time hydrating itself because it lacks lipids (fats), water, or both. Your skin may feel tight and look flaky. Oftentimes winter exacerbates the dryness or symptoms of skin conditions like eczema. I have eczema myself, so I personally fear winter as much as the Game of Thrones world does because it means much more careful management to fight off breakouts. So when Winter Is Coming, I switch to an oil-based cleanser and a heavier face cream for moisturizing multiple times throughout the day, as needed.
Of course, not everyone with dry skin has to go to the same lengths or use the same products. If you have dry skin, look for cream- or milk-based cleansers to keep your precious oils and prevent further drying. Specific brands like CeraVe, SkinCeuticals, or my current (non-winter) favorite Caudalie could work.
For People with Oily Skin
Oily skin overproduces sebum and is more prone to breakouts, but holds moisture pretty well. You probably think your oily skin has sealed an acne-filled fate, but as this paper in Clinics of Dermatology explains, we’re not quite clear on the relationship between sebum and development of acne. Acne is influenced by many factors, including genes and hormones, so the best thing to manage it is to work with a dermatologist and properly wash your face.
For oily skin, Dr. Badreshia-Bansal, MD, a fellow at the American Academy of Dermatology (AAD), noted on this AAD page that an oil-free foaming cleanser that doesn’t block pores but also contains salicylic acid or benzoyl peroxide can help to prevent breakouts.
For People with a Combination of Oily and Dry Skin
For many people, different areas of your skin may be normal, dry, or oily. The most common oily areas are the forehead, nose, and chin (nicknamed the “T-zone”), whereas the cheeks, neck, and area around the eyes tend to be dry or normal. Badreshia-Bansal recommends a mild cleanser, like Cetaphil or if you stretch the budget a bit more Kiehl’s Ultra Facial Cleanser, that isn’t too harsh on the skin and doesn’t remove much sebum. You’ll know if you’ve scrubbed away too much if your face is left feeling “tight” after washing.
For People with Sensitive Skin
This is, for lack of a better word, a sensitive category. Most people will have reactions of varying severity to specific cosmetics, soaps, lotions, and other common household products, and then think they have sensitive skin. That’s not necessarily the case, however. Sometimes irritation is a matter of overusing a specific product, or just using the wrong product for them. Check with your dermatologist or immunologist to run patch tests to see what may be irritating your skin if you’re unsure, or think you might have sensitive skin.
In most cases, people with true skin sensitivity also have skin conditions like eczema, rosacea, and psoriasis, among others. They tend to have a thinner outer skin layer which is easily irritated and reacts readily. I feel you, sensitive skin-sufferers. Luckily for me, the right cleanser and moisturizer for my skin (along with not eating foods that triggered my eczema) were game-changers.
Dr. Badreshia-Bansal suggests staying away from products that contain fragrances or alcohols, and look for “calming” ingredients like green tea polyphenols, chamomile, and aloe. She adds that in general, the fewer the ingredients on the label, the better. Some active ingredients, such as lipoic acid, glycolic acid, and salicylic acid are well-known skin irritants. People with darker skin may want to pay extra attention to those ingredients because their differences in skin anatomy (such as having more skin pigments called melanin) could make them especially sensitive, according to the AAD.
For People with “Normal” (Not Especially Dry or Oily) Skin
This skin type doesn’t get very greasy nor very dry. Bust out the confetti because you have the least problematic skin type! Most cleansers will work for you, but as with the combination skin type, look for mild cleansers that remove dirt and grease, but preserves the natural sebum you have. The usual recommendation is a neutral cleanser like Cetaphil, but I encourage you to try different gentle-cleansing products—whether it’s gel, a cream, or a foaming wash—to find out what gives you the best clean, non-drying feeling.
SOURCE: vitals.lifehacker
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