How Often Should You Cleanse your Face?

How to Avoid Over-cleansing Your face.

You might be over-cleansing your face if it feels tight. Other signs that you are over doing your cleaning regimen are rashes, adult acne, red flaking skin around the T-zone.

It is important to check if your following the right cleaning regimen and utilising the right products for your kind of skin to avoid over-cleansing.

What type of skin do you have?

There are five basic skin types:

Oily (prone to acne or break-outs)

Combination(oily T-zone) or Normal 

Sensitive (feels tight and itchy)

Dry 

Sun-damaged

You can do a skin test to Confirm what type of skin you have. Most women actually have combination skin.

Now let’s look at cleansers…They basically clean the face by removing dirt, grime and dead cells, a process that helps the production of new skin cells.

There are various types of cleansers; creams, lotions, bars, gels and scrubs etc you name it. 

Syndets (detergent or soap-free cleansers) are great for sensitive skin. Look out for oil free or non-comedogenic products.

Milky or Cream cleansers are great for those with dry skin as they moisturise as they clean. Look out for products with Vitamin A, C and E.

Foaming Gel facial cleansers are used mostly by those with oily skin. Look out for those with salicyclic acid if you have acne or blemishes (except you already use another product with salicyclic acid after cleansing).

Foaming cleansers are good for oily combination/normal skin.

Exfoliating cleansers are suitable for oily and normal/combination skin.

In all what matters is how your skin feels after using the product. Don’t hesitate to throw out any product that gives your skin signs and symptoms of being over-cleansed.

Photo: Masechaba Ndlovu showing off her make up free face, and tying a lovely red doek.