How to Wash Your Face - Part 2
On to the next step of those important moments before you go to sleep tonight!!
After Cleansing:
Tone! A toner refers to a lotion or wash designed to cleanse the skin and shrink the pores. To be honest, many people either do not know about this step or simply don’t think it is necessary. I, however, have found that using a toner makes a wonderful difference in how much moisturizer is used and the reduction of redness in the skin.
Application: 1) Spray directly onto the face with a spritz top nozzle on the bottle.
2) Apply to a damp cotton round, then onto the face.
One form of toner is a freshener –
These are the mildest form of toners; they contain virtually no alcohol (0-10%), water, and a humectant such as glycerine. Humectants help to keep the moisture in the upper layers of the epidermis by preventing it from evaporating. A popular example of this is Rosewater. These toners are the kindest to skin, and are most suitable for use on dry, dehydrated, sensitive and normal skins.
Another form is a Tonic –
These are slightly stronger and contain a small quantity of alcohol (up to 20%), water and a humectant ingredient. Orange flower water is an example of a skin tonic. Skin tonics are suitable for use on normal, combination, and oily skin.
Another form are Astringents –
These are the strongest form of toner and contain a high proportion of alcohol (20-60%), antiseptic ingredients, water, and a humectant ingredient. These are commonly recommended for oily skin types as they are drying, but NOTE that the removal of oil from the skin can lead to excess oil production as the skin tries to compensate for the lack of natural moisture left on the skin. (a little oil is natural and healthy). Witch Hazel is an example of an astringent. To prevent dehydration, astringent is best applied only to problem areas of skin, such as blemishes.
As toner is formulated to shrink the pores to retain moisture, it is somewhat drying because of this. Therefore, always moisturize afterward(which we will talk about later as our next step)!!
~maresah~
October 24th, 2009 at 3:48 pm
Maresah,
In your part one you talked about different products. I was wondering what I should use for my oily forehead…the rest of my skin is just fine, but my forehead is a mess. Also my pores are definitely messed up. Any suggestions?
Thanks and God bless,
Joanna
October 26th, 2009 at 4:40 pm
well, Joanna, this situation can be very irritating for certain! i’m not sure what you’re currently using, but
you could be experiencing the breakout from allergies to the product or perhaps a hormonal imbalance, or perhaps from to many oily foods, or bangs…
in any case, after cleansing, i would try dampening a towel and warm it up in the microwave, then place over your forehead until it cools (this will help open the pores) then use tea tree oil as a spot treatment. (Tea tree oil will help kill the bacteria build up, as well as, minimize pore size). also, try to keep your hair off your face while you sleep, again, esp if you have bangs!
this might not be all that would need to be done, but give it a shot and let me know
~maresah~
November 2nd, 2009 at 8:43 pm
I have bangs and my forehead is bad, I’ll try this.
November 6th, 2009 at 12:02 pm
Thank you SO much for these posts on face washing!! Having resolved at a young age to go through my teen years without a single pimple (and yes, I failed in keeping that one :)), I’ve been a faithful face-washer for ten years. Now at 22, I see that I’ve been over drying and scrubbing my sensitive skin, which caused redness and oiliness all the more. Since reading this, I’ve switched to a cream based cleanser, and made my washing quick and with warm water - no more long scrubbing. The redness has gone, and a constant clean but moisturized skin has come, giving my face a smoother look naturally; so now I don’t have to glob on the foundation to cover up the redness, and my make-up has more of the natural look that I love! Thanks so much, I’m thrilled with my “new” skin!