Double Cleansing: what is it and how do you do it?

The key to a successful skincare routine: Double Cleansing! One of the most important steps in your skincare routine is cleaning your skin. With well cleansed skin, the ingredients of your skincare products can be better absorbed into your skin in the following steps.

Double cleansing is a two-step cleansing routine. You need two types of cleansers: an oil-based cleanser to get rid of the dirt on your skin in the first step, and a water-based cleanser to really cleanse your skin in the second step.

The first step: Oil Based Cleanser

The first step is to use an oil based cleanser. These are usually available as a cleansing oil or cleansing balm and should be applied directly to dry skin. You can clean the surface of your skin with an oil based cleanser. It is a perfect product for removing make-up, sunscreen and other dirt.

Double cleansing is very popular in South Korea. Most of them double cleanse in the morning and in the evening. An oil based cleanser is less popular in the Western beauty market as some people were quite skeptical about it - especially those with combination / oily skin. Even more oil on my oily skin? But the reality is that these cleansers, which contain good oils, prove just the opposite. Think about it: oil attracts oil. That's why all those oil based skincare products help to get the excess sebum out of your skin.

The second step: Water Based Cleanser

While an oil based cleanser helps to remove excess sebum, your make up and sunscreen in a very effective way, a water-based cleanser helps to remove any water based substances such as bacteria, impurities, dirt or sweat, leaving your skin clean and fresh. For your second step, choose a cleanser with a lower pH level of about 5-6 to keep bacteria away and keep your skin from drying out. Apply a water based cleanser to wet skin, massage until it foams and then rinse.

In short, with Double Cleansing you cleanse your skin in two steps and you get a well cleansed skin, so that your sheet mask, serum and moisturizers can do their work even better.