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OEB Youtube video on this topic:

Cleansing is the most important step in our skincare regimen, but how can we ensure we’re doing it correctly?

The 3 cleansing how to videos on Youtube by the Korean dermatologists Dr. Sang-Wook Lee, Dr. Gwang Hyun Jo and Dr. Ha-eun Lee went viral in Korea all hitting over million views.

These videos offer key tips on how to properly cleanse your face based on the type of your skin. Since these super informative videos are all in Korean without English subtitles, we compiled, summarized, and translated only the key information from them.

Are you ready to dive in?

Why wash face?

Simply because as the day goes on, our faces become dirty. Just like we always wash our hands, we must wash our faces to remove all the makeup, sunscreen, residues and pollutants.

The best way to cleanse our faces is to remove all the dirt on your face without damaging your skin barrier.

So how can we achieve this goal?

Cold or hot water myth: What is the best temperature?

A: Lukewarm water all the way through
Lukewarm water is closest to our natural skin temperature, it’s gentle on the skin and warm enough to promote blood circulation.
(Tip from Yuhee: This is why it is generally recommended not to wash your face in the shower as the water temperature in the shower can be too hot)

Isn’t it good for the skin to start with the cold then end with hot water?

Some of you may have heard something like this – wash your face with lukewarm water first as a way to remove any makeup and pollutants from the day. “Then, end with a cold water rinse to tighten pores and promote blood circulation for a healthy glow. (Article from healthline https://www.healthline.com/health/beauty-skin-care/wash-face-with-cold-water)

According to Dr.Lee, our skin does not act like a machine. The pores on our faces are not capable of opening and tightening that quickly by switching the water temperature unless we wash it for about 5 minutes (Let’s face it. Can you bring your face down and wash your face for 5 minutes? Oh my back!) This method may cause more problem, especially if you start with a warm to hot temperature. If the water temperature is too hot it will increase the size of your blood vessels causing flare-ups. While your face has flared up, if you then switch to cold water, then it will make your face flush for even longer!

Is double cleansing necessary?

First of all, what is double cleansing?
Here I brought the answer from Google as it is explained very well.
Double cleansing involves removing makeup, SPF, and sebum (skin’s natural oils) first using an oil-based cleanser or serum. This first stage is followed with a deeper water-based cleanse to clean deeper in the pores, removing bacteria, sweat, and old skin cells.

According to Dr. Lee, double cleansing is an absolute must if you’re wearing SPF sunscreen. It is now widely informed that the sunscreen is needed every day regardless of the weather as the sun’s rays will always reach our skin.

SPF contains ingredients that are hard to wash off such as titanium dioxide and zinc oxide. Therefore you must double cleanse to make sure that these are all removed.

Note: Those of you who suffer from breakouts every time you apply the sunscreen – Dr. Lee has highly advised to first check on how you are cleansing as that may be causing the problem rather than the SPF. Have you cleansed properly?

1st part of double cleansing is oil cleansing.
Ie. Using the cleansing oil or cleansing balm.

If you have oily skin, Dr. Jo and Dr. H E Lee recommended the cleansers with higher water level instead of the cleansing oil, as any remaining oil from the oil based cleansers may block your pores causing breakouts. If you are an oily skin type, they have recommended cleansing water or cleansing lotion or cleansing gel.

Finish off by rinsing with lukewarm water.

2nd part of double cleanse is water cleansing.
This is washing your face using the cleansing foam.
While Dr. Jo has recommended low PH level cleansing foam, Dr. Lee recommended to choose what suits to your skin type and condition. If you have normal skin type with no troubles (lucky you!), then you can use alkaline cleansing products (ie. soap) or the products with neutral PH level of 7. These are highly effective in removing all the dirts on your face.
If you feel that those cleansers are drying or stripping your face, then change to more gentle cleansers with PH level of between 4.5-5.5.

If your skin still feels dry and uncomfortable after using the gentle cleansing foams then go for the enzyme powder cleanser or cleansing mousse.

Top tip from Dr Jo for sensitive skin:

If your skin is extremely sensitive, just use one gentle low ph level cleansing foam in both of your double cleansing stages. If you feel that it’s not cleansing well enough then you could try double cleanse using the cleansing water instead.

Also try to avoid below ingredients when choosing your cleansing product:
Acetone, Alcohol, Propylene Glycol, AHA, Sodium Lauryl Sulfate, Benzalkonium Chloride, Formaldehyde Releaser, Menthol, Benzyl Alcohol, Urea, Periodic Carboxylic Acid, Lanolin and any kind of spices.

Ensure the cleansing foam foams up well in your hands so you get plenty of bubbles. Avoid applying the foam directly to your face and rubbing your cheeks to generate bubbles, as this only cleans the surface of your face. What we want is the bubbles to penetrate our pores, so that every small bit of the dirt and sebum will be removed and cleansed thoroughly.

How long should I spend on washing my face?

Around 1 minute in per double cleansing session. Massage your face with the product that suits you for about 40-60 secs. Less than 1 minute may not wash off all the dirt, and more than 1 minute may damage your skin barrier. Finish off by rinsing for about 1 minute. More than 1 minute may dry out your skin so make sure you stick to under 1 minute.

How many times should I be washing my face?

Twice a day in the morning and night. Any more than that will dehydrate your skin.

Can we wash using just water in the morning?

Most people will fall into not so damaged skin category, so for majority of you it is better to use the cleansing product such as the cleansing foam in the morning as after sleep there are impurities, residues and sebum that needs cleansing.

Is there a correct way to wash the face?

Gently from bottom to up. Like how we see in commercials – they were right!

How about the cleansing devices?

All 3 dermatologists did not recommend the cleansing devices as this may damage our skin barrier if rubbed onto our skin for a long period of time. There is also a hygiene issue as usually people keep these devices in their bathrooms. Bathrooms are humid so this environment may build bacteria onto your device. Eeeks! Not recommended.

To sum up, first thing first – know your skin type and its current condition.
Using the right product for your skin, wash your face twice a day at morning and night in lukewarm water.

Happy cleansing, happy skin!

Video reference links: