The art of double cleansing

Dermatologist Dr Kiran Lohia tells you what it means and why your skin might need it

Double Cleansing’ has been a term floating around for some time now – mainly since the Korean 10-step skincare regimen started trending around the world. As a dermatologist, I think pieces of the regimen are great and others can certainly be skipped. Double cleansing, however, is one great step of the K-Beauty routine that can benefit everyone, no matter their skin type.

Do it twice

Double cleansing is exactly what it sounds like – cleansing your face two times, back-to-back. While most of you know the importance of cleansing your face daily to maintain clear, healthy skin, I know that doesn’t mean it isn’t a hassle. After a long night out or hard day at the office, washing your face with one cleanser seems hard enough...no less two. There are plenty of time saving hacks you can practice in beauty (for instance, a top bun for an instant face lift and to hide your unwashed hair), but caring for your skin is not something you should shortcut. If you can spend 10 minutes creating that perfect cat eye, I promise you have time to integrate this simple cleansing system into your routine.

How to do it

To incorporate double cleansing into your day, start with a cleansing oil. For those of you with oily skin YES I’m talking to you too! Cleansing oils are a great first step for dry skin, oily skin and every skin type in between. They are also gentle enough to use around the eyes and super effective at removing makeup of all kinds. For oily skin, oil cleansers actually attract oil and break-up the top layer of pollution and junk much more efficiently than water-based cleansers alone. For those of you with dry skin, an oil cleanser will gently, but thoroughly cleanse your skin and, therefore, prime it for hydrating serums and moisturisers

CLEANSING OILS ARE A GREAT FIRST STEP FOR DRY SKIN, OILY SKIN AND EVERY SKIN TYPE IN BETWEEN. THEY ARE ALSO GENTLE ENOUGH TO USE AROUND THE EYES AND SUPER EFFECTIVE AT REMOVING MAKEUP OF ALL KINDS.

to be more efficiently absorbed.

Oil cleansers are especially important in areas of high pollution like many cities in India. The combination of makeup, dust, dirt, sweat and sunscreen (because I know all of you are wearing your sunscreen every !) can really leave you feeling gross. Although it is easy to think a strong foaming cleanser is the only solution to this, I dare you to try an oil cleanser first and tell me you don’t feel cleaner at the end of your skincare routine.

At home hacks

To enhance your cleansing oil experience on a lazy day, here is an insider hack: Heat up some water on the stove (or use a facial steamer if you have one) and position your face over the steam for several minutes to loosen the sebum clogging your pores. If you are feeling extra motivated, you can even add some green tea bags and rose water to the boiling water for enhanced relaxation. By loosening the junk in your pores first, cleansing oils will better be able to do their job.

Skin type matters too

As for the second cleanser you use, that’s really up to you and your skin type. Whether it is a clay cleanser, foaming cleanser, jelly-based cleanser, exfoliating cleanser or cleansing milk...this step should be customized to suit your skins needs. If you are dry and sensitive, I rarely recommend foaming washes or exfoliators. In this instance, the combination of a cleansing oil and cleansing milk or jelly may be the holy grail of combination face washes for you. If you are oily and prone to breakouts, you might need to follow-up your cleansing oil with a foaming or exfoliating cleanser.