There are a few things in skin care that we could technically choose to forget about. Under eye cream is a luxury, weekly masks aren’t necessarily a MUST...but, cleansing your skin is not optional! 

At the end of the day your skin is covered in a lot more than just the moisturizer, SPF and makeup you started with. There is dirt, dead skin cells, oils, dust etc. Don’t tell me you’re going to crawl into bed with that all still on your face?! 

Say it with me, “I cleanse my face every morning and night”. Okay good. 

Now let’s talk specifics about cleansers because they are not all equal. I realized this when I started to really get in tune with my how my skin felt after using different cleansers. Now I can instantly tell which are good and which are junk after just 1 use #expertstatus. 

I’m obsessed with IS Clinical Cleansing Complex, Lait U and Lait VIPO2 from Biologique Recherche. After my first bottle of IS Clinical Cleansing Complex both my husband and I were hooked. It was a no-brainer to buy again and after having the regular size twice I invested in the professional size for which we are on our third bottle! So yes it’s been a staple on our bathroom sink for years. I’ve tried other cleansers but I always go back to IS Clinical Cleansing Complex. Lait U and Lait VIPO2 are a milk cleanser and I love to massage them into the skin. It gives the skin an instant smoothness and glow factor. Yes, glow from just cleansing. The problem with most cleansers is that they strip the skin but Lait U preserves the skin hydrolipidic film. You don’t want your skin to feel stripped, that's not the goal of cleansers.

Why do I love them?

IS Clinical Cleansing Complex contains powerful antioxidants such as centella asiatica which is a wound healing ingredient. Animals rub against this plant to heal themselves when injured. The cleanser also contains white willow bark (salicylic acid), which exfoliates the skin and deep-cleanses pores. 

This cleanser’s consistency is a mixture between a serum gel and liquid soap which glides seamlessly onto skin with a light lather. Plus, you only need a dime sized amount so a little goes a long way. 

Another highlight is that it works great to remove makeup off but never leaves my face feeling tight or stripped or dry! Best of all, its fragrance free! I have tried other cleansers on the market at Sephora but nothing compares. 

Lait U holds a multifunctional purpose. It helps remove makeup, dirt, debris, all while being respectful to the skin barrier and hydrating. What can you find in this bottle? Squalane, wheat germ (full of fatty acids and antioxidants), sweet almond oil and triglyceride. Lait VIPO2 is known as a brightening, silky and oxygenating cleanser. This cleanser is perfect to fight pollution and in my opinion the best one to use over the summer months and whenever you are travelling. With pollution on the rise we will definitely need to do a better job of cleansing. Lait VIPO2 will make it much easier.

Of course, I test a LOT of products, I love learning about new brands and experimenting with them. So if I ever feel bored or I’ve heard a good review about something I want to test it out so that I can give honest feedback to clients who use the product and are asking for a second opinion. 

As my first cleanse or pre-cleanse I use Seabuckthorn Best Skin Ever from Living Libations. The smell is just heaven and is perfect to use as a massage oil for the skin. This bright orange essence is incredibly regenerative and complexion clearing - relaxing redness and paring puffiness. Seabuckthorn is an excellent addition to cleansers for acne. Yes, you can definitely use oil cleansers if you have acne! Do not worry, it will not aggravate the acne, it’ll actually soothe the inflammation! I love this oil because it can be used as a body oil, hair oil and even as a moisturizer. So you have many ways to use this oil.

All of these cleansers can be purchased online or in store!

How To Properly Cleanse Your Face 

PM Routine 

So, now for the ‘how to’. For your PM routine I always recommend that you cleanse your skin twice! Twice? Ya, you heard me! The first cleanse will be with a balm/oil cleanser which will remove makeup, oil, sunscreen and debris in the upper most layer. Using an oil-based cleanser helps remove oily impurities from your skin. Remember that oil attracts oil so a water based cleanser can’t clean away debris that is oil-based. And do you know what has lots of oil based ingredients, makeup!  

No, an oil cleanser will not clog your pores - oil takes off oil. This step will prep your skin for the second cleanser to perform its actual job.

The second cleanser (Cleansing Complex or Lait U in my case) will clean the skin of all remaining residue and prime it for a more effective application of serums, oils and hydrators.

Our skin needs to ‘recharge’ at night and regain energy. This is when it drinks in the serums, moisturizers and eye creams. But, if there is a layer of makeup and pollution on your skin that wasn’t properly removed then all of the extra products you add before you climb into bed will not be absorbed! You thought skincare was expensive? Well it definitely is if you apply it over a layer of makeup and it can’t be used by your skin!  Additionally, if you don’t cleanse, the skin becomes far more prone to blackheads, breakouts and blemishes. The long term effect? Premature ageing due to the breakdown in collagen caused by the environmental pollutants left on the skin. Not to scare you….

During my skin consults, I can tell just by touching your skin whether or not your skin is cleansed. The results are coarse skin texture, large pores, fine lines. Don’t worry I’m not judging, I’m here to help. 

AM Routine 

As for your AM routine, I would normally cleanse with Cleansing Complex or Lait U and that’s what I would recommend. 

During the winter I tried something new. I had really dry skin. I thought, “I’ve done a really good PM routine, so why wash it all off? In the morning?” Especially when I’m not spending as many hours in bed as I would like, say 5 instead of 8. On those days I’d really like to keep the under eye cream on a little longer!

During this little experiment I would; use my toner as my first step, skip the cleanse, and head straight into my serums. It was really good for me for a while, but if you have oily skin or sweat during your sleep, I would continue to cleanse!

After about 6 weeks of this trial I have gone back to cleansing during the day. At the start I was reaping the benefits of the extra hydration from keeping the nighttime serums on longer but then I noticed I was breaking out by not cleansing during the day. I also started to feel like I was adding too many layers onto my skin. Starting with a fresh cleanse in the morning always feels great to me! It’s a part of my routine that I really missed. Plus the skin has memory, my skin is used to it being cleansed AM and PM.

Currently I’ll use either cleansers I mentioned above, or my oil cleanser of choice at the time first thing in the morning!

Any questions about cleansers? Drop them below.