Flannels, Face wipes and Cotton pads oh my...
Does a flannel seem super old fashioned these days, I’m not really sure. I for one love a flannel and it still conjures up memories of my favourite teddybear flannel at my Grandmas house, and being chased with a freshly bleached dishcloth after dinner time (Oh hello peri oral dermatitis). One a much more pleasant memory than the other.
Speaking of our grandparents generation I imagine washing with a bar of soap and water was really very adequate with a good dollop of moisturiser to counteract the overly drying soap and you were good to go. With the onset of foaming cleansers, less bath times, more shower times, less time in general. Washing our faces went from something that was considered, and more of a daily ritual, to something you could quickly do in the shower and rinse off with water. There are now cleansing options as far as the eye can see and choosing one thats right for you and your skin type can be a minefield.
My rule of thumb, firstly please cleanse your face, whether you're wearing makeup or not. Secondly if your skin feels tight and stinging after cleansing your product is too harsh for your skin, or you are over scrubbing. Your skin should feel clean but without the instant need to put a tub of moisturiser on. Its important not to damage the acid mantle (Your protective barrier) by over scrubbing or using abrasive stripping cleansers. It’s very easy to get stuck in a vicious cycle of over cleansing and exfoliating then becoming reliant on heavy moisturisers to try and put the hydration back in.
Cotton pads were always my go to to remove eye makeup and still would be on a client, you can get lovely washable ones now too. I feel like in order to thoroughly cleanse your face of makeup and daily dirt; including pollution, face touching and all that build up you maybe need to be working a little harder than a swipe of a cotton pad or face wipe, however quick and easy it may be. I’ve tried everything I’ve mentioned below.
A few dos and don't in my humble opinion:
Face Wipes :
If you have no access to clean running water then maybe, just maybe some biodegradable eco natural organic face wipes are ok. But realistically when does this happen? I have been in one situation on a movie set where I needed to use a face wipe for myself. I have to say its just not economical in order to do the job...I’m not even going to say properly because it still didn’t hit the mark for me I needed a good 6 wipes and even then I was longing after a warm flannel. The problem with a face wipe is they mostly move dirt from one side of the face to the other and leave you with clogged pores, over time building up into unwanted spots, and most mainstream brands contain a lot of preservatives in order to keep the wet cloth from going mouldy. This will damage our skins microbiome (the healthy bacteria and yeast etc that live on our face and help it heal, repair and stay healthy) I think its safe to say face wipes live firmly in my don’t column.
Cotton Pads :
If you wear a lot of eye makeup especially waterproof conventional brands they tend to stick like glue so soaking with a pad can be kinder to the eye area than going straight on with a flannel or face cloth. The washable ones are great though for yourself at home, make sure you're using clean ones daily so do invest in a few packs to allow you to wash them. I feel to clean the whole face with a couple of tiny cotton pads rounds is a lot to ask of them unless you’re a borrower (they were tiny fictional people the size of a thimble for those of you that don't remember) and can act in a similar way to a face wipe if you're not thorough enough, moving dirt around rather than removing it.
Flannels/Face Cloths :
I LOVE a flannel so this may be a slightly bias piece, I’ve travelled with my own set for years now when working away, a lot of hotels don't supply them now and using the corner of a hand towel just isn’t ideal, but doable in a pinch! Use a clean one daily, (they harbour a lot of bacteria so this is really important) use one side for your first cleanse and the other side for your second, have a stack in your bathroom so you're not tempted to re-use yesterdays. And think how many years of life you can get out of that trusty flannel, its nothing over complicated, the action of a gentle wipe with a flannel really helps to actually lift the dirt and clean your face. Use Warm water, not cold or hot. And the action of using your hands and fingers to massage your cleanser into your face promotes lymphatic drainage (to de puff) and encourages the dirt to lift away from the skin. Find the Kyushi Face Cloths here, designed with two different sides one for an exfoliating first cleanse and followed by a side for a gentle second cleanse.
Konjac Sponge
I also love a konjac sponge. My personal preference would be to use a konjac sponge for my second cleanse. I love the feeling the texture, everything about it. Did you know its actually made from a porous root vegetable that grows in Asia. It works to gently exfoliate your skin, sloughing away dead skin cells, giving skin a smooth, glowy complexion.
Then you have the electrical brushes:
Be mindful if this is your go to, the user can have the tendency to push too hard, like with an electric toothbrush and this can over stimulate and exfoliate the area leading to sensitivities. I would use an electrical brush less frequently as more of a treatment exfoliation - but it really is personal preference. Hygiene is key, change the heads regularly.
I’m not going to go into cleansers in this piece but I do want to leave you with this, if you are using a foaming cleanser or a cleanser you rub on and normally splash off with water, the introduction of a cloth will amp up your cleansing routine beautifully, so give it a go. Be mindful of SLS in foaming products, this can cause skin sensitivities. You can read more about Cleansing here.
Be mindful of the hygiene of your chosen cleansing friend, always use clean, and try and wash in a kind detergent like Ecover to prevent any extra chemical components making their way into your regime.
I’ve popped a video below of my personal evening skincare cleansing routine, if you want to follow along with me.
Happy Cleansing you lovely lot, any questions do reach out I’m here to help.
Alice x
Alice@kyushi.co.uk