Double Cleansing: How, What & Why

Double Cleansing is a much-used beauty term these days, but what does it actually mean - and do you need to do it??

Our Beauty Editor Claire talks double cleansing. Let us know your thoughts - comment below or message us via Facebook or Twitter.

Confession Time: until about a year ago, I only ever single cleansed. Shock. But surely cleanser is cleanser, and if it's doing a proper job then it's also cleaning my skin right? Wrong. Reader, I made a rookie error. I failed to take into account my makeup. Because all that time I was slathering on the cleanser and rinsing makeup down the sink, I was only doing half the job. Yes, my makeup was off but what about my skin?

As soon as the penny had dropped, I began double cleansing and have to say, the results were pretty quick. In recent years my skin has been fairly kind to me, but I still suffered from patches of dryness and the odd outbreak of blotchy skin. "It's my diet / lack of water / dirty makeup brushes" were my go-to excuses, but it never occurred to me that I just wasn't washing my face properly.

Double Cleansing: What I Did

So, armed with the knowledge that double cleansing was my new best friend, I purchased an enormous bottle of Matis Paris Micellar Water. I'll admit I was concerned this would be a faff and add extra time to my routine. But the good thing about micellar water is you can use it everywhere and so makeup removal usually began on the sofa pre-bedtime. A little cotton wool and some splashes of product were all it took to remove even the heaviest of makeup. After that, I simply cleansed as normal using my favourite cleansers (yes I did mean cleansers, I have *cough* more than one...) At time of writing I particularly like Guinot's Lait Hydra Confort. It contains Shea Oil which my dry skin adores.

Double Cleansing: The Results

The first result I saw was my skin being noticeably cleaner. Straight after rinsing, it looked pink and bright. I also had better skin around my eyes and there were no more hints of mascara on the towel... My products were genuinely absorbed better and those little blotches disappeared.

Double Cleansing: My Tips

Don't feel you need to invest in an extra cleanser. Double cleansing can simply be using the same cleanser twice. Or, if you'd prefer not to add another product to your routine, you can try a magic mitt makeup remover that only requires water.  Or you can try makeup wipes. The point is to make sure the skin is innocent of any products before you apply cleanser. If you have acne, oily or congested skin, double cleansing is still for you - as long as you use products for your skin type and remember to moisturise afterwards, you don't need to worry about overly stripping the skin.  And it goes without saying, you will get clearer, brighter skin.

Double cleansing is now second nature to me - I can't imagine going to bed with only one rinse! Let me know if you've tried double cleansing or if you're going to give it a go.

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