Facial cleansers
All
modem well-formulated facial cleansing products are based on synthetic detergents.
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HOW
OFTEN SHOULD WE
CLEAN OUR SKIN?
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Some people clean their skin only rarely: others are almost
obsessive, and go through an elaborate ritual several times
a day. (In just the same way, people vary widely in the frequency
with which they wash their hair - anything from once a week
to twice daily.)
Regular cleaning should not damage
the skin provided that the products used are well formulated
and mild to the skin.
These needs of course change with
time, as the effects of intrinsic and extrinsic aging become
apparent. |
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Choosing a facial cleanser
Facial cleansing should be effective without irritating the skin, and to achieve
this it is important to choose the most appropriate products. The following
points must be considered when choosing:
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- skin type
- age
- any skin problems present
- skin allergies.
Several forms of facial cleansers have been developed to deal with cleansing different
skin types, and to avoid drying the skin as traditional bar soaps tended
to do.
Cream, milk or lotion cleansers are particularly
suitable for removing make-up and other solid residues from dry skin. All
these are emulsions (see page 100):
they use the dissolving action of oils to remove make-up and other products
left on the skin's surface. At the same time they can be formulated to leave
behind a moisturising (emollient) film, which prevents too drastic a removal
of fats from the skin.
Facial cleansers should remove oils and other fatty secretions
from the sebaceous glands in the skin, but at the same time they should
not remove from the stratum corneum the natural lipids like ceramides,
which have an important role in preventing an excessive loss of water from
the skin.
Facial cleansers for dry
skin
In cleansing dry skin the most important aspect is total removal of products.
Facial cleansing products may be spread on the skin surface with the fingers or
a pad, and then wiped from the skin with a tissue or rinsed off with water.
Manufacturer's instructions must be followed carefully.
Products use the solvent effect of ingredients such
as mineral oils and syndets to dissolve make-up and dirt present on the
skin, and contain moisturising ingredients as well.
Facial cleansers for oily
skin
Oily (greasy) skin is particularly common in young people, and may be accompanied
by an acne condition. One small advantage of having greasy skin is that
it tends to be less easily damaged than dry skin, and less prone to moisture
loss. It requires less protection in cold weather; a light oil-in-water
emulsion is all that is needed. |
