How to Keep Your Face Clean [For Healthier & Radiant Skin]

1. How important is it to cleanse your skin?
2. Why do you have to cleanse your skin?
3. How many times should you be doing it? 
4. How do you choose a cleanser? 
5. What is a toner? Do you need it? 
6. What should be your basic skin routine?

I set out to answer these questions plus many more with my friend and beauty expert, Anna Campofiorito.  In this episode, I will share the invaluable tips I took away from our conversation, including the basic 5-step process you should be following every day to give you the healthy and radiant skin you deserve.

Subscribe to HerCanvas today to get your answers to the questions that matter most to you, and ultimately, find the inspiration to live your best life. 

Transcript

Hey Everyone! 

Welcome to HerCanvas! Our podcast where we discuss the topics that matter most to women and help us find the inspiration to live our best lives. I’m your host, Jedidah Karanja. Today we’re going to be talking about the simple steps you can take to keep your face clean so you can have that healthy and radiant skin you deserve. 

• Have you ever wondered if you have the right skincare routine?
• Do you sometimes find conflicting information from skincare experts confusing and frustrating? 

I set out to answer these two questions when I sat down to have a conversation with my friend and skincare expert, Anna Campofiorito. 

Anna is a licensed and certified skincare expert. Originally from Italy, her first opportunity into the world of beauty was as a makeup artist with a fashion/beauty photographer in San Francisco. This experience helped her rediscover her passion for makeup artistry, so she initiated a venture as a makeup artist for advertising, bridal, fashion, and performing arts projects. As a makeup artist, she came across many cases where people would ask for recommendations regarding skincare, and it became clear to her that the foundation for beautiful makeup is healthy skin. Her passion for esthetics and interest in offering more to her clients inspired her to go back to school and earn her esthetician certification and license.  She’s also a certified Dermalogica expert and a lash artist from Borboleta. Anna operates her own beauty bar, Anna’s Beauty Bar, which she opened last year.  Given her amazing background, I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to tap into her expertise and to help women find the right skincare routine. 

My quest to find clarity on the right skincare routine was sparked by a segment from one of my favorite TV shows where I heard one of the invited skincare experts say that women should cleanse their skin with a cleanser once a day (specifically during nighttime.) Her reasoning was that doing it regularly strips the skin of essential oils and nutrients. I was shocked because most of my adult life I had been advised to clean my face with a cleanser at least twice a day. 

I had had enough of second-guessing myself! I decided I needed to talk to Anna about it to clear the confusion once and for all. 

Here are the invaluable tips I took away from our conversation.  

• Cleansing your skin is the first and most important step of your skincare routine.  When you cleanse your skin, it helps the moisturizer and antioxidants penetrate your skin better and most importantly protects your skin from aging.
• Cleansing your skin is the best protection you can get from pollutants, excess oil, sweat, and germs.  It reduces the risks of inflammation caused by water loss and irritants.
• Dermatologists recommend that we clean our face at least twice a day (once in the morning and another at night.) It was a relief to get clarification on the cleansing frequency and to know that I had been following the right protocol all along. 
  • They also recommend you use a richer moisturizer, serum, or retinol at night. The night is especially important because 80% of cell renewal happens in the night. You might be wondering, why wash your face in the morning? I was wondering the same too! After all, you’re asleep, not up and about. Cleansing in the morning helps you remove any allergens, smog, or dust your hair may have caught, especially if you haven’t washed it. It helps you remove any dust and other pollutants released by air conditioning in the summer months. Washing your face in the morning also helps keep it hydrated because it locks in your moisturizer. 
  • Typically, dry skin is caused by using the wrong choice of product on your face not by washing your face twice a day.  Some cleansers can disrupt your PH balance, which affects the proper function of your skin barrier. If this happens, It’s best to seek advice from your esthetician to determine the right cleanser for your skin type. 
  • Be gentle on your face. Use upwards and downwards circular motions everywhere on your face. Pay attention to the nose making sure to be thorough. Your goal is to clean the grime that is under our hair to avoid congestion and inflammation. 
• Wash your face with lukewarm, not hot water.  This was surprising to me because I had always believed that you should use cold water to keep your pores closed. 
• Use a cleanser, not soap. Soap strips away your skin’s protective barrier. 
• Use a cleanser that is ph balanced, especially if after washing your face it feels uncomfortable or tight. The bubbly ones tend to be more for oily skin while the creamy ones are gentler and very good for normal to dry skin.
• Always apply a toner before your moisturizer. It refreshes and hydrates your skin, conditions it, and prepares it for proper moisture absorption or moisturizer. Do not use brightening toners in the summer because they cause hyperpigmentation.  I was petrified by this last titbit because for the last year, I have been using a brightening toner throughout the year! Thanks to Anna, I’m now back to the toner for my normal skin! Another cause of hyperpigmentation is the lack of sunscreen! So remember to apply your sunscreen people! :-)
• Your basic skincare routine should consist of a 5 step process. Ana and I came up with the acronym PCTSM to make it easier to remember: Precleanse, Cleanse, Toner, Serum, Moisturizer! Pretty easy to remember! 

No matter your skin type, we can all agree it’s important to have a basic skincare routine that keeps your face clean, hydrated, healthy, and radiant. Washing your face appropriately at least twice a day, choosing the right cleanser and toner, using the right moisturizer, and protecting your skin with sunscreen are the essential skincare steps you need to take help you achieve your goal. 

Thank you for tuning in! I hope these valuable skincare tips from Anna will be your stepping stone to healthier and radiant skin. 

Be sure to subscribe to our podcasts on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Play, Google Podcasts, and Pandora. 

Want to access my full conversation with Anna on how to keep your face clean? Check out our blog post on gapmuse.com. You will also find her product recommendations for your 5-step skincare routine and her contact information for a consultation if you’re interested in one. Also, don’t forget to connect with our Facebook community at gapmuseWomen to continue this conversation and many more along the way.

Until next time, stay safe and find the inspiration to live your best life.