Natural Facial Cleansers For Black Skin

Before you try to find the best cleanser, let us tell you what cleansers do.

Cleansers contain what is called ‘surfactants’ which is basically a detergent. It helps remove unwanted particles and substances that accumulate on the surface of your skin.

When you apply it to the skin and form lather, it attracts the oil, debris, makeup residue, and dirt. This makes it quite easy for you to rinse and remove them. In terms of effectivity and strength, different cleanser brands have varying surfactants, you should know this.

Sulphates are the most common and most effective surfactant. This is usually found in shampoos and soaps. It is also one of the ingredients of a facial cleanser. While it is effective in cleaning your face, it can also strip your skin of its natural oils. This will leave your skin tight and dry. This is why you should be careful about over-cleaning your face.

One of the most popular options when it comes to facial cleansers is a cleansing oil. It used to be perceived as something that only dry skin can benefit from. Apparently, this is further from the truth. When blended with the right ingredients, oil-based products can be used on all skin types.

A great cleansing oil product can be used to renew the skin and prevent the premature signs of aging. It can help with various skin issues – despite having a gentle surfactant. What is great about this type of facial cleanser is that it can restore the natural moisture of your skin. It can still clean your skin really well but it will not leave it dry like the other cleansers.

About your facial cleansing routine

Knowing your facial cleanser routine is just as important as finding the right product. Even if you have the best product in your hands, if you fail to use it properly, it can restrict the benefits that you should be receiving from its use.

So what is the best way to use a facial cleanser?

First of all, you have to use it twice a day – one in the morning and another at night. Using it once a day is not enough to remove all the impurities from your skin. When you use makeup on your face, you have to clean your face before applying it. There are products that you must apply to protect your skin. Your nighttime cleansing routine is even more important because this is when all the dirt, dust, oil, and makeup residue has accumulated on your face. You want to remove that before you sleep.

Steps when using a facial cleanser

1. Make sure your hands are clean.
2. Use warm water to splash your face and make it wet.
3. Get a small amount of facial cleanser and apply it on your fingertips. You can also use a soft washcloth that is made of cotton.
4. Apply the cleanser onto your face gently. Use a circular motion while ensuring that all the areas of your face is covered. Start from your forehead going to your cheeks, nose, chin, and then your neck. Concentrate on areas that you know is the dirtiest. Usually, your nose would need a lot of attention – especially if you are prone to have a lot of blackheads here.
5. Continue massaging for a minute and then leave the cleanser on your face for a couple of minutes to allow it to penetrate.
6. Rinse your face thoroughly with lukewarm water. Remove all the traces of the cleanser on your face. Feel free to use a cotton pad for better effects.
7. Splash cold water on your face to shrink your pores and help improve the circulation of blood.
8. Dry your face using a clean facial towel. Ideally, you want to have a separate towel that you will only use on your face.
9. Once dry, apply other products – preferably a toner and then moisturizer after. The toner will take care of the other dirt that the cleanser failed to remove.

Best facial skincare routine

The best facial skin care routine is not just about the cleanser that you will use. It involves several products that you need to apply in the correct order. It is important for you to apply them correctly because some of them complement or support the other. For instance, cleansers should always come before toners. The latter helps clean up what the former missed. Following the wrong procedure could end up making irritating your skin as well.

Your skincare routine will mainly depend on your type of skin. If you have skin issues to solve, then your routine will probably be longer and will involve more products.

Basic skincare routine

1. Cleanse your face. If you are doing this in the morning, you can start with a facial cleanser. But if you are doing this at night, you may want to use a makeup remover first before you apply the facial cleanser. This step cleanses your face to remove the dirt, dust, and any residue left on your skin. The foam in the cleanser can attract the residue so it can easily wash off when you rinse.
2. Exfoliate or tone your skin. This is another cleansing step. The exfoliation should ideally be mild – with minimal abrasive ingredients. This can help remove the dead skin cells from your face. The toner will penetrate the deeper layers of your skin to remove anything that the cleanser missed.
3. Apply treatment products. If you are using any active product that specifically deals with your skin issues, this is the time to apply them. It can be acne spot treatments or anti-aging products – this is when you want to use them. Your skin is already clean so its ability to absorb the treatment and nutrients is higher.
4. Put on your moisturizer. If you are using an eye cream, you can also apply it after the moisturizer. This product helps seal in the nourishment that your skin got from the treatment. Make sure that you will choose the right moisturizer based on your skin type.
5. Use sunscreen protection. At night, you can skip this step. But if you are doing your skin care routine in the morning, then this is an important step. Even if you only plan to stay indoors, you need to apply sunscreen protection to keep the harmful rays of the sun from destroying your skin.

Type Of Cleansers

People say they want to have options, but when you have too many options how do you decide? There are a lot of different types of cleansers – foam, gel, cream, clay, and many other formulations with as many more brands, each offering something specific.

But it doesn’t have to be confusing at all. Let’s clear the air.

Clay Cleansers

Clay cleansers use the powerful absorbing properties of clay to remove impurities from the surface of your skin. Why clay, you ask? Well, they’re potent detoxers. Experts agree that clay has strong pulling action and works like a magnet, bonding with the debris, dead skin cells, makeup residue, and other impurities stuck in our pores.

Clay cleansers provide a deep clean without leaving the skin dry. They’re also great for soothing redness and irritated pimples.

Cleansing Cloths, Mitts, And Sponges

Technically cloths, mitts, and sponges are considered cleansing agents because they do the actual work of removing dirt, dead skin cells, and other impurities away from the skin’s surface.

On the other hand, we can really put them in the same basket with the above-mentioned type of cleansers because these tools are the only ones that provide mechanical exfoliation of the skin’s surface. Also, the most efficient way to use them would be in combination with some cleanser, rather than just water.

When used in combination with a cleanser, they give the advantage of better product-absorption, deeper cleansing, and improved circulation.

Their disadvantage is that the mechanical rubbing of the skin can really be harsh and cause redness and irritation.

Cream Cleansers

The creamy cleansers are the most polite ones in the group. They won’t declare war on pores but rather move quite gently, cleaning the pores and providing hydration on your skin as well.

Cream cleansers are generally thicker in consistency and have moisturizing ingredients with the main purpose of not stripping the skin from its natural oils.

This doesn’t make them ineffective.

Creamy cleansers can still give you that clear and fresh look you’re after – given that you’re using them on the right skin type. For example, oily skin might not benefit from them so much, but I’m sure people with a dry skin type are thankful they exist.

Oil Cleansers

Now that oil cleansing is a thing, we’re here to debunk the myth that if there’s oil there’s a breakout.

Cleansing oils are a wonderful alternative for removing makeup, debris, and dead skin cells from the face, especially for people whose skin gets really dry after using the more traditional types of cleansers we explained so far.

The typical water-soluble cleansers with foamy, gel or creamy texture primarily use surfactants as their main active ingredient. This process allows for the skin’s impurities to be rinsed with water. Oil cleansers, on the other hand, work by dissolving the similar substances they’re attracted to – sebum.

Now, depending on the formulation of the product, we can even argue that some oil cleansers won’t make a blemished skin worse, but rather help soothe the irritation. However, the rule of thumb is that most oil cleansers work best for people with dry and sensitive skin.

Having so many other options, oil cleansers would probably sit on the bottom of the list for oily and acne-prone skin.

Foam Cleansers

Foam cleansers are just that – cleansers that are really foamy, lightweight, and might start off as a cream or gel but once applied on the face they form a rich, bubbly lather meant to deep clean the skin and get rid of any impurities there may be on the skin’s surface.  They’re very efficient in getting rid of excess oil and sebum which is good news for all of you who are suffering from frequent acne breakouts.

On the downside, foam cleansers usually contain sodium lauryl sulfate in their formulation, which makes them too harsh for sensitive skin. If you have a foam cleanser and you find your skin feeling dry or irritated after cleansing, check the ingredients for this little chemical.

If this is the case, you should switch to another type of cleanser with a gentler formula.

Micellar Cleansers

A micellar cleanser or micellar water is somewhere between a foam and a cream cleanser, providing a powerful combination of their properties. It’s purified water mixed with hydrating ingredients, as well as low concentrations of mild surfactants.

The goal of this type of cleanser is to use surfactants as a magnet for superficial debris, dirt, and oil, without drying off or irritating the skin.

Because micellar cleansers are so mild and have hydrating properties there’s no need to rinse them off the face after applying. This makes them really practical since you can use them at any time and anywhere.

They are great for people with irritable, sensitive, and acne-prone skin. Arguably the most beneficial use of micellar cleansers is that you can take them with you and use them after exposing the skin to pollutants or sweat. For example, you can rinse your face with lukewarm water and apply micellar water after a workout.

Gel Cleansers

The name kinda gives it away. Gel cleansers are the cleansers that look and feel like a typical gel. Their consistency is completely different from foam cleansers, yet they are both designed for deep cleansing, clearing out clogged pores, removing excess oil and providing your skin with antiseptic and exfoliating properties.

Gel cleansers are considered milder than foam cleansers, meaning they would be a better option for people with sensitive skin, especially if you’re also suffering from the occasional zit. Nevertheless, they are not the friendliest option for sensitive skin and can cause irritation in some extreme cases.

The word on the street is that most gel cleansers work well on all skin types, so they’re definitely a safe option to start with.

Powder Cleansers

Another practical type of cleanser that’s making its big, modern comeback. Powder cleansers are a good way to gently exfoliate the skin with natural ingredients. Don’t be surprised that most common ingredients found in powder cleanser are baking soda, rice bran, oats, and seeds. The purpose is to provide a gentle scrub without gritting the skin harshly.

As sophisticated as they are, you can find powder cleansers enriched with enzymes and powerful antioxidants.

Powder cleansers are considered harsher than the liquid type of cleansers and most dermatologists advice you to use them at night for removing makeup and deep cleansing the face. The word “harsher” here means stay away from them if you have a sensitive skin type.

Bar Cleansers

Bar cleansers are probably the most familiar and overly used type of cleansers in this group. I mean, if you have ever used a soap, then you have used a bar cleanser to clean your skin.

Let’s move over to the less familiar part. There are two basic types of cleansing bar – soap bars and synthetic detergent (syndet) bars.

Soap bars come with amazingly diverse formulations, forms, and scent. Although you can find some of them which are milder, most act really abrasively on the skin and leave it dry. For really, really oily skin they might be a good choice, but still, syndet bars are probably the smarter option.

Syndet bars use blends of synthetic surfactants derived from oils, fats, or petroleum products. They work by surrounding the debris with small particles that are later removed with water. Syndets are recommended for cleansing more sensitive skin as they are far more “skin-friendly” than traditional soaps which have a high pH value.

It’s worth noting that although they’re far better than soap bars, syndets can still cause irritation on extremely sensitive skin.

Why choose the best luxury facial cleanser

The combination of the right facial skin care products and the proper application is the key to improving and keeping your skin healthy. But does that mean you should choose the best luxury facial cleanser over other types of cleansing products?

While it may not seem necessary, it will have better results. When you are buying a luxury facial cleanser, you are not just buying a more expensive product. You are paying for the hard work and dedication that was put into finding the perfect blend of ingredients. Not only that, you are also paying for the years of research and experiments that were done to ensure that the product will work.

Of course, a luxurious product is nothing if it is not the right one. You still need to make sure that this is the right one for your specific skin condition. Here are two tips that will help you choose the best luxury facial cleanser.

• Understand your skin type. Start by knowing your skin type. There are specific cleansers for sensitive, oily, normal or dry skin. There is even a cleanser meant for acne prone skin.
• Scrutinize the ingredients. You will know the ingredients needed based on your skin type. Make sure you do your research so you know what you will need. There are exfoliating cleansers, acne cleansers, and other types of cleansers with different ingredients that can deal with your specific skin issues.

We can now take a look at how to make Natural Facial cleansers for Black skin.

How to make Natural Facial Cleansers for Black Skin