Face cleansing women
If you as a woman want to take good care of your skin, facial cleansing is also important. Facial cleansing is an important part of a good (natural) skin care routine.
On this page about facial cleansing for women, we go into detail about
Facial cleansing for women in numbers
- Research in the US has shown that the largest users of facial cleansers are women between the ages of 18 and 29.
- 30% of women between the ages of 18 and 59 have no idea how much they spend on facial cleansers.
- 6% of UK women don’t consider brand important in their choice of products.
Cleanse women's face in 4 short steps
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Remove make-up and foundation with a reusable make-up removal wipe or cotton pad.
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Apply cleansing milk to the cloth or cotton pad and start cleaning the eyelids and eyelashes before cleansing the face.
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Use a mild cleansing lotion on a separate cotton pad or make-up removal wipe for deeper cleansing of the skin and restoring the skin’s pH value.
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Finally, apply a skin barrier repairing or correcting cream or serum to nourish and protect the skin.
For more info: the science of skin care according to your age
Did you know: facial cleansing for women
Cleaning your face twice a day is a standard skin care routine. These are some “did you know” answers based on questions asked during a dermatology consultation.
Dermatological Facts
- Women’s skin reacts more quickly to stimuli due to increased sympathetic nerve stimulation and at lower temperatures the blood vessels in the skin dilate more quickly. As a result, women are more likely to suffer from red and sensitive skin. Therefore, choose products that suit your specific skin type (dry, normal, oily or mixed).
- Compared to men, women have less water loss (TEWL) from the skin. The experience and feeling of drier skin in women, on the other hand, is more than in men.
- Restoration of your skin’s own acidity, around pH 5 ensures better skin resistance (your good skin microbiome thrives), eczema less quickly, less acne and delayed skin aging such as fine lines and wrinkles. All Iconic Elements skin care products approach the ideal skin acidity and is around pH5.
- Skin cleansing is also good for people with dermatological skin problems such as: eczema, rosacea, sun damaged skin, acne, occupational related dermatitis.
If you don't wear make-up, do you still have to cleanse your face?
This is a common and logical question.
Cleaning your skin not only serves to remove make-up, but also to counteract external influences. Think for example of car emissions, smoke, air pollution and even cooking or baking can have an effect on the skin.
Research showed a relationship between air pollution and 20-35% more unwanted pigment spots on the face.
The skin is also an active organ: it produces sweat through physical exertion, sebum and renews skin cells. An excess of sebum can lead to shiny and oily skin, while accumulated dead skin cells can dull your skin unnoticed and clog pores.
All this can affect your skin, your skin looks duller, pores get clogged. And in the long run that can lead to acne, pigment spots and eczema.
A good mild cleanser with the right acidity removes the invisible particles, sebum and dead skin cells. This keeps your skin in better condition.
Cleaning face
Facial cleansing for women is different than for men. Due to the use of cosmetics, foundation, make-up, it is important to cleanse the skin properly. There is no best facial cleansing for everyone, it is important to look at your own skin and the needs of your skin type:
- Normal skin
- Oily skin
- Dry skin
Face cleansing steps for normal skin
Basic step skin cleansing
Superficial skin cells can make the skin look dull and clog skin pores. Regularly remove these dead skin cells using a natural scrub without microbeats or use a fruit acid foamer, mask or gel.
If you don’t use make-up, foundation or other cosmetic products, just a washcloth with lukewarm water is the first step. Dry your face by dabbing with a dry cloth. Finally, apply a moisturizing cream or combine a soothing serum and a moisturizing day or night cream.
Step 1 – cosmetics removal
There are several ways to remove cosmetics, such as using mild cleansing milk, soap-free products or cleansing oil. Apply the cleansing oil or mild cleansing milk to a cotton pad or a reusable make-up wipe. Then clean your face with lukewarm water and pat it dry with a clean dry cloth.
Step 2 – deep skin cleansing
Now that everything on top of the skin has been removed, the skin is ready for the next step: a deeper skin cleansing and recovery of your acidity. By restoring your skin acidity, you strengthen the skin barrier and skin resistance. More about the correct acidity of your skin. For a deeper cleansing of your skin, use the mild Cleansing Lotion, step 2, which returns the face to its natural pH value.
A randomized study concluded that there was less sebum and redness in the face after using a natural cleansing lotion.
Step 3 – moisturize your face after cleansing
After cleansing the skin it is essential to keep the skin well hydrated, this is step 2. This can be achieved through the use of a cream, ointment or a combination of a serum and cream (also known as layering). Note: lotions contain relatively more water than creams and ointments, so they can dry out the skin more. The water evaporates and therefore extracts moisture from the skin.
Hydrate or correct your skin remains important to keep the skin in good condition. Several factors may come into play here.
- Age, if you are around 20 years old then you need different skin care than if you are 40 years old.
- Menstrual cycle, the cycle affects your skin.
- Menopause, dryness, spots and fine lines are more prominent.
Did you know that Niacinamide (vitamin B3) has beneficial effects on your skin: reduction of pigment spots, improvement of the skin barrier and suitable for people with acne or rosacea.
Check out Iconic Elements skin care products and Spotreducer (Niacinamide).
Dry skin cleansing in women
You suffer from dry skin when the epidermis contains less than 10% water. You can recognize this when the skin is white flaky, accompanied by itching. For dry skin, avoid:
- Using soap products. Your skin’s own oils are stripped away by soap, so to speak.
- Lotion for skin if you have dry skin. A lotion contains more water and evaporates on the skin. Evaporation drains more moisture from the skin leading to drier skin.
When cleansing your face, after step 1, removing cosmetics, proceed to step 3, moisturizing your face. This ensures that you do not extract any further moisture from the skin and that you hydrate it immediately.
For more information about dry skin, see our skin advice about dry skin.
Cleansing oily skin in women
If you have sebaceous/oily skin with a tendency to breakouts, there are several ways to best deal with this.
- Use a foamer, for example glycolic acid foam 5% or 15%. Other options include face masks, soap-free facial cleansers.
- Daily mild Cleansing Milk Step 1 to remove make-up, skin pollution such as sebum, air pollution.
- Then a mild Cleansing Lotion Step 2 for deep skin cleansing and recovery of your skin acidity.
Fruit acid foamer use
When you start for the first time, a fruit acid foamer with, for example, glycolic acid between 5 and 15% is fine twice a week. Build it up by adding a foamer day every week.
Glycolic acid is an acid and falls under the AHA fruit acids group. The origin of glycolic acid is mostly from cane sugar, pineapple or papaya. Glycolic acid is molecularly the smallest of all fruit acids and is water-soluble. As a result, it penetrates deeper into the epidermis. It superficially removes ‘dead’ skin cells and is effective in reducing excess sebum on the skin. This gives the skin more radiance, less pigmentation and pimples.
The best facial cleansing products for women
- All products have the ideal pH 5 acidity – for good skin resistance and skin barrier.
- Vegan, Zero Plastic inside
- Iconic Elements skincare has been named the Best Holistic skincare line 2022 by EU Business News.
Our female customers about our facial cleansing products
Frequently asked questions about our facial cleansing products
- First, determine your skin type.
Do this simple test - by looking at the areas on your face:
Oily skin: you notice it in the T-zone. The T-zone (the area of the forehead and nose). The skin will look and feel greasy, which is a sign of increased sebum production. This could possibly lead to pimples.
Dry skin: scaling is in the foreground. The skin feels rough and flaky. It may look itchy, irritated and dull The skin will feel tight.
Normal skin: your skin is well balanced. Not dry or greasy. The T-zone is balanced.
2. Find the suitable facial cleansing product for your skin
3. Finally, hydrate your skin.
It is best to cleanse your face both in the morning and in the evening. In a study of men, there was significantly less acne if they washed their face twice a day with a mild cleanser.
Cleaning your face removes: dead skin cells, excessive sebum on the skin, air pollution, cosmetics and sweat. This keeps the pores clean, less dull skin and skin conditions such as acne and eczema.
