The first step of any skincare routine, cleansing, is arguably the most important. Cleansing helps remove dust, impurities, and pollutants from the pores – ensuring smooth, rejuvenated skin. It also paves the way for better absorption of your serums (and moisturizers) to uphold your skin’s overall health while addressing its underlying concerns. However, to reap every single of these skin cleansing benefits, you must follow some best practises.

.Now, while there are no hard and fast rules, these tried and tested cleansing tips can help optimize your skin’s health.

In this blog, we walk you through the steps to wash your skin (correctly) for clearer, healthier skin. But before we get to this list, let’s look at more benefits of face cleansing and the best products for different skin types or concerns.

 The Many Benefits Of Cleansing

Washing your face or cleansing may seem like a no-frills, no-fancy step in your skincare. But it lays the foundation to help you achieve your short and long-term skincare goals. The benefits of cleansing are as follows

1. Removes dust, grime, and pollutants: Your skin attracts a mound of dust, grime, and pollutants throughout the day, leading to an unwarranted build-up atop. Regular facial cleansing helps dissolve these impurities and debris to help reveal a smooth surface sitting underneath.

2. Unclogs pores: Often the dirt, impurities, and pollutants accumulated on your skin can clog its pores. These plugged pores may further get aggravated and lead to blackheads and whiteheads. To steer clear of these concerns, cleansing twice a day is recommended.

3. Improves skin hydration: Hydration is indispensable for your skin’s health and optimal functionality. A hydrating cleanser helps replenish your skin’s moisture reservoir, making it look soft, supple, and smooth. It also offsets episodes of inflammation and irritation to the skin.

4. Improves blood circulation: Regular cleansing or face washing helps improve the blood circulation in your skin. It further leads to healthier regeneration of skin cells and an increased production of collagen. Results? Younger-looking, taut skin.

5. Alleviates inflammation and redness: Inflammation or redness on the skin often goes hand-in-hand with acne or breakout. It is caused due to harmful bacteria thriving on pores – clogged with sebum, debris and keratin. Diligent facial cleaning or face washing helps prevent the spread of this bacteria, reducing redness or inflammation.

6. Better absorption of serums or targeted treatments: As touched upon earlier, regular face washing dislodges dust, grime, and impurities from the pores. This facilitates the better absorption of your targeted treatments/ serums – resulting in better efficacy.

 The Best Face Washes For Different Skin Types

Before you shop for a face wash or cleanser, it is important to have an infallible knowledge of your skin type. You can follow these steps to categorise your skin type as oily, dry, combination or sensitive. In case of any confusion, we recommend consulting with your dermatologist.

1. If your skin looks excessively greasy with open pores, it is probably oily. Make BFFs with one of the best oily skin products on Foxtale.

Other Oily Skin Concerns: Blackheads, whiteheads, acne, patchy complexion 

Foxtale Recommends: Acne Control Face Wash with Salicylic Acid 

Reasons To Love: Salicylic Acid at the heart of this formulation buffs away excess sebum, impurities, and dead cells for a clean, smooth surface. It is gentle on the skin and helps reduce episodes of inflammation or irritation caused due to acne. Additionally, this unique formulation also carries Niacinamide and Hyaluronic Acid that deeply hydrate and nourish the skin. It is also the ideal face wash for pimples.

2. If your skin looks dry, flaky, and exceptionally dull, it is probably dry.

Other Dry Skin Concerns: Uncomfortable tightness, early onset of fine lines and wrinkles, marred lipid barrier.

Foxtale Recommends: Hydrating Face Wash with Hyaluronic Acid

Reasons To Love: Foxtale Hydrating Face Wash boasts a unique moisture-lock technology that doesn’t strip your skin after washing. Moreover, it carries Sodium Hyaluronate and Red Algae Extracts that ensure deep and long-lasting hydration for your skin. The best part? This product doubles as a makeup remover! It features gentle surfactants that melt every last trace of makeup and SPF without being harsh to the skin. 

3. If your skin is prone to out of the blue flare ups, redness, inflammation, rashes, it is probably sensitive 

Other Sensitive Skin Concerns: Itchiness, uncomfortable tightness, scaly skin, breaking into hives 

Foxtale Recommends: Hydrating Face Wash with Hyaluronic Acid

Reasons To Love: Skin sensitivity usually goes hand-in-hand with a compromised skin barrier. For those unaware, the lipid barrier forms the first line of defence between your skin and the external environment. It helps ward off pathogens, UV rays, pollutants and many such aggressors daily. Our Hydrating Face Wash ensures your barrier's maximum efficiency by ensuring 2X hydration to the skin.

4. If your T-zone and forehead are extremely greasy but the rest of your face is surprisingly dry – your skin type is probably combination.

Other Combination Skin Concerns: Larger pores, occasional breakouts, dry patches 

Foxtale Recommends: Purify And Glow Cleanser + Mask 

Reasons To Love:This multitasking formula contains French Pinks and Kaolin Clays that unclog pores and blot excess oil for a balanced microbiome. The Cleanser + Mask also boasts Sodium PCA for a big hydration boost of skin hydration.

 How To Wash Your Face For Clearer, Healthier Skin 

Want to reap 360-degree of washing your face wash? Follow these steps 

1. Take a coin-sized amount of your favourite face wash and massage it into your skin using upward circulation motion. Massaging your face helps improve blood circulation, leading to glowing, gorgeous skin.

•  Remember, overwashing is a legitimate concern that can strip your skin, making it uncomfortably tight and dry. So, we recommend washing your face only twice a day. Even if your skin type is oil, stick to cleansing only twice a day! Be extremely gentle while scrubbing your face. Don’t use a heavy hand as it can strain your skin leading to breakouts, rashes, and inflammation.

2. Use only cold water to rinse your face. For those unaware, cold water locks moisture into the skin, ensuring its soft, supple appearance. Moreover, cold water also helps tighten pores and prevents acne breakouts.

3. Use a soft cloth or paper towel to dab your skin dry. Rubbing the towel on your face can be abrasive to your skin.