Right from waking up after a good night's sleep to coming back home after exposing your skin to pollution and dust all day, your face endures a lot. This is why cleansing your face twice a day is a mandatory ritual. But each cleanse serves a different purpose: Your morning rituals are more for starting your day with a fresh face, while night cleansing is about removing the impurities accumulated through the day.
The case for separate cleansers
"It is not mandatory to use separate cleansers for day and night but in some cases, it is suggested," saysDr Chiranjiv Chhabra, dermatologist and owner of Skin Alive Clinic in Delhi."If a person uses a lot of make-up in the day, at night a thorough two-step cleansing is required." She recommends a make-up remover "that helps to soften the make-up and deep cleanse" for the PM, followed by a face wash. "If one is not applying any make-up, the same cleanser can be used 2-3 times a day," she adds.
Your choice of cleanser will depend on your skin type and conditions like acne, pigmentation and dryness.
How they work
Cleansers are essentially expected to remove dirt, oil, grime and make-up, and at the same time retain the moisture level of the skin. They do this through their surfactants, which are surface-acting agents that form structures called micelles. In skin cleansers, these micelles surround dirt, oil and debris. However, in doing so, they change the pH balance of the skin by lifitng away oil (the normal balance is 5.5—slightly acidic—which helps the skin retain moisture and keep out germs). "Stripping away the acid mantle [of the skin] dries the skin and leaves it open to bacteria," explains Dr Chhabra.
Choosing a cleanser
For oily skin:
"A good foamy cleanser can be used 2-3 times a day," says Dr Chhabra. Try Kiehl's Calendula Deep Cleansing Foaming Face Wash that's best for normal to oily skin; the calendula flower extracts leave the skin replenished without over-drying.
For dry skin:
"During the day, use a foamy cleanser in the morning followed by a good serum, moisturiser and sun block. At night, use a creamy cleanser to gently remove topical impurities to keep the skin hydrated," Dr Chhabra explains.TryDermalogica Essential Cleansing SolutionorCetaphil Gentle Cleanser.
