Proper care when washing your face is one of the best things you can do to care for your skin. There are a few common mistakes that folks make when washing that will dry the skin out which leads to premature wrinkles and other unwanted results.

Remove Your Makeup

Not properly removing make up is the biggest mistake. Eye make up is especially important to pay attention especially if you use the type that is waterproof. Mascara tends to crumble and flake which presents a great opportunity for blocked pores, which lead to blackheads and pimples. SongCroft Naturals Skin Repair Complex makes a great makeup remover that conditions the lashes while moisturizing the thin tissues around the eyes.

Washing your face once or twice a day is a good plan to stick to. Anything more than that is excessive (unless there are special circumstances prescribed by your dermatologist), and can lead to overproduction of oil. Using a gentle cleanser that is ph balanced is key. Many cleansers are too harsh and strip the skin of its “acid mantle”. This protective layer of oil and good bacteria that the body creates protects us from dehydration and environmental toxins. If this is stripped away, it sends a message to the sebaceous glands that they need to produce more oil. This starts the vicious cycle that so many people with oily skin are familiar with as oily skin products are notorious for such actions. SongCroft Naturals Fresh Face Cleanser is fragrance-free and suitable for all skin types.

While it might feel good to warm up with a steamy splash of water, icy cold or  lukewarm water have their benefits. Excessively hot water will strip healthy natural oils from your skin too quickly while cool water will reduce inflammation and close pores.

Exfoliating definitely has benefits: The scrub can increase circulation for a rosy glow, and it helps to remove dead skin cells. But excessive exfoliation or over vigorous exfoliation can be harmful both because it can remove healthy oil from the skin and because more than just the dead skin cells on the surface are removed. We recommend a gentle exfoliation once every other week. SongCroft Naturals Exfoliate contains herbs that increase circulation and bring nourishment to the skin. Organic poppy seeds are used to provide smooth and gentle exfoliation with no jagged edges or small pieces to clog the pores.

It’s important to use a gentle, clean cloth to dry up. Pat your skin, rather than rubbing it. Let a fine mist of water remain on your skin so that when you apply your moisturizer, it will seal the moisture into the surface of the skin.

Stay tuned for more interesting articles on how to take care of YOU!