In today’s fast-paced world, skincare routines are often rushed, leaving many people wondering why their skin isn’t glowing and healthy despite using high-quality products.
The most overlooked yet powerful step in any skincare regimen is cleansing — and doing it right can transform your skin. Here’s why spending three minutes a day – ideally twice per day – or at least once per day cleansing your face will change your skin for life.
What does cleansing for 3 minutes daily do?
- Thoroughly Removes Impurities
Throughout the day, your skin collects dirt, sweat, oil, and environmental pollutants. A quick wash with your cleanser (or worse yet, using a makeup wipe) might not be enough to remove these impurities effectively. Cleansing your skin for three-minutes ensures that your skin is deeply cleaned, preventing clogged pores and breakouts.
By dedicating this time, you allow your cleanser to properly emulsify and lift off makeup, sunscreen, and grime. The result? A clean canvas ready to absorb the next steps of your skincare routine.
- Enhances Blood Circulation
Massaging your face during cleansing stimulates blood circulation. This promotes a healthy glow, supports lymphatic drainage which helps to reduce puffiness as well as stimulating collagen and elastin renewal. Plus, it also serves to pick up and remove dead skin cells and stimulates cellular renewal.
- Prepares Skin for Active Ingredients
If your skin isn’t thoroughly cleansed, serums, moisturizers, and treatments can’t penetrate properly. Residual dirt, oil, makeup or sunscreen creates a barrier that prevents active ingredients from working effectively. A longer cleansing session ensures your skin is perfectly prepped, maximizing the benefits of your skincare products.
- Balances Oil Production
For those with oily skin, spending a little extra time cleansing can regulate sebum production. When you rush, your skin’s pores can remain partially clogged, which can trigger more oil production. Conversely, over-cleansing or scrubbing too harshly can strip your skin, causing dryness and increased oil production. A balanced three-minute cleanse hits the sweet spot.
- Promotes a Mindful Skincare Routine
Taking three minutes to cleanse fosters mindfulness in your skincare routine. It’s an opportunity to check in with your skin, notice changes, and treat yourself with care. Building this habit can turn your routine into a moment of relaxation and self-care, reducing stress — a major trigger for many skin issues.
How to Do a 3-Minute Cleanse
- Choose the Right Cleanser: Pick a formula suited to your skin type – ideally a cream or oil cleanser – foaming, AHA, enzyme or gel cleansers will dehydrate your skin damaging the protective layer of your skin – the acid mantle.
- Double Cleanse if Necessary: If you are wearing a lot of makeup or thick sunscreen, do your 3-minute cleanse first followed by a quick one to remove any leftover residue.
- Massage in Sections: Your cleansing doesn’t stop at your chin – you should cleanse your decolletage, neck this includes the front and back, around your ears, and your face – I was trained by a French 60 year old beauty therapist who had the most beautiful skin you have ever seen for her age – who taught me to cleanse from under my breasts up – the skin on the breasts is the same fine texture to that of your face and neck. She told me that by cleansing and moisturising your breasts they would stay firmer (even when breast feeding) for longer – and she was right – at 60 my breasts are in much better shape than most.
- Choose an oil cleanser: Oil breaks down oil, so cleansing with an oil cleanser will do exactly the opposite to what you expect – by cleansing with an oil cleanser your skin will become hydrated with a fine layer of oil left on it – therefore the skin thinks that there is already a protective layer of oil on the surface and it won’t pump out more oil! Bye bye dripping oily skin!
- Remove all cleanser: Use lukewarm water and a muslin cloth to remove all excess cleanser, dirt, pollution and makeup.
Tips for Maximum Benefits
- Use a clean muslin cloth – wash it every few days
- Avoid over-cleansing. Stick to cleansing twice a day (morning and evening).
- A well cleansed skin should feel hydrated and smooth – not dry and stripped.
The Bottom Line
Investing just three minutes in cleansing can revolutionize your skincare results routine – if you do nothing else to your skin – this will change its health, and slow down ageing!
If you need help achieve glowing skin – book a glowing skin and wellness consultation via zoom with me!
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Yvette xx
Thank you for reading my blog!
Hi!
I am Yvette van Schie, I am a holistic beauty therapist, skin nutritionist, skincare developer and makeup artist. I am passionate about sharing real beauty advice with a whack of reality.
For over 30 years I have worked with the best in the beauty and health industry as a trainer, educator and product formulator and I still do – so my knowledge is diverse – I am not blinkered when sharing my information with you because everyone I speak to shares what they know, and I turn it into easy to digest information because I want my readers to feel empowered to make their own decisions and to feel that they are fully in control of their beauty and well being.
