Dull, dirty complexion… What if your usual make-up removal wasn’t enough? Blotting masks, sobering tools, professional gestures… it’s the big cleaning!
© Getty
How to properly cleanse your skin?
Gray complexion, visible pores, unsightly shine, small pimples under the skin… we all have this feeling of a blurred complexion one day without necessarily having so-called “problem” skin. Stress, fatigue, junk food, pollution, tobacco have a lot to do with it. And the use of unsuitable cosmetics can aggravate the situation. We therefore adopt a cleaning routine-make-up removal a little more advanced than the simple micellar water. From the first time, you really feel that her skin is clearer. In ten days, we have completely new skin. And all this without attacking him. Motivating.
Read also: Face: the right cleansing for the summer
Every evening, 7 minutes for a double cleansing
We start by massaging the face with a balm or cleansing oil (with vegetable, non-mineral oils) to emulsify polluting particles suspended in the air (especially in town), fatty substances from foundations and creams containing sun filters… “Using a greasy product as the first step is the safest way to properly cleanse the skin, it allows you to use less detergent agents and it softens the blackheads properly”, explains Marion Massias, the ultra-informed beautician of Oh My Cream!, the most successful skincare concept store in the capital. Rinse with water and wipe dry. Then we use a milk or a cleansing gel to eliminate the rest of the impurities and we finish with a passage of lotion using a tissue.
Read also: Is double cleansing twice as effective?
Every morning, a gentle formula
No need to go “heavy”. The goal: to eliminate the impurities rejected by the skin during the night, but without stripping it, without removing its precious hydrolipidic film which is like new following a restorative night. “If we attack the skin, it produces more sebum to protect itself, so we never achieve the desired clean skin effect, it becomes a vicious circle,” explains Hélène Lobet, trainer at Maria Galland. The solution: “morning” lotions that gently eliminate impurities while preserving the balance of the skin flora. You can also use a flower water. Gently dab with reusable cotton.
Read also: Why should we stop removing makeup with cotton?
Each week, an exfoliating duo + blotting mask
We start by applying an exfoliant, enzymatic or with fruit acids, which are the most indicated to act on the pores. We immediately follow with a white clay mask (kaolin), softer than green clay but also effective in magnetizing impurities, cleansing pores and clarifying the complexion. “Green clay is too absorbent, it unbalances the hydrolipidic film and risks causing an overproduction of sebum”, warns Hélène Lobet. Finally, don’t forget to finish this ritual by applying your moisturizer. The right rhythm for this duo depends on the type of skin: twice a week if it is oily, once or twice if it is normal to combination, once every ten days at most if it is dry. Note: the “blotting” step should be avoided if the skin is dehydrated, in which case the dull complexion is not linked to clogging but to a lack of water.
super detox cleansers
INSTITUTE-STYLE BALM
A formula with cocoa butter, rose petals, vitamin P for effective but soothing cleansing, decongestant and respectful of the skin barrier. The removal with the small towel to be moistened with hot water performs a slight exfoliation for a perfectly clean and fresh finish.
Ren’s Rosa Centifolia Hot Cloth Cleanser.
DAILY DETOX
Absorbent kaolin, anti-inflammatory allantoin, draining ivy and astringent strawberry extract make up this fresh skin recipe. Leave on for a maximum of three minutes. As the mask remains flexible and does not pull, all skin types, even dehydrated, can use it daily. After rinsing with water, the skin is super clean and, over the days, it gains clarity. Anti-inflammatory, this mask also works to calm imperfections.
Soft Mask No. 2 by Maria Galland.
POWERFUL
A super cleansing cocktail of fatty acids, amino acids and gypsophila extract. Leave this cream on for a minute before massaging in for a long time. A cleanser so strong you use it at the same rate as a purifying mask. A cult product since 1950, which comes out in a vintage pack.
Let’s get rid of Sothys.
PURIFYING
A formula that combines actions to restore purity and radiance. Kaolin exfoliates and absorbs oil, chamomile soothes and hydrates and the Photo-Beauty Purifyer complex, activated by light, traps free radicals and purifies, with a minimum exposure time of five minutes.
Photo-Pure Scrube Talika.
PORE REFINER
In one minute, the mask dries and the white clay absorbs impurities. When rinsed, under the effect of the massage, the diatom particles, with a diameter three times smaller than that of the pores of oily skin, thoroughly exfoliate the skin.
Pure.Fect Skin de Biotherm.
EASY PEELING
For deep exfoliation once a week in two steps: a mask that detoxifies and a concentrate of AHAs (or fruit acids), well known for exfoliating. Over time, the complexion evens out, pores are refined, fine lines are smoothed.
StriVectin Weekly 5 Minute Glycolic Peel.
What regarding micellar waters?
OK, it happens, there are nights when we really don’t have the energy for a double cleaning in good standing and where we fall for micellar water. Which is always better than going to bed without doing anything. Initially designed to remove make-up super quickly from backstage tops, these waters are full of surfactants. Even if they are called “without rinsing”, they must be rinsed with water or tonic so that the surfactants are eliminated and do not sensitize the skin.
> Discover our 3 essential beauty gestures in video