If your facial skin is looking a bit lacklustre, or you’re suffering from a bout of acne, it might be time to take a look at how you’re cleansing it. Your skin changes as you age, so your cleansing routine should evolve with it. If you had great skin when you were younger you might have been able to get away with washing it with soap and an old flannel. However if your skin is no longer looking as fresh and radiant as it used to then a change in your cleansing routine could be just what it needs…

Choose a cleanser for your skin type

Start by determining what type of skin you have at the moment. Does it always feel dry and taught? Do you get and oily T-zone, with dry cheeks? Is your skin sensitive and blotchy? There are is incredibly wide array of cleansers out there designed to suit every skin type you can imagine. Once you’ve determined what your skin type is, the next thing you’ll need to do is decide how much you want to spend on your cleansing products, and find the best quality product within your budget.

Prepare to wash your face

Tie your hair back or use a headband to keep it off your face, and gather all the necessary things you’ll need. You should be in the bathroom, with a sink full of lukewarm water; you should have your face wash to hand, and a towel ready to pat your face dry afterwards. If you want to use a flannel you can do, but it’s not really necessary, and not advised if your skin is sensitive.

Wash with the right temperature

As mentioned above, your bowl should be filled with lukewarm water. Hot water can dry your skin out too much, but lukewarm water helps to open up your pores and draw out dirt. After cleansing you can always splash your face with a final rinse of cold water to close your pores and tighten the skin up a bit.

Lather up and apply the cleanser

Wet your face, then squeeze a dollop of face wash into one hand, and rub both palms together to create a lather. Apply the cleanser to your face in small circular motions, being sure to reach into the creases of your nose and up to your hairline etc. Don’t press on too hard, just hard enough to stimulate your skin a little.

Rinse with clean water

Rinse the cleanser off with lukewarm water, taking care to wash it all off properly. You can use a washcloth if you like, but you should be able to rinse it off well enough by splashing your face with the water. Once you’ve completely rinsed the cleanser away, turn on the cold tap and have one final rinse with cold water to close your pores.

Gently dry your skin

You might be tempted to rub your face with the towel to scrub your skin dry, but remember the skin on your face isn’t as robust as the skin on your body! Use a clean towel to gently pat your face dry, and avoid the temptation to rub it.

Moisturise your skin

When you were determining your skin type and choosing your face wash you should hopefully have matched up your moisturiser to your skin too. After cleansing, your skin is at its most absorbent, so apply your moisturiser now maximum moisturising ability.