Author: Erica Suppa

We all know that a good skincare regimen begins with step number 1: cleansing. But did you know that how you cleanse your face is just as important?

How to wash your face is just as important as cleansing it.

This is especially important for those with breakout-prone skin or those with sensitive skin and skin prone to redness and/or rosacea. Whenever I recommend a cleanser in my skincare studio, I always stress the importance of how to use the cleanser. Every single time I say, “Fingers are Fine.” What does this mean? It means to just wash with your hands. No washcloth, no rotary brushes, no silicone scrubbers. The reason is because all these items cause unnecessary friction movement in the skin. This causes too much manipulation of the skin’s delicate surface and will in turn cause big problems for those with active acne or weakened capillaries.

Imagine you have a newly formed pimple on your face that hurts and is swollen. Now what do you think will happen if you rub on top of that repeatedly? It will break it and leak its contents within the skin’s tissue. Part of the contents includes active bacteria. You will then have ammunition to form new pimples all around the original lesion. Who wants that?

If you have weakened capillaries (red squiggly lines typically found on cheeks and nose) and you rub on top of that repeatedly, you can create more of those or increase the size of the ones that are visible. Capillaries are small blood vessels that reside just under the top layers of skin and are very easy to weaken (aka break) with friction movement.

The best way to wash your face is to use warm water and your fingers.

The best way to wash your face is to use warm water and your fingers. Clever marketing by cleansing device companies have you believe that you cannot possibly get a deep enough cleanse just using your fingers. They claim the brush or scrubber gets more dirt out of your pores. Nothing, I repeat, nothing reaches down into your pores and extracts the dirt and debris. All cleansing devices skim the skin’s surface and work on the skin, not in the skin.

Are you in the market for a great cleanser? I recommend my Purifying Bar. This is my top-selling product 5 years in a row and for great reason. Purifying Bar is handmade with love by me with rhassoul clay, bentonite clay, tea tree oil, lavender oil, as well as zinc oxide and chamomile. All these beautiful ingredients come together to not only cleanse your skin gently without stripping all your oil, but it also helps reduce redness and inflammation. Perfect for all skin types.