Double Cleansing: What It Is & Why It’s So Important for Your Skin

Double cleansing is more than just a buzzy phrase circling the beauty blogosphere. In fact, double cleansing is a small change you can make to your skincare routine that can have big results. But this South Korean beauty practice isn’t just washing your face twice! Keep reading to learn more about double cleansing, and how to incorporate double cleansing into your daily skin regimen.

What is Double Cleansing? 

Double cleansing uses oil-based and water-based cleansers to thoroughly cleanse the face. Why? As you may recall from chemistry class, like dissolves like. Sebum, an oily substance produced by our skin, clings to dead skin cells and holds them in our pores. An oil cleanser gently dissolves excess sebum and any impurities caught in that sebum. Oil cleansers are also effective at dissolving oil-based products like makeup and sunscreen. Once this layer of grime has been cleared away, you can use a water-based cleanser to wash away water-based impurities like pollution and sweat.

So why should you double cleanse? Here’s a few reasons:

• Double cleansing makes your other skincare products more effective. By completely cleansing the face of excess oil, dead skin, and other impurities, you’re creating a completely blank canvas. This allows your other skincare products to better penetrate into the skin and work their magic. 
• It may sound counterintuitive, but double cleansing is actually a great way to help treat acne. Acne skin types produce more oil. Many people use harsh astringents and acids to remove this excess sebum. However, this can cause the skin to produce even more oil to compensate. On the other hand, oil cleansing gently removes that excess sebum without drying out the skin. Thus, double cleansing can help to balance oil production and reduce breakouts in acne skin types. 

How to Double Cleanse 

Many bloggers tout coconut, argan, or olive oil as oil cleansers. However, pure oils can actually clog pores when used for double cleansing. A true oil cleanser must include a surfactant, which traps makeup and other impurities on the skin and washes it away. Otherwise, the impurities will stay on the surface of the skin, which can lead to clogged pores and breakouts.

Instead, use a cleanser that’s infused with oils like Herbacin 2-Phase Makeup Remover. 2-Phase Makeup Remover uses sweet almond oil to gently cleanse the skin, leaving it velvety soft.

Next, follow with a gentle, water-based cleanser to rinse away water-based impurities, as well as residue from the oil cleanser. Then follow the rest of your skincare routine as normal.

You should double cleanse twice per day, both in the morning and in the evening. And yes, you should double cleanse, even if you don’t wear makeup! Makeup is just one type of oil-based impurity. Double cleansing balances excess oil production and also rinses away SPF (which you should always be wearing). The oil cleansing step is essential for rinsing away non-makeup impurities and balancing oil production for all skin types.

Have you tried double cleansing yet? Let us know in the comments!