Within the past couple of years, skincare has taken over social media and has impacted our lives. With all of these brands, products and categories, it can be tough to know what we should have in our routine and what we should look for to help with our specific skin concerns. Well, friends, today is your lucky day! We’re going to explain the difference between a water-based cleanser and an oil-based cleanser. Let’s chat about what each type of cleanser does, what cleanser is best for specific skin types and conditions, and what ingredients you need to look for.
Water-based cleansers are your typical type of cleanser. They often come in gel, milky, and foamy consistencies. It’s fairly easy to tell if they’re a water based cleanser because on the ingredients section of their label, they will start with water and aqua. You’ll want to use these because they are going to be good for targeting specific skin concerns like acne, hyperpigmentation, dryness, and sensitivity. What is awesome about water-based cleansers is that they help hydrate your skin with water. So with a water-based cleanser, you are going to get a beautiful, clean, glow and nice, targeted, cleans!
Oil-based cleansers are formulated to specifically deep clean your pores. Surprisingly enough, oil cleans oil. When you use an oil cleanser you are cleaning your oily pores and helping the rest of your skin’s natural oil production. Oil cleansers are fantastic at washing off any makeup residue or dead skin and sweat. We recommend reaching for your oil-based cleanser to take off your makeup instead of a makeup wipe! It is great as a first cleanser if you are double-cleansing. These oils are vital in helping your skin keep its natural skin barrier and cleaning your skin differently.
So we just talked about double cleansing, but what is it? How a double cleanse typically works is you wash your face with an oil cleanser first. Think of it as a broom, you are cleaning all of the makeup, sweat, and dead skin off of the surface of your skin while cleaning your pores out. Then you raise that off and clean again with a water-based cleanser. That way your water cleanser that helps target specific problems can clean and treat your skin super effectively, kinda like a mop after sweeping. You can get in there and get everything evenly cleansed. The awesome result of double cleansing is that all of your products are going to work even better than they were before! Your toners are going to be more soothing. Your masks will work better. Your serums will be able to penetrate deeper and work more effectively. Your skin will transform in front of your eyes! Your skin will thank you for the extra step!