The face wash is among the most essential parts of any good skincare regime. If you’re using a ‘wrong’ face wash and wishing for healthy, glowing skin, then you’re simply wishing for a garden in a desert.
A face wash is a skin care product that is used to wash off dirt, grime, dead skin cells, natural oils, etc. that may have accumulated on the skin. It is usually considered the first step of a skin care regime.
In This Article
What Makes a Face Wash Good?
With trillions of face washes available in the market, this is often the first question that crosses our minds when choosing one for ourselves. Every brand promises to be the best in the industry, but is every face wash really good for everyone?
Certainly not.
There are several factors that need to be taken into consideration before acknowledging a face wash as ‘good’.
The pH (potential hydrogen) scale runs from 1 to 14 with 7 being neutral, lower as acidic and anything above 7 as alkaline. High acidity levels of skin helps to combat germs, harmful free radicals and retain moistur
To maintain or restore the pH level of skin, it is recommended to use face cleansers that have pH level between 4.5 to 5.5 as acidic level protects skin barrier, reduces irritation and inflammation of skin and acne.
But in case of skin conditions like psoriasis or eczema, facial cleansers on the basic side (alkaline) may help.
Note: If you suffer any underlying skin conditions or are unsure about the suitable face cleanser, it is best to consult your dermatologist.
Soap in face cleansers are detergents that can damage the skin barrier. Some of these detergents are unable to separate the skin’s natural lipids from oil, dirt, grime and other impurities that need to be cleaned, thus damaging the skin.
It is, therefore, important to choose face cleansers without harmful soap detergents such as sodium lauryl sulphate or SLS, sodium laureate and alkyl phosphates.
A face wash cannot be judged on the basis of its popularity alone. A face wash that gave the desired result to your friend or a family member won’t necessarily be good for you.
The suitability of a face wash depends on your skin type, your immediate skin concerns, environmental factors or even any health condition you may have.
How to Choose the Best Face Wash for Your Skin?
Before choosing a face cleanser for your skin, it is essential that you understand your skin type and your immediate skin concerns. Once you’ve done that, it is a smooth road to travel.
If your skin often feels tight and flaky, it is likely that you have a dry skin type. When oil glands fail to produce sufficient natural oil or sebum that is required to keep the skin well-hydrated and moisturized, the skin requires moisture from outside sources.
Choose a cleanser that helps remove the dirt, grime and other impurities off your skin without stripping off natural oil.
For those with the dry skin type, a face wash with active ingredients like glycerin, hyaluronic acid, niacinamide and oils like evening primrose, tea tree and shea butter are recommended.
Look for a face cleanser that is soap and fragrance-free.
Oily skin produces more natural oil than required. A face cleanser for oily skin should thus, help maintain oil production, minimize the appearance of skin pores and keep the skin hydrated and nourished. Moreover, oily skin also tends to be more prone to acne, so a suitable face wash for oily skin should actively remove impurities like dirt, grime and dead skin cells from skin pores.
It is recommended to choose a cleanser that helps clear the skin pores and manages oil production without drying out your skin. It should also be a face wash for pimples or acne and shouldn’t prompt inflammation or irritation of the skin.
Ingredients to look out for include hyaluronic acid, niacinamide and salicylic acid
- Face wash for Combination Skin: If different parts of facial skin portray dry and oily qualities or a combination of two such similar qualities at any given time then you may have a combination skin type. Finding skin care products for combination skin may be a challenge since you require a product that is suitable for two different skin types.
When choosing a face wash for combination skin ensure that it has essential ingredients like niacinamide. Niacinamide helps control sebum or oil production as well as attracts moisture from deep within the skin and outside the environment. Apart from that, a suitable face cleanser for combination skin should consist of ingredients like aloe vera, salicylic acid, glycolic acid and vitamin E as this help cleanse the skin of impurities and keep it well-hydrated.
Avoid face cleansers that consist of ingredients such as benzoyl peroxide, alcohol, and retinol as these may be harsh on your skin and lead to irritation and inflammation of the skin.
Consult your dermatologist in case you still have trouble understanding your skin type or are facing some skin issues.
Face Wash for Men
Men and women have different skin structures and thus, have different skin care needs. Skin care products that are developed for female skin are not suitable for male skin.
But with a large section of the beauty and skin care industry focused on women and their needs, men are often left with limited options to choose from for their skin care requirements.
Keeping in my the skin care needs of men and women, dermatologists and experts at SkinQ developed Daily Glow Cleanser, a unisex face cleanser! Apart from being a face wash for women and men, it is suitable for all skin types.
SkinQ’s Daily Glow Cleanser is India’s first soap-free and pH balanced face cleanser. Developed for all skin types, with active ingredients like niacinamide, glycerine and evening primrose, it helps to soothe irritated and inflamed skin, protect the skin barrier and maintain healthy pH levels of the skin. It has resulted in deep cleansed, healthy-looking and glowing skin.
SkinQ’s Daily Glow Cleanser is a dermatologist recommended face wash.
Wrapping Up
Face wash is considered the first step to healthy and glowing skin, and it is thus important to take that first step carefully. Select a face cleanser according to your skin type and requirements, because even the best may not necessarily be the best for you.