Makeup is essential to the modern woman’s beauty routine, but few women realize how damaging it can be. From clogging pores to causing irritations and breakouts, makeup has more than one adverse effect on your skin—and that’s before you even take care of removing it. However, removing your makeup with the right product can go a long way in preventing breakouts and keeping your face looking clear.
Finding products that won’t damage your skin can be challenging for those of us with sensitive skin. While cheap products like cleansers and exfoliators can help remove dirt and oil from your pores, they also dry out your skin further. Exfoliating too often can lead to dry patches. Fortunately, more specialized products exist that cleanses without drying out your skin or irritating it.
Discovering the right products for your skin can be a journey that shouldn’t begin with makeup remover. For most people, using pure soap or other harsh cleansers can cause acne, especially when wiping off dirt and makeup. Instead, use a facial scrub once in a while to remove oil and dead skin cells. A good exfoliator will help remove excess oils from your pores without letting bacteria easily enter. It also encourages the production of new skin cells, so your pores stay healthy throughout the life of your skin.
Before you invest in expensive products for your face, however, you should consider which types of makeup you wear daily. If you wear makeup that clogs your pores, you should opt to use a makeup-cleansing product that removes impurities and dirt. These products usually use ingredients like baking soda or natural extracts like fruit enzymes to clear your skin and prevent breakouts. Some products also contain tea tree oil, which fights bacteria and is also great for soothing irritated skin.
Regardless of what product you decide to use, make sure that it doesn’t contain harsh chemicals that can irritate your skin or cause breakouts—and you should never pick up a new type of makeup remover without reading through a few reviews first. Not all face washes are created equal since each brand tends to have its particular formula.