Cheryl Shops

I have a friend with exquisite, poreless skin and I nearly died of shame when I found out that she never washed her face. At the time, I was—unbeknownst to me—stripping the hell out of mine every night with a harsh glycolic acid cleanser that my dermatologist had recommended to keep my acne under control. This was many years ago and while I've thankfully since figured out that my skin reacts best to a gentle cleanser, it took me awhile to learn how to actually use it effectively. But after many, many years on this planet, I've finally honed in on three life-altering tips that have transformed how I cleanse my face. 

It all starts with a good cleanse

Tip #1: Pick a gentle yet effective cleanser 

This is the hardest part, and to be honest, it may take a little trial and error. The two biggest things to take into account are 1) your skin type and 2) how much makeup you wear. Your skin type will influence what cleanser format you choose. For oily skin, you usually want a lightweight gel; combination can do a cream or pretty much anything; sensitive tends to go for a balm; and dry works well with something thicker like an oil. That said, personal preference can play into this as well, in terms of texture—you could have oily skin and prefer a balm—so that's where you may have to experiment a bit. That said, I always advise you to choose a cleanser that simply cleanses; you absolutely do not need any active ingredients (retinoids, vitamin C, acids) because they are on your face for such a short period of time that you are literally pouring them down the drain. As for the makeup factor, if you tend to wear a full face every day, you will likely want to do a double cleanse of some sort. In full transparency, the most I ever do is take off my eye and lip makeup with a micellar water (Bioderma is my favorite), then follow with my usual cleanser—which, for the record, is Elemis Pro-Collagen Cleansing Balm. 

If you need a recommendation, these are my all-time favorite cleansers:

Gel cleanser: Youth to the People Superfood Cleanser 

Cream cleanser: Fresh Soy Cleanser

Cleansing balm: Elemis Pro Collagen Cleansing Balm

Cleansing oil: OneLove Organics or Biossance 

Micellar water: Bioderma Sensibio Micellar Water

The double-cleansing dream team

Tip #2: Cleanse your face for 60 seconds

I was embarrassingly old when I found out that to effectively cleanse your skin, you need to do it for at least a minute. I can't tell you how long I was doing it before, but I can tell you once I started counting to 60 while washing my face, my skin showed an immediate improvement in terms of clarity and brightness. An important thing to note: you do not want to scrub your skin. Think of moving your hands lightly over your face one at a time, like you're doggie-paddling through water. 

Swim, don't scrub

Tip #3: Use a washcloth to exfoliate and remove the cleanser

I am maybe a big weirdo because I like to apply my cleanser directly to my skin without any water, then I remove it with a wet washcloth, but this is because I have very dry, rather reactive skin that's prone to eczema, and for whatever reason, this is what works for me. You may love to lather up then rinse away your cleanser by splashing water on your face. Personally, I find that removing my cleanser with a warm, damp washcloth is the most effective method, because it has the added benefit of exfoliating the dead skin cells that live on your face—removing these on the regular keeps your skin soft, smooth, and glowy, and doing this physically (versus with a chemical, like AHA or BHA) in combination with a moisturizing cleanser is the perfect gentle balance. I buy cheap-ass gray washcloths at Target in bundles of 6 (trust me, you want a dark color) and use one per cleanse. Do not reuse your dirty washcloths without laundering them—you are just smearing oil and bacteria around your formerly clean face. Another bonus of using a washcloth is that I feel like it really removes all of the cleanser—I usually take a couple of passes over my face, rinsing the washcloth in between. The cleaner your face is, the more effectively it can absorb the serums, treatments, and moisturizers you put on it afterward!