Double Cleansing or Double Dutch?

Double cleansing is an a well established beauty ritual that has been adopted by the ladies of Korea for generations.
Having lived and worked with many Korean ladies in NZ, I know their beauty regimes are second to none, so I was very interested to learn more about this technique.
It’s reported that by using both an oil based and then a water based cleanser you can improve the removal of both natural and environmental pore clogging particles, and improve the health of your skin. 

Simply put; the oil cleanse removes make up, sunscreen, dead cells and sebum that often form a clogging layer over your skin and can be trickier to remove – thereby encouraging inflammation and breakouts.
Following this on with the water based cleanser that removes the remaining debris by gently washing off sweat, any remaining dead skin cells and unwanted particles left on the skin.

So, the ideal scenario is to:

• Firstly use Pippettes Sacred Balm for the first oil based stage and a water based cleanser, such as Pippettes Maidens Milk for the second stage.
• Alternatively, you can simply opt for using a Pippettes Aromatic Water for the second stage. Rose or Geranium for mature skin, Orange Blossom for greasier and Chamomile and Lavender for acne prone skin for this water phase.

The main thing to remember is don’t use anything ‘harsh or stripping’ that will dry out your skin, especially if you struggle with acne or eczema. This includes: alcohol or salicylic acid and ideally have a limited amount of ingredients in the products. 

So is this hype to sell more products or is it actually beneficial?
I think it depends on your skin type and how much make up you wear.

We all tried a Double Cleansing regime here at Pippettes for 2 weeks, twice a day, to see how we faired and the results were varied.

We all agreed that we loved the double cleanse concept but in different ways. Sacred balm was a hit with us all and no one wanted to stop using this twice a day but what we used with it varied.

• I am the oldest and have the driest skin as I am outside in the wind and rain planting and growing. I found the Maidens Milk a bit too drying after the second week and turned to Rose Water instead which was amazing!! I used the Sacred Balm, removed it with warm water and a cloth and then spritzed my face with our Pippettes Aromatic Rose Water, I removed it by dabbing lightly with a cotton pad and then spritzed again. My skin has glowed all week and feels lovely.
• For our youngest team member who is 20 and has acne, he found the combo twice a day was great as it really cleansed his skin before bedtime and he repeated the ritual in the morning. (We did also get him to change his pillow case daily – but that’s another blog coming your way!). He said his skin was calmer and felt there was a visible difference. We could certainly see the difference!
• Otherwise the rest of us (5) are female and in their late 20’s and 30’s. The general consensus here was yes – they loved it - but just once a day. Everyone chose to do the double cleanse it in the evening – due to more time and make up to remove.

So after this exhaustive test our findings and recommendations are:

We all love to double cleanse and have adopted it as a ONCE daily care ritual perhaps due to lack of time and laziness - unless you suffer from breakouts / acne whereby twice a day was beneficial.

Long term?

• We think the best is to vary the routine.
• Always double cleanse in the evening if you wear makeup. and otherwise double cleanse 3 – 4 nights a week.
• Younger and greasier – use our Sacred Cleansing Balm followed by Maidens Milk Cleansing Milk or Orange Blossom or Lavender Aromatic water.
• Mature and drier – Sacred Cleansing Balm followed by Rose or Rose Geranium Aromatic Water

Try to :

• Avoid preservatives / emulsifiers (except beeswax) / stabilisers  in the oil phase and just keep to a balm recipe where there are only waxes, oils and Vit E or Rosemary antioxidant to reduce rancidity of the oils over time.
• Massage your face with the balm and stimulate circulation and collagen structure. Massage encourages the oil deep into the pores for extra cleansing
• Use a hot wet CLEAN muslin cloth or flannel to remove the balm ensuring you draw all the dead cells, dirt, make up and unwanted sebum away.
• The water phase ensures penetration of moisture and removal of superficial particles of sweat and water soluble chemicals so allow the water (like the oil) to penetrate before removing and if using floral water reapply to hydrate.