How to Pick a Cleanser for Sensitive Skin

Personal hygiene is very important for every aspect of your body.  The skin is the most exposed to the surrounding environment and your face is the most delicate.  A clean skin is a healthy skin.  But what you clean with is very important.  Cleansers clean the palatte of your face so you can apply makeup on clean, fresh skin.  Adding makeup on top of old ones only looks caked up and makes your skin unhealthy.  Even if you don't wear makeup, a clean complexion looks bright, radiant and healthy.

Listen to What Your Skin Tells You
Morning and evening cleaning should be part of your daily facial cleansing routine.  Your skin can give you feedback if the cleanser you're using is the right one for you.  A good checklist includes:

• Does your face feel overly dry after using it?
• Irritating skin is another key factor to look for after use of a cleanser.
• Are there ingredients that are too harsh or allergy producing in it, such as sodium lauryl sulfate, alcohol or parabens?
• Is the cleanser hypoallergenic and promises not to clog pores?

If your skin feels refreshed, clean and hydrated, you've found the right cleanser for your skin.  An easy way to test a cleanser is to try it on the inside of your arm.  This part of your arm is more delicate than other parts of your skin and a good area to start with.  

Sensitive Skin Cleanser
If you have sensitive skin, it's even more important to decide on the right cleanser.  Sensitive skin is prone to allergies, rashes, acne and other skin conditions.  Without proper cleansing, dead cells build up, inflammation results and skin problems begin. 

Before you decide to try a new cleanser, follow the simple guidelines below:

1.  Decide on what you are looking for in a cleanser.  If you have dry skin, you should look for a gentle lotion cleanser.  A lotion cleanser will be more moisturizing .  Make sure it does not contain the skin drying ingredient sodium lauryl sulfate (SLS). 

If you have acne, use a cleanser that cleans thoroughly without SLS.  Many of the acne cleansers are too harsh and can deplete your skin of nutrients.  By keeping your skin clean and healthy, you're less likely to have breakouts.  A weekly gentle exfoliating scrub following cleansing is also helpful towards clearing acne.

2.  If you use makeup, choose a cleanser that cleans makeup.  After using the cleanser if you notice it thoroughly cleaned off makeup, it will also clean your skin of other substances such as debris and sunscreen.

3.  Use an alcohol free toner after using the cleanser with a cotton pad.  The purpose of a toner is to clean any left over residue the cleanser left behind.  Seeing some residue on the pad is ok, but it it's heavy with makeup or other residue, then the cleanser may not be cleaning adequately.

4.  Stay away from cleansers with dyes, fragrances, parabens or other harsh ingredients.

Types of Cleansers

There are several types of cleansers, such as:

• Medicated - most medicated cleansers are made for acne prone skin.  These most likely contain anti-microbials and harsh ingredients.
• Soap-free cleansers - these can be in facial bar form or other forms.  Soap-free cleansers are more gentle and non-irritating.

In general pick a gentle cleanser free of irritating, harsh ingredients, no matter what your skin type.  Make sure to thoroughly wash your hands, before washing your face.

At Cleure.com you can find the right gentle cleanser for your skin, no matter what type of skin you have.