We’ve heard of double-cleansing—a K-beauty trend that has diffused to the rest of the world over the past few years. It’s pretty simple—you start off by washing your face with an oil-based cleanser to slough off residual oils, dirt, and makeup from the skin, and conclude with a water-based one to strip away any remaining impurities that weren’t eliminated the first time. Simple, no? But there’s another trend going around on the internet that swears triple-cleansing is the way to go- three whole tiers of cleansing. Yeah, sounds a little excessive, I know.
What’s The Deal With Triple Cleansing?
The point of cleansing your face thrice is similar to why you’d choose to cleanse your face twice. One cycle barely touches the surface of the skin, according to experts. An additional round of washing rids your skin of stubborn build-up—and a third one is, of course, more thorough. And it enables skincare formulas to seep into your skin seamlessly too. Think about it—your skincare, regardless of how potent or effective, is rendered useless if there’s a barrier of build-up sitting on the surface of your face.
Is It Really Necessary?
If your skin is extremely oily, or you wear heavy-duty makeup frequently, you might find the process beneficial. Even those working in hotter environments, slathering their faces with too much SPF, or exposing themselves to environmental damage can try this out. But for the rest of us? Not quite.
If you cleanse your face excessively, you might end up drying it out, weakening your skin’s barrier function, and, in the process, increasing sensitivity (and chances of your skin reacting to products), and increasing loss of water from the skin. And if your skin is dry or sensitive anyway, we’d suggest you pass, and, maybe, save this for when you’re wearing a lot of makeup or sunscreen.
Got acne-prone skin or inflammatory conditions like eczema and psoriasis? This isn’t it for you either. A triple-cleanse can dry, irritate, and redden your skin further. And for those of you with acne-related issues, three cycles can trigger the skin to produce more oil, and, hence, more acne flare-ups.
But the process is pretty beneficial for mature skin—since exposure to pollution and other environmental triggers can accelerate the process of ageing. So, really, it varies from person to person depending on the nature and type of skin, and the kind of lifestyle one leads. But, then again, it’s not advisable to do this every day. And for most of us, cleansing twice every day is adequate.
How Do You Triple-Cleanse?
There are different approaches to doing this and we’re listing them down.
Oil. Face Wash. Micellar water
There’s no one way to triple-cleanse. Some start off with an oil-based cleanser, continue with a facial wash, and conclude with micellar water. And go on with the rest of their routine.
Oil. Cream. Foam Cleanser.
Some go the ‘oil-based cleanser, cream cleanser, and foaming or gel cleanser’ route.
Cleansing Wipes. Oil. Foam Cleanser.
Another variation involves cleansing your face with a makeup/cleansing wipe, following it up with a cleansing oil, and finally, a foaming cleanser. But the general rule of thumb is to, well, do it thrice.
When Should You Do This?
This isn’t something you do in the morning. Reserve double-cleansing or triple-cleansing for the night—grime, pollution, oils, makeup, and other such impurities have been marinating on your face throughout the day, and this is the ideal time to eliminate them from the inside-out.
And ensure you’re choosing mild cleansers to go with. It’s all about the kind of products you’re choosing, and whether you’re listening to your skin’s needs. The internet plays host to a lot of conflicting opinions about this trend; but at the end of the day, the choice is yours. Just make sure you’re not investing in anything sulphate-based. And massage your skin gently.
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