We are a skincare loving team! Isn’t it amazing to see glowing faces all around you… Yes yes! We know how difficult it is to maintain that bright face when we deal with stress and pollution each day. Skin is the largest organ in the body which unfortunately gets the least attention from us pertaining to our fast paced lives.
Often it calls us out for attention in the form of acne breakouts, dry patches, redness etc. We at News Smith saw similar skin conditions with our team. Our team therefore decided to change basic skincare routine by changing one single ingredient we used everyday- face washes!
And just like most Indian consumers of skincare products, we decided to follow the desi jugaad principle of researching on the web instead of consulting a dermatologist (Oops!). After reading several articles, following bloggers and discussions about personal experiences, we finally narrowed down a list of products which were given to the team to try out for a month. Each team member tried out a single product depending upon his/her basic skin type – dry, oily, combination (both dry and oily), normal and sensitive. (In case you’re wondering what your skin type is, click in the link) Given below are the results that the team observed:
>Exfoliation with face wash doesn’t seem to be a good idea
Exfoliating your skin to get rid of dead cells or extra sebum has been the trend in 2020. Some in our team were fascinated by the idea of pulling out the dirt from the deeper layers of the skin after a rough day dealing with dust and pollution in the field. The most commonly available exfoliants are Alpha Hydroxy Acids( AHA, commonly available in the form of glycolic acid and lactic acid) and Beta Hydroxy Acids (BHA, commonly available in the form of Salicylic Acid) in the cosmetic industry. These acids need to absorb on the skin in order to work on the dead cells and dirt. However, face washes are foamed and washed off in a very short span, not giving enough time for the exfoliants to work. We, therefore, did not see any noticeable change on the skin after using face washes containing exfoliants for a month.
>As good as it is for some people, Salicylic acid might give dry patches if not used wisely
Salicylic acid has been known to get rid of acne by dealing with extra sebum in the skin. Even as the idea seems to be good for oily skin, it might create dry patches around sensitive areas such as around eyes or lips if not used wisely. Face Washes claiming to be designed for acne prone and oily skin do contain salicylic acid in different concentrations (mostly 1% to 2%). Even as the exfoliants rarely get enough time to work when used as a face wash, even a minute quantity of wrong product used on sensitive or dry skin might prove to be a disaster. Dry patches may be observed around eyes or cheeks if you have combination skin (both oily and dry skin on the face).
>Cream face washes or gel face washes?
You can choose the kind depending upon what you target. If you have very dry skin and think that face washes make it even dryer, then use a cream based face wash. Such face washes would clean your face and simultaneously moisturise it. Gel based face washes seem to work best for combination and oily skin types.
> Face Washes containing actives should preferably be used only during the night
Apart from AHAs and BHAs, other actives that are hyped in face washes these days include Vitamin C, Niacinamide (Vitamin B3), Retinoids (Vitamin A), Vitamin E etc. As much as these work to brighten the skin, most of these actives are photosensitive which means that sun exposure combined with these actives on the face may do more harm than good. For example, you may become more prone to sunburns in some cases. Face washes containing active therefore are best used during the night.
>Tea tree or honey?
Tea tree oil is an anti-inflammatory oil recommended mostly on acne-prone skin, however, if used in the purest form may give itches on the face. Face Washes may therefore be one of the best ways to use tea tree on the face, specially for people with acne prone skin since it also has antibacterial properties. Honey, however, is known to give intense moisture and works really well in winters when the skin is prone to get very dry. Face Washes with honey extracts would therefore work well in winters especially for people who suffer with dry patches on the skin.
> Sensitive skin? Stick to fragrance free face washes
Fancy brands promoting attractive products for sensitive skin might please the people troubled with red, itchy and inflamed skin. However, what these brands might not want us to know is that they might contain added fragrances which may irritate the skin. The added fragrances are made of several chemical substances which do not have any use on the skin but might irritate the skin further. Our team therefore recommends using only fragrance free face washes on your skin.
Hope our experiences help you out in narrowing your search for a good face wash! Chao!
