Let’s face the truth here - most of us are not washing our face properly. Washing your face properly is really low hanging fruit that Korean and Japanese celebs swear by. They’ve been indoctrinated by beauticians in Asia who emphasize over and over and over again that the little daily things matter most, like how one washes their face every AM and PM.
Proper cleansing is the first and MOST important step in your beauty routine. This is because it sets the foundation for effective skincare. If your face isn’t thoroughly clean, your skin still has remnants of makeup, sunscreen, dirt and oils that ultimately prevent your expensive serum and cream potions from actually working.
Asian women take face cleansing extremely seriously (they are the originators of the double cleansing method!) because it is a huge contributing factor to beautiful skin. Proper cleansing for Asian women entails treating the face with the utmost delicacy and respect. Any rubbing or harshness can lead to saggy skin and irritation. Remember, if you respect your skin, it will respect you back. Over time, this means a cleaner, happier, and more beautiful complexion.
Here are some quick and easy tips for you to incorporate into your routine for freshly and deeply cleansed skin.
1. Stop washing your face like a teenage boy! Lather up face wash on your fingers and use your fingertips to gently wash your facein small outward circles. Make sure you get into all the nooks and crannies like the sides of your nose. Using your fingertips allows you to apply the cleanser in a delicate manner without pulling the skin. You want to avoid rough motions as much as possible in order to keep your skin in tip top, firm shape.
2. Mix in an easy facial massage to work out the muscles: This is different than rubbing the face to wash impurities off. Using the lather on your hands, take your fingertips and gentle knead the muscles along the directions of your muscles, but always massage upward and/or outward. For example, your muscles will mostly be vertical on the face, and along your cheeks they go diagonal from your lip out towards your ears (google “facial muscles” and you’ll easily see the direction of the muscles). Just follow those muscles when you knead them with enough lather on the fingertips to not have friction on the skin. This simple massage works out the facial muscles and improves circulation. Even a few times a week while washing the face for 2-3 minutes can be reinvigorating and reinforces the muscular structure of the face (read: prevents sagging at a muscular level).
3. Splash! When rinsing, make like a Neutrogena ad and splash your face with water to remove the cleanser. Many top Korean celebrities are loyal to this rinsing method because you can avoid rubbing your skin.
4. Drying your face. When drying your face, use a soft towel and dab or pat the water off gently. It’s also important to set aside a hand or face towel to use just on your face. You don’t want to be using the towel that’s been hanging in the bathroom for everyone to use or even the body towel you used after your shower since it could be harboring bacteria or dirt. Change the face towel as frequently as possible too!
Making these minor improvements to your cleansing routine is guaranteed to improve and maintain your healthy skin for a long time to come.
We love Kim Tae Hee’s effortlessly fresh look. We also love that one of her beauty tips isn’t about expensive serums but about the art of proper face-washing. Sometimes, it’s the little things…
-Cindy
