Cleansing is the most important part of your skin care routine.

Yes, fancy serums and resurfacing acids get the job done, but they can’t do their job if you’ve got gunk in the way. Makeup wipes doesn’t equal cleansing, but a lot of the time, just one cleanser won’t get the job done. 

Double-cleansing is a great way to ensure you’re getting everything off of your face.

Think about when you clean your floors: you want to sweep before you go right in with a Swiffer WetJet so you’re not just pushing around wet crumbs, rocks, dirt and hair. 

I accidentally started double cleansing years ago. 

In college, a girl who lived on my floor noticed my bottle of Proactiv cleanser on my dresser.

“Do you feel like it gets all of your makeup off?” she asked me. 

I hadn’t thought about it before, but it didn’t get all of my makeup off. That’s when she told me she used a drugstore cream cleanser to wash her face first to take off her makeup. Then, she went in with the medicated Proactiv cleanser to treat her skin.

That night, I went to CVS to grab the same cream cleanser and started doing the same. Now, that’s not exactly what double-cleansing is, but the principle is still there.

Double-cleansing consists of using an oil-based cleanser first, then using a traditional cream or gel cleanser. has made the biggest difference in my life. There’s oil in makeup, SPF and on our skin naturally. Like attracts like and oil-based cleansers remove that top layer of grease, dirt, makeup, pollution, etc.

Then, use a traditional cleanser that lathers to get deeper into pores. It only adds about 15 seconds to your routine.

Makeup and sunscreen are meant to stay on your skin — you should take the time to remove them.  Old makeup not fully removed from your skin causes breakouts, but also can dry out your skin and make it look gross and dull thanks to the alcohol in most cosmetics. The more dry your skin is over time, the more prone you are to seeing premature lines and wrinkles.

Caroline Hirons, British esthetician and skin care queen, has said many times that people will think they’re allergic to their SPF, which actually is not the case. In most instances, they just haven’t fully removed their sunscreen.

Also, I get a ton of questions about pores. Pores look bigger when filled with face-gunk aka sebum, dirt, makeup, etc. Keep your pores clear by taking off your makeup each night with double-cleansing.  

The ONLY time I don’t double-cleanse is when I’m home all day and haven’t used any makeup or sunscreen. I truly believe adding this to my skin care routine changed my skin for the better. Below are some of my favorite cleansers. (And please remember:  A makeup wipe doesn’t replace washing your face.)

Balm/oil cleansers

Farmacy Green Clean Makeup Meltaway Cleansing Balm
Tatcha Pure One-Step Camellia Cleansing Oil
Slaai Makeup-Melting Butter Cleanser
The Body Shop Camomile Sumptuous Cleansing Butter
Kiehl’s Midnight Recovery Botanical Cleansing Oil

Second cleansers

Youth to the People Superfood Cleanser
Korres Greek Yoghurt Foaming Cleanser
Tatcha The Deep Cleanse
 WLDKAT PH-Balanced Patchouli + Cherimoya Gel Cleanser
Summer Fridays Super Amino Gel Cleanser
Fresh Soy Face Cleanser