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You hear people talking about it, but what does it actually mean… double cleanse? Is it just a ploy from the large and in charge beauty industry to make us buy more product? Well… maybe. But there is some truth behind the practice.

I started double cleansing in 2018 thanks to One Love Organics. I no longer use their oil / face wash because I’ve tried to discontinue the use of facial products that contain coconut oil, BUT what they taught me still stands. And I still recommend the brand! Just not for people who have issues with coconut oil. PLUS, my fave brand Primally Pure recommends it too! Side note - you can try anything of theirs for 10% off w/code ELLEMULENOS. Also, they did a whole blog post on the topic here!

Before I go into detail about double cleansing, let me say that I actually took a break from double cleansing for a monthish when I stopped using OLO and began looking for a new face wash…Spoiler alert. I missed it! I felt like my skin still had the dirt of the day on my face, so now I’m back at it and my skin is happy.

Fluffy Robe

Let’s begin with the simple question of “why do we wash our face?” To clean it of course! But from what? Literally everything from the outside world trying to get in and wreak havoc on our largest organ… our skin! This could be pollution, actual dirt, etc. If you aren’t cleaning your skin properly any skincare regimen you do try to impart is going to be pointless. That’s right. No matter how much your routine costs or says it will work, if you aren’t prepping the base layer aka your skin correctly, then it is all for naught. When skin isn’t properly cleansed, the grime and bacteria from the day, not to mention your make-up, stays in your pores and festers. This means your skin can’t “breathe” and regenerate over night. Beauty sleep is a real thing!

So how to cleanse and with what? My cleanse routine (not the whole routine - I’ll do a summer update next week, but this was my spring routine if you want to take a peak.) is pretty simple. I cleanse once i the morning and then double cleanse in the evening. If I don’t wear makeup I only cleanse once in the evening, with the exception of me wearing sunscreen all day. I always double cleanse when I don sunscreen.

Morning: Cleanse with Primally Pure Normal Skin Cleansing Oil (also comes in dry skin and oily skin. Don’t forget you can get get 10% off w/code ELLEMULENOS.) I also like One Love Organics Vitamin B Cleansing Oil.

Evening: First, cleanse with Primally Pure Normal Skin Cleansing Oil, second, cleanse with CocoKind Oil to Milk Cleanser. I also like One Love Organics Easy Does it Cleanser as my second step.

Primally Pure Normal Skin Cleansing Oil (also comes in dry skin and oily skin - get 10% off w/code ELLEMULENOS) | Cocokind Oil to Milk Cleanser

Okay so why oil? Isn’t that weird? Nope #becausescience . Like dissolves like, right? Oil cleansing helps dissolve our own oil and buildup without stripping our skin of its natural moisture, which usually causes overproduction of oil and more problems. Yep. Sometimes to clean your face can actually do more harm than good!

I loved OLO’s Vitamin B oil and still highly recommend it to those who can use coconut oil products - it truly is amazing; however, Primally Pure’s Cleansing Oil feels like a ritual. Something about the natural aroma of the oils? Not sure, but it is straight up feels like an at home spa when I use it. It was Juice Beauty (and my friend Jourdan) that got me into clean skincare and made me think it was fun, but it has been PP that has made it almost sacred for me now. The idea of taking off yesterday / today and starting anew is so refreshing!

Whether it is in fact the aroma of pomegranate, orange and lavender from the cleansing oil or the way Primally Pure says to use the oil, I’m down! To use it, take about a quarter size drop of the oil and massage it into your DRY face for at least 60 seconds. Next wet a washcloth until it is fully warm and place it on your face until it cools down. After it is cool, gently wipe away the oil and the grit of the day in soft, upward, circular motions and you’re done! You might be surprised how soft and nourished your skin feels after!

To double cleanse, next grab your favorite water or glycerin based cleanser and go to work. I use Cocokind’s Oil to Milk cleanser. Its first ingredient is sunflower seed oil, but its second ingredient is glycerin, so that is why I use it next. It also works best on a dry face, so I pat down my face completely dry after the first cleanser. Not that you shouldn’t have paid attention to them in the first round of washing, but in this second round of cleansing, make sure to pay careful attention to your troublesome areas. For me, this is my chin and my hairline. I use about a pea-sized drop all over my face and give a few extra rubs in my troublesome areas, splash some water, then pat dry.

Do you double cleanse? What are your favorite products?! Wonder what’s next in the skincare routine?? TONE! Don’t know what that is or why? Click here to find out what’s a toner and why use it. I currently use Primally Pure Everything Spray for my toner and I love it!

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