There are two kinds of people in the world, those who love self care and those who find it to be a chore. Self care is not just about what you eat or put on your skin, it’s about taking a moment in your hectic day to focus on yourself for one instead of your boss, your kids or your chores. You are worth the few minutes you spend in front of the mirror each day and don’t ever forget it!
In recent years, the trend of cleansing wipes have popped up in drugstores and beauty stores alike. While this could be as lazy girls best friend when it comes to removing your makeup before bed or when you don’t want to wash your face but the reality is, they’re doing more harm than good.
Don’t get me wrong, using them once in a while doesn’t pose a serious risk to your skin’s health, but they should be reserved for time of need, like a red eye flight or a camping trip where you don’t have a sink handy to wash your face. Aside from that, this “time saving” trick could be responsible for your breakouts, dullness and even wrinkles!
Why are they so terrible?
These wipes can be exceptionally harsh especially if they’re made for makeup removal too. Over time, that irritation and rubbing, even if it’s just once a day, can cause an increase in fine lines, wrinkles, and hyper pigmentation.
As for the cleanliness factor, very few makeup wipes contain ingredients that can actually break down all of your face oils, makeup, and gunk on your skin, so you’re really just rubbing bacteria, irritants, and makeup-wipe residue around your skin and into your pores. When your pores are clogged from all this gunk, even the most powerful of anti-aging products can’t penetrate your dermal layer properly to repair and prevent wrinkles and lines.
We understand, sometimes it’s hard to drag yourself out of bed to go wash your face after a long day or a few too many glasses of wine. Of course, using cleansing wipes is not ideal but it is always a better option that not cleaning your face at all before bed.
If you do find that you’re reaching for the cleansing wipes more than once in a blue moon, keep a bottle of micellar water and some cotton pads beside your bed. While it’s still not going to hold up to the benefits of actually washing your face with a proper cleanser, it is a far better (and cleaner!) option to get the days grime off your face before catching some Z’s.
Of course the most ideal solution is to use a gentle oil based cleanser nightly to softly remove your makeup and let your skin sleep freely overnight.
