What the Hell is Double Cleansing — and Should You Be Doing It?

Ahh, remember the good ol’ days when you removed your purple eyeshadow and thick lined eyeliner with a drugstore brand makeup wipe, followed by an ultra stripping, highly fragranced foaming cleanser? Your face may have been free of all dirt and grime – literally squeaky clean – but it was tight, dry, and stripped of its natural moisture. Your skin suffered the consequences of this old school skincare routine. 

Then, in the early 2010s, Korean beauty trends began to take over, revealing all the things we had been doing wrong. The ultra Americanized, face wipe-and-drugstore cleanser method was primary among these offenses. 

Korean skincare knows what it’s doing when it comes to beauty and healthy skin, and their concept of double cleansing is no different. This two-step method, when done the right way, helps to remove all the daily makeup, dirt, grime, and pollution from your skin while keeping your natural moisture and skin barrier intact. From micellar waters and oils to acne fighting cleansers, we’re breaking down everything you need to know about the double cleansing method – what it is, how to do it, and the best clean beauty combinations to use for clean and hydrated skin. 

What is Double Cleansing?

Just as its name suggests, double cleansing is the process of washing your face twice, often with two different cleansers. This method generally involves washing your face with an oil-based cleanser first, followed by a water based cleanser. The first cleanse works to remove the top layers of makeup, dirt, and grime and to loosen up all the gunk that has accumulated on your face. This sets up the second cleanser to really penetrate and get rid of any remaining bacteria hiding in your pores. 

Double cleansing is especially beneficial for those who live in areas with a lot of pollution (think big cities) or anyone who wears an ample amount of sunscreen (as we all should!) because these particles in particular burrow their way deep into the skin, resulting in clogged pores that can be hard to remove with a quick, one-step rinse. 

How to Double Cleanse 

While double cleansing generally involves starting with an oil based cleanser, followed by a gel or foaming cleanser, because of Veracity’s unique and cutting edge formulas, we recommend always starting your cleansing routine with a hormone safe micellar water and then using your Veracity cleanser as your second step for a deeper clean that targets your skin issues. 

After you use the micellar water, your second cleanse helps to finish up the rest of the dirty work. Our new Advanced Hydration Cleanser which is made with skin-loving adaptogens and healing biomimetic oils, emulsifies into a gentle milk that puts hydration back into your skin, even after you rinse. 

For an ultra hydrating and deep clean, massage the Advanced Hydration Cleanser onto dry skin to gently break down any remaining traces of makeup. Then, gradually add warm water to emulsify the cleanser and rid your skin of any impurities, debris, and pollutants. 

For those with hormonal breakouts from higher testosterone levels, Veracity’s Blemish Calming Cleanser is a great second step in your double cleansing routine. It’s made with sulfur and boswellia serrata extract, which is packed with antioxidants that help soothe inflammation and redness. 

Veracity Tip: You can use both Veracity cleansers in your hormone safe double cleansing routine. If this is the case, use the Advanced Hydration Cleanser as your first step and the Blemish Calming Cleanser as your second step. 

Cleansing sets the foundation for your skin health and helps determine the effectiveness of the rest of your routine. As long as you’re using the best hormonally safe formulas, double cleansing can make a profound difference in your skin both today and in the long term. It can even do the heavy lifting of removing your purple eyeshadow (it’s back, you know!) at the end of a long day. Your skin may not be as dry and squeaky, but it will most definitely be clean.

What else would you like to know about skincare routines? Email us at knowledge@veracityselfcare.com.