I double cleansed every night for two weeks–here’s how my skin changed

Below, I outline how my two-week experiment panned out.

The results:

Week one

I have oily skin and, naturally, was sceptical of putting yet another coat of oil all over my face. Pleasantly surprised, I instantly noticed how smoothly my make-up washed off my face – plus the process was really therapeutic. Elemis’s Pro-Collagen Black Cherry Cleansing Balm is a delight to apply, and I found that I barely scratched the surface of the tub during the first week of use. Next, I followed up with either the Sarah Chapman Rapid Radiance cleanser – on days when I wore heavier make-up and was out of the house longer – or Cetaphil’s Gentle Skin cleanser.

After cleansing, I dutifully followed up with two moisturisers. The La Roche Posay Effeclar duo went on problem areas – blemishes and pimples – while the Cetaphil Daily Hydrating Moisturiser went everywhere else on my face. I allowed the products to sink in for around 10 to 20 minutes before drifting off to sleep.

By day seven, I noticed that my skin had begun to feel smoother, and I was able to zap troublesome under-the-skin spots with pimple patches once they surfaced. My skin did still feel slightly dull (and I still had a few blocked pores), but overall, I felt refreshed and confident that I had eliminated any lingering pollutants.

Week two

During the second week, I followed the same method but trialled a different oil cleanser. This time, I went in with the Sunday Riley Aquamarine Melt Cleansing Gel-Balm, which is dispensed via a handy pump – making it really easy and motivating to use after a long day or night out, when all you want to do is hop into bed. For my double cleanse, I continued using Cetaphil – both the face wash and the moisturiser – noticing just how soft the combination made my skin feel.

By the end of the week, my face was noticeably calmer and devoid of the open comedones that had plagued it fourteen days earlier. One thing that I am monitoring is the uptick in oil that I have noticed on my skin throughout the day – it hasn’t led to any breakouts but has, at times, been quite visible. It’s likely that my skin is just getting used to my new routine and I’d take a slightly more glowy complexion than an irritated skin barrier any day.

Final thoughts

Overall, I’d recommend double cleansing for those who wear makeup or a particularly heavy-duty daily SPF. Dr Du-Harpur agrees, sharing that the combination is very effective “for removing anything that is designed to grip the skin.” If you don’t usually wear make-up or spend time in a busy city, it’s advised to just stick with a single cleanse.

And what about a triple cleanse, you ask? Not necessary at all. Overdoing it can cause skin barrier impairment: as the expert explains, “when you introduce surfactants to the skin – which are present in cleansers and can dissolve oil – you are risking disrupting the skin barrier a little bit.” And then you’d be right back to square one – when all we want is to maintain a healthy, glowy and hydrated skin microbiome.

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