Skincare Tutorial: Korean Beauty Double Cleansing Routine

Skin that isn’t properly cleansed can be the root of many skincare woes — from acne, congested skin, enlarged pores, excessive dryness, and even your serums not working well. If you have been relying only on a micellar water or makeup wipes to cleanse your skin, you’ve been doing it all wrong!

What is double cleansing?

Double cleansing is the proper way to remove all makeup, SPF, excess oil, dirt and other nastiness from your face! Double cleansing starts out with an oil cleanser followed by a foaming cleanser to properly and thoroughly cleanse your face.

STEP #1 Oil Cleanser

An oil cleanser gently draws out oil-based debris such as sebum, makeup, SPF and even pollutants! All you have to do is pump or scoop out the oil cleanser and massage it onto your face. Then add water to your face and massage again to emulsify the product. Lastly, rinse off the oil cleanser with lukewarm water.

STEP #2 Foam Cleanser

A foam cleanser gently draws out water-based residue such as sweat and dirt. After the oil cleanser is thoroughly rinsed off, massage the cleanser to your damp face with gentle, circular motions. Rinse it off with lukewarm water, and pat your face dry!

How often should I double cleanse?

Most people tend to double cleanse only at night to take their makeup off, but while you sleep, your skin can accumulate excess oil, dirt (from your pillow, for example) and sweat. So double cleansing in both morning and night would be beneficial in removing all those impurities!

Should I still double cleanse even if I have oily and acne-prone skin?

Every skin type would benefit from double cleansing, including oily, acne-prone, or even sensitive skin types. In fact, oily skin types will benefit significantly from using an oil-based cleanser because it will gently remove excess sebum without stripping your face dry and causing it to produce even more excess oil.

In Korea and many parts of Asia, the double cleansing method is near ubiquitous, but this is hardly an Asian skincare ritual. Dermatologists, estheticians and skincare-savvy women worldwide understand and practice this absolutely critical step for an effective skincare regimen. In fact, proper cleansing is arguably the most important step to a skincare routine that will keep skin healthy and preserve youthfulness.

Let’s do our skin a favor and get this incredibly foundational skincare step right!