How To Wash Your Face

Like brushing your teeth or putting on your shoes, washing your face is one of those routine activities that you do each day. For most of us, twice a day we go through the motions of splashing water on our face, lathering with cleanser, rinsing off cleanser (well, at least we hope everyone washes their face morning and night!). But how often do you take the time to critique your technique? For optimal results there are several factors to consider.

How To Wash Your Face

  1. Choose a gentle cleanser. The skin on your face is delicate, so it only makes sense to treat it with kindness. Avoid using harsh ingredients like alcohol, and instead choose a cleanser with gentle ingredients (preferably organic!) that will moisturize, nurture, and enrich skin cells. More on this below...
  2. Use lukewarm water to wash your face. While it’s tempting to splash hot water on your face, hot water will strip your skin of its natural oils and possibly cause redness or aggravate existing skin issues. Instead, use lukewarm water to get the job done.
  3. Use clean hands to gently wash and massage skin. Scrubbing your skin with rough sponges, towels, or products (think: sugar, salt, or ground apricot pits) can cause damage like broken capillaries. Clean hands work the best, but you can always use a soft washcloth or a gentle product like a Clarisonic. In fact, our customers tell us that our Tamanu Luxury Facial Cleanser works great with it.
  4. Pat face dry. Your skin has precious, natural oils that can be easily stripped away with the swiping of a towel. Instead, gently pat your face dry to remove excess water so that the oils stay in place.
  5. Follow up with other skin-enriching products. Fresh, clean skin is in prime condition for absorbing beneficial ingredients, so consider following up with a toner, serum, or moisturizer. 

We recommend this face washing routine twice a day, and after any workouts or times of excessive sweating. Dirt and bacteria from daily activities is inevitable and regular cleansing will keep it from accumulating in pores. If it lingers in pores too long, you run the risk of increased pore size, making skin oilier, or even causing acne.

How To Choose A Gentle Cleaner

We might be exaggerating, but there seems to be a million cleansers and face washes on the market (and we're fairly certain we tried them all before developing our Tamanu Luxury Facial Cleanser). So how do you narrow down the one right for you? Here are a couple of tips:

  1. Be wary of marketing claims like "hypoallergenic" or "clinically proven results." What do they really mean? Well, sadly not much. We've written two blogs on the topic. Read more about Misleading Marketing Claims in the Skin Care Industry and How to Avoid Product Marketing Claims.
  2. Avoid products made with alcohol. Not only can they be severely drying and irritating to skin, but they are made from the petroleum derivative propylene and can act as a “carrier” to allow other harmful ingredients to enter the skin. How to spot them: look for isopropyl, ethanol, methanol, and benzyl alcohols.
  3. Scan the ingredient list for 'fragrance.' The term “fragrance” seen on a product label can indicate that any number of toxic ingredients have been used, including Phthalates. These "hidden" ingredients are used to give fragrance more staying power, but are known hormone disruptors (especially in males) and can affect brain development. Artificial fragrance ingredients have also been known to induce allergies, dizziness, headaches, and skin rashes. Learn more about fragrance by clicking hereHow to spot it: look for "fragrance" or “parfum” on ingredient lists, ethylene oxide, or Dibutylphthlalate (DBP, DEP, butyl ester)
  4. 'Oil-free' isn't always the best option. Contrary to popular belief, not all oils clog pores and cause acne. In fact there are so many oils, especially Tamanu Oil, that are super beneficial to skin.
  5. Look for the term organic. Companies that use organic ingredients are more likely to make thoughtful ingredient selection and choose those that are most beneficial to your skin. While it's not a fool proof tip, it will at least help you narrow down your options.
  6. Lastly, download the EWG's Skin Deep App to your phone, which will allow you to scan a product's bar code to find its toxicity rating.

We have taken all the above into consideration when developing our Tamanu Luxury Facial Cleanser. Each ingredient was chosen with intent - they are gentle, skin-enriching, and typically work with most skin types. While the cleansing agent (derived from organic, plant based oils) cleanses, the Tamanu Oil offers its anti-microbial, anti-bacterial, and anti-inflammatory properties, and the Camellia Oil offers moisture-rich and anti-aging antioxidant properties.

We are often asked why we don’t make a cleanser for different skin types, but the truth is we didn’t have to. This cleanser is beneficial with all skin types and ages, and we love that mom and daughter can use the same product.


2 comments


  • moitufzbhx

    Muchas gracias. ?Como puedo iniciar sesion?


  • Lynette Christensen

    Question? I have a bottle of night serum & day serum that is about a year old. Is it still ok to use?


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