When it comes to washing your face, how long do you actually spend cleansing? If you’re like me, you’ll probably spend about 60 seconds massaging your cleanser into your skin before rinsing. Watch any of my skincare routine videos and even though I’ve sped them up a bit, you’ll see that I’m massaging my face for a while before rinsing. I’ve been washing my face like this for years, but it wasn’t until earlier this year when I saw a tweet about why you should be washing your face for a least a minute, that I realised it was such a big deal.
What Is The 60 Second Method?
Simply put, the 60 second method refers to cleansing your face for at least sixty seconds – yep, one whole minute. Though you’re cleansing for sixty seconds, you should make sure you’re gently massaging as rubbing too hard can cause skin irritation, inflammation and dryness.
Why 60 Seconds?
According to Nayamka Roberts-Smith, the aesthetician who popularised the practice on Twitter back in January, cleansing for sixty seconds “softens the skin and dissolves sebum blockages better. Texture and overall evenness improves.” And Roberts-Smith isn’t alone in this thinking. Many dermatologists agree that massaging your cleanser for this long will help make sure the product is properly applied and helps remove pollution, dirt, oil and sweat from the day.
Not only is spending sixty seconds washing your face good for clean skin, but it’s also good for draining toxins out of your body (also known as lymphatic drainage). I love to spend an extra couple of seconds really massaging my face gently to help me relax at the beginning and end of each day.
Obviously washing your face for sixty seconds won’t fix all your skin issues, but it’s definitely a great (and simple) place to start.
Are you cleansing for long enough?
alice
xo
