The one thing you can stop doing in the shower
I don’t know about you guys, but I’m a twice-a-day face washer. And even though I know I shouldn’t, I sometimes up this number to three times in the summer, since I live in Florida – which is basically an oven with the fun added bonus of extra moisture thrown in. One of my face-washing sessions is in the morning, over the sink, while the other is at night in the shower, using a scrub. I’ve come a long way from my teenage years of using bar soap and calling it a day. I even use moisturizer now!
But apparently, I’m among those people approaching this whole face-cleansing thing all wrong. According to Dr. Elizabeth Tanzi, Co-director of the Washington Institute of Dermatologic Laser Surgery in Washington, D.C., washing our faces in the shower at all is probably not the best idea.
The reasoning? We’re so distracted by washing the rest of our bodies (and, for some of us, maybe hitting the right notes in that show tune that just sounds so great among those bathroom acoustics) that we don’t really give the water temperature the attention it deserves. Many of us like showers that border on scalding, which is not good for the more sensitive skin on our cute mugs.
“I recommend that my patients wash their faces at the sink [instead],” Dr. Tanzi told The Gloss this past July. “[You can gauge the temperature more effectively] and should use lukewarm to cold water, which is better for delicate faces.”
A cold splash of water to the face is also a good idea at the end of a cleansing session. According to Amandine Isnard, EVE LOM’s Head of Product Development, “A cold finish stimulates circulation and can be hugely beneficial to the overall glow of your skin.”
No way am I leaving the last bit of my shower to a “cold splash” — especially given the fact that cooler weather is moving in soon. I guess it’s time to switch it up! Hello, shorter showers!
(Image via Sony Pictures)
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