How much time do you spend on cleansing your face? Be honest. Most of us probably don't even cross the 10 seconds mark. A surgeon is required to scrub and wash hands for 7-10 minutes before entering the operating room. Such thorough wash ensures lowest possible bacterial counts so not to put patient in jeopardy during surgery. Accordingly, to truly remove dirt and bacteria from our face, as the title suggests, a 60 second face wash rule is a must.
Research shows that cleansing your face with your fingers for 60 seconds allows the ingredients in the cleanser to actually work. It softens the skin and dissolves sebum blockages significantly better. Texture and overall evenness improves. What you'll notice is that for the first 15 seconds nothing much happened as you massage your face. However, if you keep messaging, you'll start to feel little specs of dirt and grime collecting between your fingers and on face around the 30 seconds mark. Then, you'll want to keep going for another 30 seconds.
Did you know that messaging and lightly slapping your face draws blood to the skin, signaling your brain to activate healing functions to the area? Your brain think you're being hurt and needs to start healing. Chinese and Korean people have been known to lightly slap their face throughout the day for this reason. So slap away, ladies! :D
We've always been told that the toner helped remove extra grime because cleanser itself was not enough. Turns out, we have not been cleansing our face long enough to effectively soften dirt and dissolve sebum clogs. You still need a toner to close the unclogged pores so dirt don't go back in there. That is the job of a toner, so don't rely on it as a cleanser as well.
If you're following a cleansing routine, chances you're also using a toner, serum and creams. A face that has not been cleansed thoroughly won't effectively absorb the layers of balance and protection products you add after cleansing. They are probably going to waste, the same with the money you spent buying them. Cleanse your face for at least 60 seconds and get your money's worth.
Here are some cleansers we recommend:
Also, read our recommended cleansing routine.