Deep cleansing series #2: 4 types of deep cleansing products in market

Deep cleansing to me is simply to cleanse skin more than daily regular cleansing. Your daily cleansing should remove dirt and makeup residues for a good housekeeping. Deep cleansing should be able to remove dull surface debris and sebum accumulated in pores. Again if your have a good housekeeping for your skin, your skin would not be too congested or sluggish that makes deep cleansing too difficult.


In general there are 4 types of products in market that are designed for this purpose:


1. Scrubs
Generally scrubs are made of many different kinds of beads, natural or sythetic, big or small, soft or hard. There is no absolute answer to say which one is better than the other. However scrub generally is considered harsh to skin because its idea is to physically remove dull surface debris with motion of your fingers. To me I don't use scrub as I just don't like how it feels on my skin (little too harsh and irritating) and most importantly I don't find my skin much cleaner after scrubbing.


2. Peeling gel
This transparent gel gets very popular lately. Most advertisements show photos of dull debris sloughs off immediately. Many are convinced by the immediate visible results but the truth is this type of peeling gel is usually a strong alkaline formula which when in contact with our skin (naturally mild acidic) will form residues that look like dull debris due to chemical reaction. Experts say using strong alkaline in a long term actually hurts your skin more than any other scrubs. So I don't recommend this type of product and I would never use it either!


3. Clay
Usually in mask forms to cleanse pores. Clay in nature has detoxifying and purify properties that help draw out impurities from pores. This is an excellent natural way of deep cleansing esp. for T-zone but it might be a bit too dry for cheeks (at least for me). I suggest not to leave it on for more than 10 mins, longer than that might be too drying. If you have very dry skin, you may not want to use clay. Enzyme powder would be a nice option.


4. Enzyme-based
Usually in powder form, when mixed with water, the powder forms dense and creamy foam that dissolves excess sebum and dull surface debris mildly.


I hope this post helps you find the right product for your deep cleansing routine. I'd also love to hear from you if you have ever tried any good products that are not on my list!

Enjoy the clean refreshed pores :)