No, I Don'tWant No Suds
I am lucky to have relatively few skin problems, except an occasional blemish and pores I wish were a lot smaller (read: microscopic), but when the air gets dry and cold my skin starts to flake. It's especially bad on my nose, and no matter how much moisturizer I slather on, when I go to apply my makeup it gets patchy and weird over my dry, flaky skin. Not cute. I've struggled with this issue for a few years now, and it's only gotten worse since moving to NYC, where most apartments are heated by radiators—which dry out humidity in the air. The radiator heat combined with the dry, cold winter air, has led to skin peeling on my nose and other areas of my face at an alarming rate.
I've tried EVERYTHING. Moisturizing sheet masks definitely help, but I don't have the time (let alone the budget) to use them daily, and they definitely don't solve the root of the problem. I've switched to gentler cleansers, applied overnight deep moisture masks, slathered on face creams, avoided toners or anything that contains alcohol, and even tried exfoliating more to at least remove some of the dead skin. Scrubbing only made things worse, and as i mentioned in my post about Milk Makeup, my esthetician warned me to stop exfoliating more than once a week.
After doing some research and chatting with an associate at Sephora, I discovered that the cause of my peeling skin had less to do with what I was applying or not applying (creams, toners, etc.) and more to do with how I was washing my face. Apparently, any face wash that contains a foaming agent, like sodium lauryl sulfate, disodium laureth sulfosuccinate, and other derivatives, can drastically dry out your skin—especially if your skin is already dry.
I was a little peeved, since most of the face washes I had purchased in my quest to stop the peeling claimed things like "gentle enough for sensitive skin" or "removes dirt and makeup without stripping your skin" right on the package. How misleading! How unfair! But, the unfortunate truth is that products work differently for different people. My sensitive skin is not exactly like another's and sometimes it takes trial and error, long chats with Sephora associates, and going down deep rabbit holes on Google to figure out what's right for my skin.
The research seemed to all point to the same solution: use a balm, milk or cream cleanser for your face that does not foam. A lot of articles also recommended using lukewarm water, not hot water, to help reduce irritation. I realized I usually wash my face in the shower in the mornings and I like my showers hot—too hot for washing my face. I read some (aka a million) reviews and ended up purchasing IT Cosmetics Bye Bye Makeup™ 3-in-1 Makeup Melting Cleansing Balm since I am a fan of their makeup, and it claimed to be a "fast-acting cleanser, makeup remover and anti-aging serum all in one step", developed with plastic surgeons, and ophthalmologist-tested. Plus the lady at Sephora vouched for it. I figured I would give it a week: use the cleansing balm, stop washing my face in the shower and opt for more lukewarm water from my sink, and pray that the internet and my new BFF at Sephora had steered me in the right direction.
YOU GUYS. It worked. I even did a control test and borrowed my sister's face wash (which foams) when I was home over Thanksgiving, and like clockwork, the skin on my nose started peeling and flaking the next day. I was back on the balm faster than Kim Kardashian divorced Chris Humphries. So for all my dry, flaky friends out there (don't worry, those aren't the first adjectives I would choose to describe my friends) look for words like "milk" and "balm" and "cream" when you purchase a face cleanser. Also avoid words like "wash" or "oil-control" or anything with foaming agents in the ingredients. I've linked some options below that have received positive reviews on other beauty/skincare blogs, but personally I can only vouch for the IT Cosmetics balm. Pro tip: for more intense hydration, use the Bye Bye Makeup 3-in-1 Makeup Melting Cleansing Balm as a face mask and leave on for 60 seconds before rinsing (with lukewarm water!)
The verdict: to borrow from TLC, when it comes to face wash, you don't want no suds. Or scrubs for that matter (if you do want to scrub, try limiting to only once a week when you have dry skin). Happy cleansing!
