The Cleansing Ritual

Cleansing is the doorway into the ritual of skin care. It is not just the first step, but the initiation into the ritual itself, and it is just as essential as all the steps that follow. Cleansing unburdens the skin from the weight of the day and prepares it to receive nourishment.

The ritual of cleansing allows you to sink into your body and be present with yourself, if only for 30 seconds of your day. It is a time to connect and enjoy. Beyond soothing the nervous system, it is also a wonderful opportunity to create movement in your skin — movement of lymph and blood circulation — and a good opportunity to check in with yourself and your skin.

Facial Cleansing Technique

You are in a long-term relationship with your skin, whether you engage with it as such or not. Like all relationships, maintaining harmony with your skin requires your intentional time and presence. The skin is not a battlefield or a landscape to conquer. Healthy long-term relationships of all kinds — skin included — are not created through aggression, hostility, or resentment.

Healthy long-term relationships are cultivated through patience, compassion, understanding, receptivity, and love. When cleansing your skin, choose gentle products. Your cleanser choice should thoroughly wash away impurities without stripping the skin of its protective hydrolipid barrier.

Next, apply your cleanser thoughtfully, with slow rhythmic and circular movement. Don’t scrub too aggressively or too quickly and don’t rush the cleansing process. Cleansing should be done twice a day - first thing in the morning and again before going to bed.

Our skin is a living, breathing organ — ever supportive and dynamic. An entire world of support lives on our skin and within our bodies, taking care of us. This is the microbiome, a vast community of beneficial bacteria that play a tremendously important role in nearly every aspect of human health. Over-cleansing, or cleansing with the wrong products, both destroy this support network, and strips the skin of its protective hydro/lipid balance.

Be gentle with yourself. You deserve it, and your skin will thank you.