Cleanse. Tone. Moisturise.

Do you remember as a kid being told how important it was to cleanse, tone and moisturise – a habitual ritual to be followed morning and night? Have you ever stopped and questioned why we trust and do this?

Our knowledge of the skin and how it functions has grown and developed since those days.

We now understand that cells don’t have an infinite life and that we have a protective Microbiome which is the skin’s first line of defence. We have also learned that the skin has intelligent functions and works best when balanced and protected.

So why do we cleanse, tone and moisturise? Do we really need these three steps morning and night to keep our skin at its glowing best? Let’s break it down...

Cleanse

Cleansing should be used primarily to:

• Remove make-up and impurities at night.
• Absorb excess oils and cleanse away polluted oils from the day.
• Replace the skin’s protective lipids.
• Protect the skin by feeding it with healthy antioxidants.
• Balance the skin’s pH.

It is certainly an important step in any skin care regime. However, over cleansing or using the wrong cleanser will disrupt the skin’s natural balance of oil and water and will leave it vulnerable to a host of skin conditions such as acne, ageing and irritation.

Tone

In the past many cleanses were very alkaline, designed to deeply cleanse and remove oils and therefore drying and sensitising the skin. To overcome this, a toner was always recommended to rebalance the skin’s pH post cleansing.

However modern quality cleansers will have a neutral pH or may be more acidic to support the skin’s protective and regulating acid mantle layer.

That means these days a toner is not essential. BUT it is important to rehydrate the skin post cleansing as the skin can lose water even during the best cleansing routine. We always recommend a hydration product to be used morning and night such as the Bio Juice Skin Drink.

Moisturise

Here's a bombshell - we don’t believe you should use a cream at night!

Why? Moisturisers contain a higher percentage of water and oils that are bonded with emulsifiers. These creams have been designed to sit on top of the skin and act as a barrier to protect against pollution, irritation and environmental drying. This means that face creams are fantastic to use during the day as they protect the skin from the environment and dehydration.

But at night, face oils and balms are a better option to use. These nourish and penetrate the skin to release lipids, essential fatty acids plus naturally occurring vitamins and antioxidants to ensure you wake up with that healthy glow. Unlike night creams, oils and balm won’t block the skin’s natural and supportive secretions and aid healthy cell production. 

Which brings us back to the morning cleanse. Well, you can skip that when you use an oil as you don’t have to cleanse away that moisturiser sitting on the top of the skin, and we want to retain the skin’s natural and supportive barrier. 

So, if you’re reading this and thinking maybe it’s time you updated your skin care regime, then you might be interested to learn more about our Skin Juice Daily Diet.

And don’t forget, many of our Daily Diet products are also available in a great to try mini squeeze size.