Best face washes for different skin types

The first step to choosing the right face wash is understanding your skin type

Why Is Face Wash Important?

Cleansing is a basic yet essential step in your skin care routine and choosing the right face wash or cleanser depends on multiple factors, starting with your skin type. Once you know your skin type and texture, such as oily, dry, combination or sensitive, you can look for ingredients that suit it that address your specific skin concerns. 

What Does a Face Wash Do?

A face wash essentially cleanses your skin of dirt, sweat, bacteria, excess sebum, dead skin cells and residual make up. Clean skin is crucial for healthy skin and also allows treatment products to absorb more effectively. Avoid using regular body soap or wash on your face, as it has an alkaline pH that strips away the protective oils, making the skin sensitized and dehydrated.

Also remember that with age, climate changes and environmental triggers, your skin evolves, so it is important to pay heed to how your skin is reacting and accordingly, change your cleansers from time to time. 

Face Wash for Dry Skin

Dry skin is often characterised by flakiness and irritation, so the best face wash for dry skin is one that is gentle on your skin and provides extra hydration. Opt for oil-based cleansers as they do the job of cleaning your skin, while leaving behind a layer of much-needed moisturisation. Coconut oil and jasmine-based cleansers help nourish your skin from deep within while a BioReplenish Complex can help build your skin’s natural resilience. The Lakmé Gentle & Soft Deep Pore Cleanser replenishes dry skin, leaving it soft and supple.

Face Wash for Oily or Combination Skin

Oily skin means your skin is producing excess sebum, which can leave your pores clogged and leave a shine on your face. And combination skin is usually when you have an oily T-zone and dry patches on your cheek and/or forehead. The best face wash for oily or combination skin is oil-free, alcohol-free, gel- or water-based and foaming, which will get rid of the excess sebum and leave your skin clean and fresh. Natural botanical ingredients like Quillaja Saponaria, lavender extracts and balm mints help cleanse and soothe the skin. The Dermalogica Special Cleansing Gel or the Lakmé Absolute Radiance Facial Foam are good options for those with oily or combination skin. Beware, though, of cleansers that work too hard and therefore strip off even the natural moisture of your skin, leaving it taut and dry.

Face Wash for Sensitive Skin

The best face wash for sensitive skin is ultra-mild to mild, which are sulphate-, fragrance- and alcohol-free, so that they don’t cause irritation or breakouts. Avoid foaming cleansers and opt instead for gel cream-based ones that will deep clean your skin while fortifying the skin cells from within. Here too, lavender extracts work well in cleansing the skin without irritating it, while raspberry extracts help aggravated skin heal quicker. The Dermalogica Ultracalming Cleanser is a perfect face wash for those with sensitive skin.

Face Wash for Pigmented or Ageing Skin

It’s important to note that you should ideally start a regular skin care routine as early as in your 20s, because that is when your skin starts to show signs of ageing. The best face wash for ageing or pigmented skin contains antioxidants, such as Rose Flower Oil and Vitamin E, as they soothe the skin, improving its texture and smoothness. Lactic Acid, which is an active ingredient that removes the skin’s dulling debris to reveal brighter, smoother, glowing skin, is also recommended. The Dermalogica Skin Resurfacing Cleansing is replete with these ingredients and can help slow down the signs of ageing on your skin.

Always remember to follow up your face wash or cleanser with toner, serum, moisturizer and sunscreen for healthy skin.