How to Remove Facial Makeup without Harming Your Skin

How to Remove Facial Makeup without Harming Your Skin

All of us (well nearly) like to wear makeup. Some of us go with light facial makeup and others may like to apply a little more, but in today’s fashion conscious world, avoiding makeup is not going to be easy. I personally like to apply light facial makeup while going out and at times, I go a little overboard, especially when I got to attend a party or something like that. Wearing make is like something that we all love. But what about removing facial makeup? Removing facial makeup before going to bed is equally important. This is because makeup may make you look beautiful or hide your flaws temporarily, but if you are not removing the facial makeup properly, the buildup of the products can be harmful for your skin and it may lead to pimples, acnes and other skin issues. While most of us know the importance of removing facial makeup, there are many who end up harming their skin while removing facial makeup. And hence, in today’s post I am going to talk about how to remove facial makeup without harming your skin.

There are many who love putting makeup, but they don’t remove their makeup before going to bed and they end up harming their delicate skin. If you are one of them, then it is high time to you know the importance and process of how to remove facial makeup before the makeup cause irreversible damage to your skin.

However, simply removing makeup casually will not do, you need to clean your face properly removing every bit of the cosmetic products without causing any damage to the facial skin. Now, I know there are some makeup products that are quite stubborn and refuse to get removed easily and hence you need to know about the right techniques to remove such facial makeup. Removing your facial makeup at the end of the day is very important and to help you out, I am sharing a few of the best and easiest tips on how to remove facial makeup without harming your skin.

Most of us love our morning face. It is clean, fresh and recharged. But, if you have got makeup on it since last night, then your morning face is not going to be so fresh after all. Instead, it will look very unhygienic and it may damage your facial skin, especially if you have sensitive skin. You may argue that you only use branded cosmetics and makeup products that can be kept for long hours. But the fact is no matter how big the brand is, it’s going to cause harm to your skin if you keep it overnight. From causing pimples, to dark and white patches on your skin, to eye infections, there can be several consequences of not removing facial makeup properly before you go to sleep.

Moreover, since facial skin is the most sensitive skin, you must remove the makeup with care and not forcefully or hastily as that can cause even more damage to your delicate skin layers and cause too much redness, inflammation etc. So, it is advisable that while removing your makeup, you consider the tips on how to remove makeup without harming your skin that we are going to discuss right here in this post.

I am sure that most of the women love makeup and now that you know that proper removal of makeup is so important, I am hopeful that you will be a little careful and take things seriously henceforth. Even, I am very excited to share these makeup removal tips with you.

Tips to remove facial makeup without harming skin

Going natural is always better, but sometimes, I myself go overboard with my makeup. Even if I use minimal facial makeup most of the times except in case of few special occasions, I make sure to remove the makeup once I am back at home. The point is, whether it’s minimal makeup or a little over the top makeup, removing your facial makeup before you hit the bed is a must.

Putting on several layers of makeup for long hours do not let your skin breathe and so, you may start to get skin issues. Also, using harsh makeup techniques can be harmful. So, it is best to wear good quality makeup and remove it before you go to sleep. Here are a few of the best tips on how to remove facial makeup without harming skin that you may like to consider.

Clean your hands first

Before you start removing your facial makeup, the first thing that you should do is to wash your hands properly. Removal of facial makeup will require the usage of your palms a lot. So if your hands are not clean, then that may be unhygienic and bad for your skin. Moreover, when you are out, your hands get exposed to too much of dirt, dust and germs, so it is advisable that you clean your hands nicely before touching your facial skin.

Many a times, touching your face with the dirty hands leads to the transfer of the germs from your hands to your face which further may enter your eyes or mouth and lead to irritations and infections. It also causes inflammations and other skin related issues on your facial skin. So, it is always better to not skip the process of washing your hands first before using them in order to remove your facial makeup.

Use gentle cleanser

Applying cleanser is the next important step in removing your facial makeup correctly. At first, you need to take the gentle cleanser and massage it gently all over your face with your fingertips. Do not miss out massaging the often missed out portions like under the chin, your hairline and at the back of your ears. After that, let it stay for around 12-15 minutes and then wipe gently using a wet cotton washcloth. You may use a white cloth so that you can make it out properly that all of your facial makeup is removed.

However, if you are wearing a foundation that is long wearing or in case you have used a blusher, then you may also consider using the remover first. You need to keep scrubbing your face in a gentle manner until there is no trace of foundation or blush left on your facial skin.

Be gentle to your skin

I have mentioned it quite a number of times already but I feel the need to mention it often because it is the most important thing that you have to keep in mind while removing makeup from your facial skin. You need to have much patience and remove the makeup very gently so that at the end of it your face does not get irritated or dehydrated.

Your fingertips play an important role in it and lightly massaging with it helps a lot in makeup removal. You may apply some oil and massage it around your eyebrows, lids, lips etc. and then massage it all over your face. This is good as it softens the skin and further loosens the makeup which saves you from rubbing your face crazily to remove the stubborn makeup.

Then take a flat square cotton pad and add a little cleansing oil over it and rub gently over the same spots without scrubbing back and forth much. Simply skim on your facial skin in one direction to pull up all of the remaining makeup/colors.

Use steam heat to remove makeup

You can even consider taking the help of steam heat for removing facial makeup easily. The reason I suggested this is because the steam helps in loosening up the pores which enables the cleanser to penetrate deep into the skin leading to the easy removal of the makeup and the debris.

To get the maximum benefits, all you need to do is to fill up your tub or any bowl with hot water and then hover your face over it for around 1-2 minutes. You may even add few drops of lavender essential oil in the water to get the relaxing spa vibes.

You may feel that the whole process is a little long but this is one of the most efficient ways to remove facial makeup completely without harming your skin. So, if you have put a lot of makeup on your face due to some occasions, then using steam heat is one of the quick and easiest methods to try.

Care for your eyes

The portions around your eyes need special care so be it while you are applying eye makeup or while getting it removed, you need to be really very careful. In fact, I personally find that removing eye makeup is the hardest part in comparison to removing makeup from the other facial parts. This is because the portions are very soft and if you do any mistake, then you may end up pricking your eyes. Even the makeup can enter your eyes and cause irritations or infections. So, you need to be careful while removing the eyeliner, mascara, kajal, eye shadows and all other eye makeup.

I would recommend you to use cotton pads instead of the cotton balls as the balls often leave the fibers behind. And as far as the remover goes, you must use an oil-based remover for removing waterproof makeup products for example waterproof mascara otherwise you will have to rub really hard to remove the color. Simply soak the cotton pad, press it down softly over your lashes and then slowly remove it across the eyes. For the rest of the makeup, you can go for a dual-phase remover meant for your eyes.

Remember to keep your eyes closed while removing makeup. This will reduce the chances of the makeup entering your eyes or your eyes getting hurt.

Get rid of excess oil

Since you will need to use oil-based removers to remove some of your makeup, it is important that you remove the excess oil left after you have removed the makeup. This is necessary otherwise you may have to wake up with mascara circles or greasy skin the next day.

So, make sure after you have removed the eye makeup, you take another dry cotton pad and get rid of the excess makeup remover and the entire last bits of products left from your facial skin. This will give your face a clean look when you wake up the next morning. 

Oil-based makeup remover

Use oil-based makeup remover for removing long wearing lipstick. Not just in case of waterproof eye makeup products, but also if you are wearing a lipstick that is highly pigmented or is long wearing, using an oil-based makeup remover to get it removed is highly recommended. This is because it will be very helpful in removing all of the lipstick properly otherwise you may have to rub on your lips quite hard to get rid of all of it.

For removing the other lipsticks, a cotton pad that is soaked in liquid or any kind of cream makeup remover will just do fine.

Cleanse the hairline

I have seen many who do not clean the makeup at the hairline properly which leads to the accumulation of the makeup residue there that in turn blocks the pores and leads to breakouts near your forehead. To avoid that happening in your case, I will request you to tie your hair back at first and then carefully remove all of the makeup from your hairline. Tying your hair is essential as the hair all over your face will create a serious hindrance in removing the makeup properly.

Removing makeup from neck

Although neck is not a part of your face but it is an extension of it and you do apply some decent makeup there so that the tone of your face matches with that of your neck. I mean it is a part of makeup application and I am sure all of us are aware of it. So, when you are applying makeup there, you will also have to remove it properly otherwise that can affect your skin out there.

I thought of giving it a mention separately because just like your hairline, the makeup on your neck region also gets missed out when it comes to makeup removal. And, that is not OK, so you need to remove it with similar care as you would do in case of your facial skin.

Avoid wipes

Avoid using only baby wipes or other makeup wipes for makeup removal. If you are of the opinion that simply using baby wipes or other makeup wipes will be enough to remove all of the makeup from your facial skin, then you are wrong. Your baby has not put layers of makeup, so using baby wipes on him/her does all of the work perfectly but for your makeup to get removed properly, these wipes are not enough.

Wipes may be used in the initial makeup removal part, but for through and deep cleansing, you need to use a good face wash and water. In fact, just using a wipe and then putting moisturizer over it will lead to pushing off the dirt inside your pores leading to more pimples and breakouts. So, you need to avoid that from happening.

Take care of skin

There is work to be done after you have removed all of the makeup from your facial skin as well. And, that is you need to wash your face properly and then go for the toners and the moisturizers as per your choice or depending on your skin type. This is important as often after removing makeup, your skin turns dry, (mainly in case of individuals who has got dry skin) so if you are putting a moisturizer, it will stay soft and supple. If you are someone with extremely oily skin, then I will suggest you to wash off your skin thoroughly the next morning as well to avoid oil build up.

However, irrespective of your skin type, washing your face at night after removing makeup is a must.

Over to you: How do you remove facial makeup?

If you love applying makeup, then you must never be lazy when it comes to removing your facial makeup. It is seriously important to that you remove all of the makeup properly before going to sleep and the reasons are pretty obvious.

There are different kinds of makeup and cosmetics products available today. But no matter how expensive or branded your makeup products are, they may contain chemicals which may cause damage to your skin, especially when you do not remove the makeup properly. Maybe for a branded product the damage is less, but still putting it on for long hours might not be safe for your skin.

One of the important reasons behind that is putting your makeup on for too long does not let your skin breathe and leads to blocking of the skin pores that may end up damaging your skin. I have seen many getting pimples for that. In case of lipsticks, not removing it properly may turn your pink lips into dark ones.

And, in case of eyes, it is even vital that you remove all of them properly including the edges. This is because eye makeup may enter your eyes and that may cause eye infections. So, you have to be really careful when you are applying or removing makeup.

However, when you sit down to remove layers of makeup from your face; you need to be really patient. You cannot afford to rush and damage your delicate and sensitive facial skin. I have already discussed about 11 of the best tips on how to remove facial makeup without harming your skin. In fact, these form the basics of makeup removal techniques if you want to avoid any kind of damage caused to your facial skin.

I myself put less makeup but whenever I put a little heavy makeup, I make sure that I use the right techniques to get rid of all of the makeup. And trust me my skin even though it is sensitive never gets irritated. So, if the techniques have worked for a sensitive skin like mine, I am sure it will be very safe for your skin as well.

Well, I think we have discussed enough about how to remove facial makeup without harming your skin. Now, I want you to share your feedbacks. I will also be happy if you share your makeup removal tips that you are using currently. Also, if you have any other suggestions, feel free to share by commenting below. And, if you like my post, please like, comment and share it with others so that it can come to help for a greater number of individuals.

Until then, stay beautiful, stay healthy.

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About Babi Ghosh 269 Articles
Babi the chief editor at bodyandbeans is a professional yoga instructor and a fitness freak. She has done her master’s in history from Kolkata University. She is passionate about healthy eating and living practices.

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