Exfoliating or Cleansing Your Skin, which One Should you do First?

In order to keep my skin clean and healthy looking, I cleanse my face with a mild cleanser then exfoliate my skin using Simple Beauty Minerals Jojoba scrub. Especially at night, when I am wearing makeup,I make sure to remove it all before I go to bed. Even when using one of my DIY scrubs, like my favorite yogurt facemask, I always cleanse then exfoliate my skin. I do not remember where I read about that first, but most brands recommend cleansing first. It was not until I received some products from Simple Beauty Minerals that I noticed that Lisa, the owner of the brand with a 30+ experience in the beauty industry, recommends exfoliating first.

Therefore, I did some research, and I was surprised by the facts I found!


Celebrity dermatologist Dr. Harold Lancer, creator of step-reversing Skin Revival system, says that exfoliating first will wash away all the dirt and dead cells, making it easier for the cleanser to penetrate in the skin layers, thus cleansing more efficiently.

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He says:

“If you are thinking about the top layer of the skin, with all the pollution and debris, if you just use a cleanser first, the majority of that debris is not removed. The polish ingredients are linked directly to prime the skin for the cleansing step. Then the epidermis will be ready to soak up the nutrients, antioxidants, and minerals.” 

By polishing, he means exfoliating your skin, and I believe this makes sense. If you use cleansing oil, you need your skin to soak those valuable antioxidants into your inner skin layers. And that’s where exfoliation helps you most.

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