The 40-second cleanse
Cleansing badly undoes the rest of the routine. Doing it well takes under a minute.
Sample image · Replace with your ownCleansing is the step most people rush and most people over-do. Both create the same outcome: skin that feels tight, then produces oil to compensate, then gets cleansed harder.
Water temperature
Lukewarm. Hot water strips lipids faster than any surfactant in a well-formulated cleanser.
Forty seconds
Massage for roughly forty seconds. That is long enough for a cleanser to lift sunscreen and sebum, and short enough that it is not sitting on the skin working against it.
Afterwards
Pat, do not rub, and leave skin slightly damp. Everything you apply next works better on damp skin — and if your face squeaks, the cleanser is too harsh for you regardless of what it costs.