Cleansing milk: What is it? How does it work?

Cleansing milk: What is it? How does it work?

Cleansing milk is the reverse formulation of a skin cream. While an effective skin cream or moisturiser is an emulsion containing more oil than water, cleansing milk, to do its job properly, must be more water than oil. Animal milk is a natural emulsion of fats and water which is why it is white, whenever you emulsify oils with water they spin out white.

Oil attracts oil

The reason emulsifying cleansing milk is such an efficient cleanser is that the oil-attracting molecules formed are still able, indeed can't help, but attract more oil into themselves. This is why "light" or watery moisturisers ultimately dry the skin. They are too good at attracting precious natural oils and fats away from the skin barrier without leaving enough oil on the surface to counteract this process.

Rinse well

Cleansing milk massaged gently into damp skin will attract any surface grease such as make-up and pollution, but because the resultant mix is rinsed away it does not stay on the skin long enough to strip the skin of its natural protective barrier

The old-fashioned routine with cleansing milks was to wipe them on with cotton wool and then wipe them off. A rather lengthy procedure with the risk that traces of greasy, grimy cleansing milk could be left on the skin.

Massage into wet skin

The most effective way to use cleansing milk is to massage it into wet skin in much the same way you would use soap and then rinse it away with lots of tepid water. Vital to this process is to dry the face thoroughly with a soft towel. Surface moisture left on the skin will leave it drier than ever as it will dilute your own moisturising factors, think of chapped hands when not dried properly. The same goes for wet toners left on the skin - best not to.

Added ingredients are a waste of money

Your face will feel clean as a whistle after this cleansing routine which takes so little time, it can be done in the shower or bath as long as the water is not too hot. The other advantage is that the simplicity of the ingredients in a good cleansing milk will help settle your skin. Beware of any cleansers that offer added ingredients. At best they are a waste of money as all traces of cleanser should be removed along with whatever make-up etc it emulsified into itself, or at worst you are adding yet another cocktail of additives that your skin could well do without.

Choosing the best cleansing milk

There are several good cleansing milks on the market, but my personal favourite is Super Natural Organic Skincare's Emulsifying Organic Cleansing Milk. This includes lactic acid, found naturally in the body, to help restore the skin's pH balance. It also has a mild exfoliating effect, gently sloughing off dead skin cells without rubbing, scrubbing or peeling, all of which can cause long-term damage to the complexion.

Find out more about Super Natural's range of organic skincare products at http://www.glowing-skin-naturally.com/

After cleansing

Be sure to dry the skin thoroughly. Don't use a toner. Simply apply an oil-rich moisturizer or better still a facial oil or waterless skin cream.

Copyright 2010 Alexa Charmant. All rights reserved.

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