Is it Important to “Precleanse” with Make-up Remover?

Thank you as always for generously sharing your unbiased and sensible skin care and health advice! Do you “pre-cleanse” with a product to remove makeup, sunscreen etc before your regular cleanser or do you just rely on one cleanser to do it all? Many thanks!

You’re welcome. And thanks to all of you for making this blog possible. Our shop, which I know many of you visit, enables us to keep posting. And also… thank you to all of you for being patient for the last 3-4 months while we straightened out supply chain problems. We should have all the Colorescience products that we all love so much back in stock soon. We’re still working on Dermaquest and pretty much all the MadisonMD Skincare products will be back this week or next. 🙂

On your question… I think this really depends on how much make-up you wear and your skin texture. Personally, I use the MadisonMD Active Cleanser which lathers well and, with the new pump, dispenses a generous amount. I also love the Eminence Lemon Cleanser (organic) which is lovely, and creamier, but lathers less.

Remember that in order to keep the glands on the edges of the eyelid healthy and to help prevent dry eyes in the future, keep those ducts cleaned out at least once a day! You can also use baby shampoo to gently clear them out with a Q-tip. Also, take your fish oil supplement daily. I like the Wild Alaskan Salmon Oil in capsules. See your eye doctor if you’re having problems with dry eyes.

Here are a few different scenarios:

1.  You wear very little make-up and a light layer of sunscreen. In this case, you don’t need a pre-cleanser and a gentle cleanser, unless you’re very oily. Always use warm to hot water, not cold, then thoroughly rinse. The warmth from the water helps to open up the pores. When I was in my 20s, I washed only with water for about 5 years and since I didn’t use much make-up or sunscreen at that time (gasp!), it worked fine.
2. You wear a moderate amount of makeup, including eye make-up; that’s hard to remove. I put myself in this category and I do fine with just the Madison MD Skincare Active Cleanser. Just be sure to close your eyes tightly and lather the eye area. Rinse well! If you still have some make-up stuck, you can use your eye cream or baby shampoo to gently remove with a Q-tip.
3. You love make-up and wear it daily, and experiment with different brands. In this case, you may need a special eye make-up remover. Try to find one as organic-y as possible without a ton of chemicals. Then do your regular cleanse after to remove the remover. 🙂

Hope this helps,

Dr. Brandith Irwin