Skin Cleansing Isn’t the Same for Everyone

How to choose the right cleansing routine for your skin

We often talk about finding “the right cleanser” as though there is one perfect answer for every person, every day.

But your skin is a unique ecosystem to you. Your skin is alive, responsive and constantly adapting. The cleanser that feels perfect during a humid summer may feel completely different in the middle of winter. Your skin may want a fresher cleanse after exercise, sunscreen or a hot day, but something softer after a week of cold winds, indoor heating or too much time in the ocean.

Even people with combination skin are not necessarily oily or dry all the time. Skin can change with the weather, hormones, stress, travel, age, water quality and the environment around us.

So rather than asking, “Which cleanser is best?”, it can be more helpful to ask:

What does my skin need today?

Some people will have skin that can use a more consistent, repeatable routine, some people hardly need to cleanse their skin at all with anything more than some fresh water, while others need constant and gentle cleansing and hydration. Even your local tap water supply will affect how cleansing works for your skin.

Cleansing should reset the skin—not punish it

A cleanser needs to remove the things that have accumulated on the skin’s surface: sunscreen, makeup, sweat, excess oil, pollution and everyday grime.

But cleansing should not leave your skin feeling painfully tight, squeaky or uncomfortable.

A slightly fresh feeling after washing can be perfectly normal. Persistent tightness, stinging or dryness may mean that your cleanser, water temperature, frequency of washing or cleansing technique is not quite right for your skin at that moment.

At PhycoHealth, we have developed several different cleansing formulations because skin does not always need the same type of cleanse.

Each offers a slightly different balance of cleansing, polishing and skin feel.

Cleanse: the fresh, effective reset

Cleanse is our fresher cleansing option and can be particularly well suited to oily, combination, acne-prone or congestion-prone skin.

It is designed to remove surface build-up and give the skin an effective reset without relying on an aggressive, stripped-back approach. It contains Kakadu plum and our Australian seaweed gel, Phyaluronic®.

Cleanse may be a good choice when:

• your skin feels oily or congested

• you have been wearing sunscreen or makeup

• you have been exercising or sweating

• you are living in a warm or humid climate

• you prefer a fresher, cleaner feeling after washing

For someone with combination skin, Cleanse may feel wonderful on some days but slightly more cleansing than necessary on others. That does not necessarily mean that anything is wrong with the product or your skin. It may simply mean your skin’s needs have changed.

SeaScrub: a creamier cleanse with a gentle surface buff

Dry skin does not always need less exfoliation. Sometimes it needs the right kind of exfoliation.

Dead, dry skin can accumulate at the surface, making the skin feel rough and preventing water-based skincare from spreading evenly. A gentle surface buff can help remove that build-up without requiring a harsh or oil-stripping cleanse.

SeaScrub is our creamier cleanser and exfoliator, made with finely prepared Sydney rock oyster shell.

It may be particularly helpful when:

• your skin feels dry, dull or rough

• you notice flaky surface build-up

• you prefer a creamier cleansing texture

• your skin has been exposed to wind, salt or cold weather

• you want gentle polishing as part of your cleansing routine

SeaScrub does not need to be used aggressively. Let the formulation and the fine particles do the work, using light pressure rather than vigorous scrubbing.

SeaPolish: our softest, gentlest cleansing approach

SeaPolish came from our work with First Nations women from the Broome region.

It offers a very light polishing action alongside our gentlest cleansing experience. It can be a lovely choice when the skin feels sensitive, stressed or simply in need of a softer touch.

SeaPolish may suit you when:

• your skin is sensitive or easily unsettled

• you prefer a very gentle cleanse

• your skin feels stressed after environmental exposure

• stronger cleansing products leave you feeling tight

• you want light polishing without a more noticeable scrub

It can also be a useful option for days when your skin does not feel particularly oily or dirty but you still want to refresh it.

Purify: an occasional treatment after cleansing

Purify is not an everyday cleanser. It is a face mask to use less frequently, after choosing the cleanser that best suits your skin.

Clay masks are often associated with oil absorption and a dry, crumbly finish. Purify behaves differently because it contains our Phyaluronic® seaweed gel.

The mask sets firmly, but the seaweed gel helps it remain more flexible rather than simply drying and cracking away from the skin. After rinsing, many people describe their skin as feeling beautifully fresh, plump and hydrated.

Purify may be useful when:

• your skin feels congested or dull

• you want an occasional deeper treatment

• you enjoy the clarifying feel of a clay mask

• your skin needs a special reset rather than another everyday step

It should follow cleansing, rather than replace it.

Your ideal cleanser may change with the seasons

Skin does not exist separately from its environment.

Indoor heating and cold winter air

Cold air generally holds less water than warm air, while indoor heating can further reduce the relative humidity around us.

This creates an environment that encourages water to evaporate more readily from the skin’s surface. Your skin may begin to feel tighter, rougher or more sensitive—even when you have not changed your products.

During these periods, you may prefer:

• SeaPolish for the gentlest cleanse

• SeaScrub when dry surface build-up develops

• less frequent use of a stronger cleansing routine

• lukewarm rather than hot water

• Soothe Gel Serum applied while the skin is still slightly damp

• a moisturiser over the top to help slow evaporation

Tropical and humid environments

In warm, humid climates, skin may feel oilier because of increased sweating, sunscreen use and the humid environment.

Cleanse may feel particularly refreshing in these conditions. However, air conditioning can create a very different microclimate indoors, so the same person may feel oily outside and surprisingly dry inside.

This is why combination skin can be difficult to place into one permanent category.

Wind, salt and sun exposure

Ocean swimming, surfing, wind and sun can all change how the skin feels.

Salt water can leave salt crystals and residue on the surface, while wind and sun exposure may make skin feel dry or sensitised. On these days, your skin may benefit from a gentle but effective cleanse followed quickly by hydration.

Some people may prefer Cleanse after heavy sunscreen or sweating, while others may find SeaPolish or the creamier SeaScrub more comfortable after prolonged environmental exposure.

The answer depends on what is sitting on the skin—and how the skin itself feels underneath.

Combination skin does not always need a combination-skin routine

Combination skin is often treated as a permanent skin type. But for many people, it is better understood as skin that changes.

Your forehead and nose may feel oily in summer, while your cheeks feel dry in winter. Your skin may become congested during a hormonal change, then sensitive after travel or illness.

You do not have to force your skin into one category or use the same cleanser every morning and night throughout the year.

You might use:

• Cleanse after exercise, makeup or heavy sunscreen

• SeaPolish on quieter or more sensitive-skin days

• SeaScrub periodically when dry surface build-up appears

• Purify occasionally when your skin needs a more intensive reset

This is not an unnecessarily complicated routine. It is simply a responsive one. It is simple each day, and responsive over time.

What should your skin feel like after cleansing?

After cleansing, your skin should generally feel:

• clean and refreshed

• comfortable rather than painfully tight

• free from heavy residue

• ready to receive your next skincare step

A small amount of temporary freshness may be normal. Ongoing tightness, itching, burning or redness is not something you should feel obliged to tolerate.

Use lukewarm water, avoid excessive rubbing and pat the skin rather than scrubbing it dry.

Applying Soothe Gel Serum while the skin is still slightly damp can create a beautiful hydration reset. Follow with the moisturiser that best suits your skin and environment to help hold that water in.

Learn to listen to your skin

The best cleansing routine is not necessarily the one with the most steps—or the cleanser that removes the greatest amount of oil.

It is the routine that leaves your skin feeling clean, comfortable and balanced.

Some days your skin may want a fresh reset.

Some days it may need a creamy surface buff.

Some days it may ask for the softest cleanse you have.

And occasionally, it may enjoy the deeper ritual of Purify.

Skin changes. Seasons change. Environments change.

Your cleansing routine can change with them.