Double Cleansing on Dry Skin?

[LadyLJ]

Hey all!

I recently started double cleansing (mostly in an attempt to remove every ounce of my wonderful, full wear, waterproof makeup) using Pacifica Coconut Dissolve Cleansing Oil Rehab and Pacifica Sea Foam Complete Face Wash (I have a hard time wrapping my head around the idea of paying more for, what is essentially, soap). My skin feels great when I'm cleansing, but I've noticed I'm starting to break out more! I don't know if it's the cleanser or if i'm over cleansing, but honestly, I'm 23 and my breakouts are worse then when I was a teen! Did anybody else run into this problem? Should I even double cleanse? Any help is appreciated! Thank you!

[WinglessOne]

Sounds like you need to change one or both of your cleansers. If your breakouts are red bumps that don’t quite look/behave like acne, then your skin’s probably having a bad reaction—not an acne breakout—to something in one or both of those cleansers. 

The first step of a double cleanse doesn’t have to be a liquid oil cleanser. It can be micellar water (which is oil based but doesn’t emulsify like an oil cleanser) or a cleansing balm instead. I use micellar water before my nighttime cleanser. Not all micellar waters are created equal: my skin reacted badly to some, but seems to like Lancôme’s and Tarte’s.

I can’t say either of those brands’ products will play nice with your skin since not everyone has the same ingredient sensitivities. And there are less expensive options out there, like Garnier’s various micellar waters. And there are various cleansing balms on the market, and probably better liquid oil cleansers than the Pacifica one you tried. But ensuring full makeup removal is worth some trial and error with various cleanser combos for a double cleanse. 

[Naba15]

I tried double cleansing a few weeks ago too and I noticed I was starting to break out and get more pimples than I normally do. Id recommend going back to your old routine as that helped me get my skin back on track.

[quspork]

It sounds like you're reacting to an ingredient in one of those products, @LadyLJ. Did you start both of them at the same time and recently? Everyone's skin is different of course, but that sea foam cleanser broke me out. And a lot of people break out with coconut oil. You may just need new cleansers. 

[LadyLJ]

I bought them both at the same time when my old cleanser and make up remover ran out, so I'm not sure which one it is. I did use coconut oil (straight coconut oil) as a makeup remover a few years ago, and it didn't make me break out then. However, it has been a while so my skin may have changed.

[alexasteph]

@LadyLJ Double cleansing is sometimes too rough for dry skin. Give L’Occitane Shea Cleansing Oil a try. It’s effective enough to remove all of your makeup but gentle enough it doesn’t strip your skin in the process.