Double cleansing, step by step

Double cleansing is the foundation of the Korean routine, and the reason is simple chemistry: sunscreen, foundation and city grime are oil-soluble — water and foam cannot dissolve them. Oil can. So the evening starts with two cleanses, not one.

Step one: two pumps of cleansing oil onto dry skin with dry hands. Massage for sixty seconds, including the eyes, the sides of the nose and the jawline. This is where people go wrong: fifteen seconds is not enough. Oil needs time to break makeup down.

Step two: wet your hands and keep massaging. The oil turns milky — that's emulsification, and it's what traps the grime so it can rinse away. Skip it and the oil leaves a film you'll blame for tomorrow's breakout.

Step three: rinse lukewarm, then move to a low-pH water cleanser. It takes the oil residue and the night's sweat. A hazelnut-sized amount and thirty seconds is plenty.

Four mistakes that ruin the double cleanse: hot water (it strips the barrier), scrubbing dry with a towel (press, never rub), double cleansing in the morning too (skin worked overnight — one gentle wash is enough), and a cleansing brush every day (once a week is the ceiling).