Over the years, women have used various facial products to clean their faces. While many have proved to be particularly effective, others like micellar water have distinguished themselves due to their gentle nature and effectiveness.
You can remove sunscreen with micellar water gently, quickly, and effectively because it works like an oil-based cleanser. Furthermore, the light cleanser eliminates oil and grime, leaving your skin refreshed, plus you don’t even need to rinse it out.
In this article, you’ll learn all about micellar water, including how it works and how to include it in your skincare regimen.
What Is Micellar Water?
Micellar water is a unique skincare product that’s remarkably gentle and effective in cleansing and makeup removal. What’s more, this light cleanser cleans your face without the need to rinse it out. Also, it provides relief for dryness and irritation that results from using hard tap water.
With an origin dating back to French pharmacies, micellar water is purified water without minerals, metals, and impurities.
The cleanser contains two primary ingredients: water and surfactants or emulsifiers.
Surfactants are also present in facial cleansers and keep comfortably in both oil and water as emulsion droplets that are easy to rinse off.
Micellar water isn’t only excellent for wiping off dirt, excess sebum, and makeup residue, but the versatile product also doubles up as a toner and moisturizer.
How Micellar Water Works
Micellar water cleans your skin using micelles or tiny oil spheres suspended in soft water. Micelles form when you add surfactants to water, and they work by:
- Drawing in oil and grime
- Dissolving them to leave behind clean, soft skin
But that’s not all; your skin’s pH balance remains intact because micellar water doesn’t contain soapy ingredients. Besides, if you don’t rinse your face using tap water afterward, your face doesn’t get dry.
Micelles comprise tails pointing inwards and heads facing outward. The hydrophobic tails are protected from the water by the hydrophilic heads. The micelles rearrange themselves easily, so when you pour micellar water onto a cotton pad, the heads stick to the hydrophilic cotton wool while the tails stick out. The surfactant tails help to dissolve oily makeup and dirt.
In other words, an oil-loving layer sits atop your cotton pad, forming the perfect facial cleanser for:
- Oily makeup
- Grease
- Sebum
- Dirt
Thus, wiping your face with a soaked cotton pad absorbs the oily makeup, cleaning your face. However, if you have an oily face or thick makeup, you might need to use several pads to get rid of every trace of oil, dirt, and makeup.
Some micellar water products come infused with hydrating extracts and antioxidants. As a result, in addition to cleansing your face, they also moisturize and repair damage caused by environmental toxins like sun exposure.
Removing sunscreen from your face can seem challenging because it’s thick and tacky, and you wouldn’t want to pull your skin or use harsh chemicals. But waterproof and water-resistant sunscreen is even more difficult to remove. This is because the sunscreen builds a protective film over your facial skin, which it adheres to pretty firmly.
Now, let’s see how to use micellar water to solve this challenge.
How To Use Micellar Water To Remove Sunscreen
Because micellar water is extremely gentle, it’s ideal for any skin type. Besides, there’s a product designed for each skin type, including dry, combination, and sensitive skin.
Also, micellar water is perfect for use in areas with hard water or instances when water isn’t easily accessible, like camping, traveling, and post-workout.
To use micellar water correctly, follow the below steps:
- Wash your hands.
- Soak a cotton pad with micellar water.
- Gently wipe your face and eyes, removing all traces of makeup and dirt.
- While swiping, ensure to stick to one direction.
- To remove heavy eye makeup, place the cotton pads on the lids, hold for several seconds, then wipe off.
- You don’t need to rinse your face unless you really want to.
- For best results, use a hydrating mist, treatment serum, and moisturizer.
Hydrating mists promote cellular repair and collagen production in addition to boosting the moisture content of dry, mature, or sun-damaged skin. On their part, serums help your skin to stay moist, hydrated, and radiant all day.
Micellar Water and Double Cleansing
Double cleansing is an excellent way to perform gentle cleansing. It entails using a cleansing oil or balm to remove makeup and dirt before using a mild cleanser.
The process leaves your face squeaky clean since it eliminates:
- Makeup residue
- Leftover SPF
- Dirt
- Pollutants
- Bacteria
However, this isn’t the only way to remove water-resistant sunscreen since you can use a regular cleanser to do that.
Cleansers typically contain surfactants that help oil to dissolve in water or vice versa, eliminating the need to double cleanse. They also have water plus some oil or none at all. Surfactants help lift oil off your skin, creating small oil droplets that disperse in the water as an emulsion.
An oil-based cleanser will thus break down the components of your sunscreen while deep cleansing your pores. You can then rinse away the droplets, leaving behind clean skin.
Micellar water contains surfactants as well, but these are mild enough to remain on your skin without any rinsing. However, removing the sunscreen might prove more challenging if you apply sunscreen multiple times throughout the day or wear water-resistant sunscreen.
Do You Need To Rinse Micellar Water?
You don’t need to rinse micellar water, as it’s easy to wipe off, and it doesn’t affect the skin. But whether to rinse or not depends on your skin type. Micellar water contains mild surfactants, but some like sodium lauryl sulfate are strong irritants that can disrupt your skin’s delicate structure.
Final Thoughts
If you’re looking for a mild facial cleanser that’s safe, easy to use, and effective in removing sunscreen, try micellar water. This skincare product isn’t only gentle, but it also relieves dryness and irritation caused by using hard water.
Failure to effectively remove sunscreen can lead to clogged pores, dull skin, inflammation, or even acne. To prevent this from happening, ensure to always remove sunscreen, makeup, dust, and grime from your skin’s surface before retiring for the night.
Sources
- Pharmaca: The Lowdown on Micellar Water
- Lab Muffin: Do I Need a Special Cleanser to Remove Sunscreen?
- Lab Muffin: Fact-check: What is micellar water and how does it work? An Update
- Real Simple: How Bad Is Hard Water for Your Skin? We Asked Derms
- POPxo: What’s The Right Way To Remove Your Sunscreen? And YES, There Is One!
- POPxo: Micellar Water Is A Must Have Product In Your Beauty Arsenal, SERIOUSLY!
- POPxo: Clean Up Your Act: Here’s Why You Should Do A Double Cleanse
- StyleCheer: How To Remove Sunscreen From Your Face – Even Without Cleanser
