Hot Cloth Cleansing

In an ideal world, we would all wake up looking like this:

Sadly, for most of us, this is not the case. If your skin is clear, you'll always look good. If you don't have spots, you can get away with less makeup. Basically, if you have lovely skin, you win at life. 

Whilst I can by no means claim to have perfect skin (I'd need to eat less cakes for that..) my skin has improved significantly since I discovered the wonder that is hot cloth cleansing. The clue to how it works is in the title - simply put, you use a hot muslin cloth to wipe away cleanser. Done every night before bed, it makes your skin look and feel a lot smoother, and in my experience, is one of the only things that has any real effect on stubborn blackheads. 

How you can do it at home:

1) Remove your eye makeup. The cleanser can technically get rid of it, but for the sake of your cloth's longevity I'd take it off first.

2) Slather the cream all over your face. You don't have to, but I like to brush my teeth in between this step and the next, to allow the ingredients to properly dissolve any makeup/ grime the day has coated your face in (nice!)

3) Now, wet your muslin cloth with water as hot as you can comfortably touch. Wring it out, place it over your face and hold it for a moment - this will open all your pores. Then use the cloth to gently scrub all over your face, targeting dry skin or problem areas. Repeat this step. 

4) Finally, rinse your cloth under boiling hot water then hang up to dry (you can re-use this cloth for a week or so before washing it) and splash your face with cold water. And you're done!

As for what products to buy, well, I really can't recommend this one enough:

Liz Earle Cleanse & Polish, £14.25 for a starter kit, including 2 muslin cloths

I know, it's not cheap, but it is worth it - if you're using it once a day, it should last you about 3 months. It smells ridiculously good, it works the best, and it's made from natural ingredients, if you're bothered about that sort of thing (we probably should be.)

Other notable mentions include: 

- No 7 Radiance Boosting Cleanser, £10, Boots. This one's very good value, as you get twice as much (200ml) and if you buy it with the very regular £5 off vouchers, it's half price. 

- Lush Ultrabland, £6.45. A product so natural, you could eat it (please note I say could, not should.) Unless you have very dry skin, be prepared to use a toner afterwards, as it's slightly greasier than the others.