So perhaps this is the first time that I'm right on trend with this tip: using gauze in your skin care routine. However my take is going to be slightly different than most of what I've been reading so far. Funnily, I was alerted to this trend right after I was annoyed at my significant other for buying an entire box of gauze. Our family isn't accident prone, so I complained that we aren't going to use that up in the next 50 years if we tried. And now I'm sneakily using the gauze out to clean my face in it.
The biggest advantage of the cotton gauze is it's loose but textured surface -- it absorbs much less product and removes dead skin flakes. It also doesn't leave behind fibres, something cotton pads have been known to do. It is also good at removing dead skin flakes -- my skin flakes a lot in the winter, even with careful moisturising.
Using cotton gauze to cleanse and remove make-up
Medical gauze is a bit fiddly when it comes to removing make-up, I feel like I would need a big piece to do the job properly. But it does a good job of cleansing, and the little net exfoliates the skin.
Cotton gauze to apply toner
What role does toner play in your routine? If you apply it to restore the skin's pH level and /or to refresh your face, spritz is on. Both cotton pads and gauze absorb the toner, wasting product.
But if you want to remove traces of cleanser, or use it as a gentle morning cleanser, you need to wipe. Here the advantage of gauze for applying toner is that it doesn't soak up as much product as a cotton pad does.
Which gauze?
The best kind is the woven kind and not the flat kind. True woven medical gauze is loosely woven, you can see the actual weave. The other kind is pressed flat to resemble a weave. In Germany I asked for Mullkompresse which is sterile gauze, not soaked in anything.
How to wash cotton gauze
Someone recommended using a salad spinner. Add a few drops of a gentle laundry detergent, best would be something ecological or dr Bronners, add warm water and then spin. I put mine in a pouch and then throw it into the washing machine. Sometimes I wash it by hand after use and spread it out to dry; it dries really fast!
Have you tried using gauze in your skin care routine? Let me know in the comments!
