How To Properly Remove Physical Sunscreen

I’d like to say that I have a cleanser that does 100% of the job, 100% of the time. But the reality is that when it comes to wearing mineral (physical) sunscreens, I need an extra step in cleansing to fully remove everything. I stick to mineral sunscreens for a few reasons, but one big one is to avoid any eye-stinging, however I could tell that my skin just wasn’t feeling as clean as I thought it should. 

In case you didn’t know, the main difference between physical sunscreens and chemical sunscreens is how they work. A physical (mineral) sunscreen will be applied to the skin and sit on top forming a protective layer that deflects UV rays. Chemical sunscreens are applied to the skin and absorbed. When UV rays hit our skin with chemical sunscreen applied, it absorbs that energy and converts it into heat instead. 

Physical (Mineral) Sunscreens

Mineral sunscreens are a great choice if you have sensitive skin, are acne-prone, or need something to start working immediately. My skin is dry/normal but can be acne-prone when it’s hotter out. I have a slew of sunscreens I use daily, some just like a makeup foundation! You can read more about my most used facial sunscreens here. While I prefer tinted sunscreens most of the time, Dermalogica’s Invisible Physical Defense with SPF 30 has been a great addition to my selection of sunscreens. 

I find Invisible Physical Defense very lightweight and comfortable on the skin. There’s always a worry that physical sunscreens apply chalky or with a cast, but not this one! There is some added shine that dissipates shortly after application, but I found it worked so well as a base for foundation/tints and no detectable fragrance. It also has added skincare benefits from a bio-active mushroom complex that calms, soothes, and reduces redness, and has the added benefit of blue light protection which is not found in all sunscreen formulas. I would be curious how a tinted version of this would look. It does have a very nice feel on the skin and adding a tint would allow me to skip one extra step.

Oil Cleansing – Pre Cleansing

At the end of the day when it’s time to wash my face, I reach for a cleansing balm or oil to get started. Lately, I’ve been using Dermalogica’s Precleanse. It does a great job of breaking down anything I have on my face like makeup, sunscreen, or waterproof mascara, just like my favorite cleansing balm. There is nothing more satisfying than seeing everything start to meltdown on the face and even more when you add water. The milky emulsion rinses away clean taking the most stubborn products with it down the drain.  I could never just recommend a single pre cleanse product because I use quite a few that are very good!  If Dermalogica’s precleanse isn’t to your liking, some others I rely on are Farmacy Beauty Green Clean, Cirium Moonglow Cleansing Balm, or Physician’s Formula Perfect Match 3-in-1 cleansing balm.

If this was a sunscreen for the body, I would suggest using just about any body oil you have on hand before you step into the shower. I recently bought Palmer’s Calming Relief Hemp Oil and like to use it for a body precleanse, but have used others like Neutrogena Body Oil, Neuma Neubody Age-Defying Replenishing Oil that work just as well! 

Gentle Cleanser

After doing a precleanse, I move on to my traditional gentle cleanser. I think the key here is to keep it a really GENTLE cleanser since you’ve already gone one round – oh, and one that foams! I’ve done posts before on some of my favorite gentle cleansers and still use many of those today! My current rotation includes Fresh Beauty Soy Cleanser, First Aid Beauty Pure Skin Cleanser,  Earth To Skin Manuka Cleanser, and Dermalogica’s Special Cleansing Gel.  Special Cleansing Gel is soap-free and has additional calming ingredients like balm mint and lavender that also give it a very light refreshing scent. My husband likes to steal this one from me too if he’s run out of his stuff. 

Moisturizing

After doing a full cleanse, I follow with my serums and moisturizers to balance and rehydrate my skin and restore the skin barrier. This usually includes a hyaluronic acid serum, a vitamin C or peptide serum, and then followed by my moisturizer of choice depending on the season and temperature.

Hot Summer months will have me reaching for moisturizers like Farmacy Daily Greens Moisturizer, Volition Beauty Celery Green Cream or First Aid Beauty Ultra Repair Moisturizer.  For colder, drier months I prefer something more rich like Fresh Beauty Rose Deep Hydration Face Cream, Farmacy Honey Halo, or Pixi Beauty Rose Ceramide Cream.

Have you come across a cleanser that gets everything off? I’d love to hear if you found a gem that I don’t know about! Share in the comment section below!