Skin Care: Cleansing, Toning, Moisturising and Basic Facials
Skin care: cleanse, tone, moisturise, protect
This domain tests the basic facial sequence, product selection, massage safety and aftercare. Questions often ask the correct order, the purpose of each step, or what to omit for a sensitive client.
Core rules
- Cleanse with a product suited to skin type; emulsify, work in upward and outward strokes, and remove with damp sponges or mitts. Avoid dragging the eye area.
- Exfoliation is optional and should be gentle; avoid scrubs on active acne, broken skin or recent peels.
- Steam should be comfortable, at a safe distance, for about 5-8 minutes, with eyes protected. Extraction is only for trained staff and only on suitable lesions.
- Tone to remove residue and restore comfort; choose alcohol-free toners for dry or sensitive skin.
- Moisturise with humectants (glycerin), emollients (shea butter, oils) and occlusives (petrolatum) as needed. Finish with broad-spectrum SPF in the morning.
- Massage is avoided over active infection, severe acne, recent surgery, thrombosis or unexplained swelling.
Worked example
An oily-skinned client has closed comedones but no inflammation. Use a gentle gel cleanser, brief warm steam, a soft clay mask on the T-zone, oil-free moisturiser and SPF. Skip harsh scrub and aggressive extraction. Reasoning: inflammation risk is low but barrier damage is still possible; gentle methods reduce comedones without triggering redness.
Traps
- Steaming for 20 minutes to open pores.
- Massaging downwards against muscle tone.
- Using a heavy cream on oily skin.
- Skipping SPF because it is cloudy.
- Extracting inflamed lesions.