The 60-second cleansing rule you should apply

“Wash your face for a full 60 seconds! (Hum the Fresh Prince theme song to keep time.) Let the ingredients get a chance to do their thing.” This was a tweet by Esthetician Nayamka ‘Nai’ Roberts-Smith who specializes in treating skin of colour that went viral, prompting people to try out this new skin-care routine.

The routine, unlike others, is simple, comprising one step only and involves one product. There are also no tools or gadgets involved, making the routine even cheaper.

In a YouTube tutorial titled ‘The PROFESSIONAL skincare tip that will CHANGE your skincare routine FOREVER #60SecondRule,’ she explains that she developed the 60 second rule to help clients get the most out of their expensive cleansers.

Following the tweet, Mr Kitty @pindycineda, one of her 55,000 Twitter followers asked her to explain the 60 seconds and why it was beneficial. “Cleansing your face (with your fingers) for 60 seconds allows the ingredients in the cleanser to actually work.” She maintains that most people wash their face for just 15 seconds — which isn’t quite effective. “The 60 second rule softens the skin and dissolves sebum and blockages better. It also improves texture and overall evenness of skin.”

Besides giving a chance to your cleanser to break down and dissolve the makeup, dirt, oil and other gunk – which are a lot more difficult to remove from skin than most people realise –, the 60 seconds also makes you pay attention to your skin and what you’re doing – like remembering to cleanse around the edges of your nose, under your chin, and around your hairline.”

Nai insists that if you feel like 60 seconds is too long a period to have a cleanser on, because you risk drying out or irritating your skin, then the problem lies with your cleanser.

She further specifies that the rule should be applied in the morning and at night.

Her reservation towards using tools and gadgets like cleansing brushes stems from the fact that the area around your eye is too sensitive for gadgets.

This apparent game-changing rule has earned a cult-like following on Twitter under the hashtag #60secondrule with its devotees swearing by it even as they post before and after pictures.

“I’ve been doing this for about a month now and I have noticed the following: no more forehead bumps, softer skin texture, significant decrease in pimples, and a definite glow!” attested one follower.

Even Cosmopolitan’s beauty editor, Chloe Metzger applied the rule for two weeks, every night, and by the end of it, “I can honestly say my face looked a bit calmer, less red, and brighter. No, my skin wasn’t radically transformed, but I definitely saw a difference. And for $0 extra dollars and 50 extra seconds? Uh, yeah, I’ll take it.”

Even I applied the rule, with not much success at first due to the over drying effect of my then cleanser. Now I use the Clinique rinse-off foaming cleanser mousse at night, as that’s the only time I was my face. This cleanser is foamy and just a little bit of it goes a long way.