How to Remove Dirt from Skin? 11 Easy Steps

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The skin is our largest organ and plays an essential role in maintaining our health. It’s our first line of defense against injuries and disease. It also helps control our body temperature. So it is crucial to keep our skin in great condition to maintain our overall health.

To prevent skin problems such as acne breakouts and dry skin, you need to ensure that your skin is free of dirt. How to remove dirt from skin? Here are our 11 top steps:

  1. Cleaning properly
  2. Find the right soap 
  3. Consider your water temperature
  4. Regularly clean your towel
  5. Avoid harsh towel drying
  6. Do not forget to moisturize
  7. Consider switching to organic or natural products for the skin
  8. Oil cleansing
  9. Get rid of your dead skin cells by brushing
  10. Get an oil massage
  11. Understand why your skin is getting dirty

Our skin comes in contact with a lot of dirt, impurities, pollution, and other toxins every day, whether we’re outdoors or indoors. These impurities, whether airborne or from our fingers, or a dirty towel, etc., accumulate on the skin and in the pores.

Learning the proper bathing techniques and choosing the right skincare and hygiene products that can penetrate deep into your skin will really help remove the dirt.

Read on to learn more about how to remove dirt from skin, including our top 11 tips.

Also, for an excellent pore minimizer, take a look at our top pick, the VENeffect Pore Minimizing Cleanser:

Click here to see it on Amazon.

How to Remove Dirt from Skin?

how to remove dirt from skin

We all hate that dirt on our skin that won’t wash away. You may have seen yourself at some point asking why your skin looks a bit dirty even if you’ve already taken a bath or cleansed your face. 

Many factors, such as the build-up of creams, oils, make-up, dirt, and smog, can hinder your skin’s natural glow. As a result, you’ll have dry and dull skin. 

Fortunately, you can prevent it from becoming worse and even reverse it with the following:

1. Cleaning Properly

You’ve likely been washing your skin to clean it from the dirt and debris built up from the day, but to really ensure it is clean, you have to clean it properly.

There are many products for the skin out there, like soaps, scrubs, and cleaning agents, to get rid of dirt and debris from your skin. But once you know your areas of concern, you need to go back to the basics. 

When you’re taking a bath, the basic things that need cleaning are the following:

  • Dirt and debris. Dirt seems to cling to our skin and just won’t let go. You can even get dirty even if the room you’re sitting in is clean.
  • Dead skin cells. Keep in mind that we’re always shedding our skin. Every minute we’re leaving a part of us in our surroundings.
  • Body oils. We have body oil both under and on the surface of our skin. If our skin secrets too much oil, it will clog our pores and can cause inflammation.

2. Find the Right Soap 

When shopping for a good soap, you need to look out for these features:

  • Effective at eliminating dirt, of course.
  • Rinses it away without leaving your skin with any film behind. 
  • Can penetrate through grease and oil.

If you have flaky or dry skin, consider using a medicated soap. Or you may look for skincare products with natural ingredients to achieve optimal results.

I’m a big fan of the PVENeffect Pore Minimizing Cleanser, as it is packed with natural ingredients to gently yet effectively cleanse your face. It is a balanced cleanser with natural extracts to easily and gently remove dirt, grime, as well as excess sebum and oil.

Click here to see it on Amazon.

3. Consider Your Water Temperature

Take a warm bath or shower for deep cleaning. A cold shower or bath will not be able to touch the oils beneath your skin. What you want is to open up your pores to eject or secrete their contents, which will clean them all out. 

Oil accumulation is one of the main causes of acne. And heat is the best way of opening up your pores. However, make sure not to go too hot, especially if your skin is on the dry side.

Your skin will dry out if the water is about 49C or 120F, and at worst, it may lead to long-term skin concerns. So it’s best to shower with warm water that will not burn your skin.

Additionally, you may want to end your shower by rinsing with cool to cold water from your faucet for about a minute or two. The extra step can help tighten your skin and close your pores. As a result, the grime and dirt you just washed off will not get trapped again in your skin and pores.

4. Regularly Clean Your Towel

How long has it been since you washed or replaced your towel? Does it have a musty smell to it? Towels tend to accumulate the remaining oils and dead skin cells from poor cleaning. Regularly washing your towel and storing it properly can help keep your skin as dirt-free as possible. 

5. Avoid Harsh Towel Drying

You’re usually shivering after a long, relaxing shower. As a result, you tend to rub your towel against your skin quickly to dry off. That kind of friction is bad for your skin. If you’re in a hurry for an air dry, gently pat dry your skin with a clean, soft towel.

6. Do Not Forget to Moisturize

Keep your skin healthy by applying moisturizer after every shower or bath. You also need to moisturize your skin regularly even when it’s dry to ensure your skin is hydrated at all times. Doing this locks in your skin’s moisture to prevent it from getting too dry and dirty. 

Choose a lightweight moisturizer with added vitamins like the Malin + Goetz Vitamin E Face Moisturizer:

Click here to see it on Amazon.

7. Consider Switching to Organic or Natural Products for the Skin

Using products containing a lot of harsh chemicals and toxins can affect the ability of your skin to regulate on its own. You may also want to consider DIY products for removing the dirt on your skin. You can achieve naturally clear skin using homemade facial scrubs. 

Keep in mind that there are off-the-counter products that may do more harm to your skin than get rid of dirt. So make sure to check the ingredients and do a bit of research online before purchasing the item you’re eyeing. Reading online reviews will also help you a lot. 

If you do want to go organic, my favorite organic product is DONGINBI Korean Skin Care 1899 Signature Oil.

Click here to see it on Amazon.

This oil feels nourishing on the skin. It absorbs quickly, unlike other oils, and doesn’t leave a shine. You can use this oil when cleaning your face to help rid it of dirt and leave it feeling silky smooth.

8. Oil Cleansing

You can also try using cleansing oils, which can trap dead skin cells and dirt. You can rinse them out of your body without disturbing the oil barrier already in your skin. Apply the oil cleanser before you enter the shower. 

Look for an oil-based cleanser that provides a light lather when it gets wet. That way, you will be able to rinse it easily without leaving your skin with a residue or causing damage.

A very effective way to get rid of dirt and dead skin cells from the surface of your skin is by dry brushing. Additionally, it can also promote healthy oil production. 

9. Get Rid of Your Dead Skin Cells by Brushing

Dry brushing is where you brush your skin when it’s dry using a natural fiber brush. While you’re moving the bristles, it will remove dirt and exfoliate your skin.

Some studies even suggest that the process can encourage lymphatic drainage, which means that it will not only detox your skin but your entire body as well.

10. Get an Oil Massage 

Aside from relaxing, an oil massage can also help clean your skin and remove accumulated dirt on the folds of your skin. Simply massage warm oil on any areas of your body filled with dirt and leave for at least 20 minutes. Then, take a warm bath or shower to scrub all the dirt out.

Dirt on the surface of your skin has some sort of cohesive strength that when they combine the oils in your skin, they manage to stick. Because of this, even the dust that accumulates on your skin will ultimately appear like oily mud.

11. Understand Why Your Skin Is Getting Dirty

During the day and night, our body secretes sweat and oil, which makes it dirty. You can remove these body secretions and the dirt that mixes with them using a compound that can break down the oils. This will cause them to become more soluble, thus, making them easy to remove. 

Parts of Your Body That You May Overlook When Washing

You may think that taking a bath or shower is enough to keep your entire body clean. However, there are certain body parts that we tend to overlook when removing dirt from our bodies. What are they? Read on to find out.

  • Elbow: Does the skin of your elbow look a bit drier and darker than the rest of your body? The reason for this is dead skin buildup, which you can easily get rid of by exfoliation and applying a moisturizer afterward.
  • Back of your neck: It’s common to focus on washing the front of the next, but don’t forget the back of the neck! That part of your body is usually exposed to sweat, as well as chemicals and environmental pollutants. You can get rid of the dirt by applying soap at the back and front of your neck from top to bottom and vice-versa. Exfoliate dead skin with the help of a loofah.
  • Knees: Not exfoliating your knees can result in them being darker than the rest of your legs. Not giving attention to the back of your knees will also result in sweat and dirt accumulation. Like with your elbows, remove dirt on your knees by applying soap and scrubbing with your loofah, and moisturize them.
  • Back: Want a flawless, acne-free back? Simply scrub it properly using a loofah with soap or body wash to remove sweat and dirt. And then apply baby oil to get rid of uneven tone and black spots.

Conclusion – How to Remove Dirt from Skin?

How to remove dirt from skin? Here are our top 11 steps:

  1. Cleaning properly
  2. Find the right soap 
  3. Consider your water temperature
  4. Regularly clean your towel
  5. Avoid harsh towel drying
  6. Do not forget to moisturize
  7. Consider switching to organic or natural products for the skin
  8. Oil cleansing
  9. Get rid of your dead skin cells by brushing
  10. Get an oil massage
  11. Understand why your skin is getting dirty

Starting with the basics and knowing what’s causing the dirt on your skin can help keep your skin not only dirt-free but healthy overall as well.