Whatever happened to flannels?

As children grow older one of the first steps to being independent is learning how to keep yourself clean.

From brushing your teeth, to combing your hair- the bathroom routine is important.

For me this began with a little purple flannel, which I would wet with warm water and use a little soap to scrub my face and leave me feeling clean and fresh.

But while I still use a flannel as part of my daily routine now, it seems that this simple piece of towel has fallen out of favour with us Brits.

New stats from Debenhams show that sales of flannels have been dropping by six per cent a year, something they’re looking to change.

Supporting the new campaign, beauty industry expert Caroline Hirons recommends that flannels are “far more effective in removing makeup, dirt and grime than a muslin cloth, due to their weight, size and most importantly, their ability to retain heat for longer”.

Looking back over generations, everyone in my family seemed to use flannels, although this was before the invention of the makeup wipe.

Makeup remover wipes are a pet peeve of mine, as I still want to wash my face after using them, especially when I can see that they haven’t managed to remove all my makeup.

Wipes can be great for experiences like camping but if you’ve access to a sink then a flannel face wash can be a lot more invigorating, I find, but each to their own I guess!

Flannels certainly help me to cut back on my spending, and the fact that they don’t contain any chemicals means they don’t irritate my skin like some of the wet wipes I’ve tried.

It may not seem like the most important issue, but I guess I’m a bit of a traditionalist when it comes to beauty – especially when it can save me a bit of cash.

Are you a fellow flannel fan? What do you make of the decline?

Posted by Margo Hunter