How Often Should You Wash Your Face?
Any good skincare routine, especially for your face, will involve regular washing to get rid of bacteria and dirt. However, many folks also know that washing your face too much can lead to skin dryness, breakouts, and other problems.
So, just how often should you wash your face? Let’s answer this question and more by examining how face washing affects your skin and what you should do depending on your skin type.
The Twice a Day Rule
A good rule of thumb for a cleansing routine is to wash your face about twice a day: once in the morning and once in the evening.
By washing your face twice per day, you rinse away dead skin cells and oil that builds up during the night. At night, your body releases melatonin and generates facial oil to repair daily damage. That oil and dirt could be rubbed into skin pores, especially if you sleep in a position where your face makes contact with your pillow all night.
While you could theoretically clean your face twice per day at different times, it won’t be as effective as if you clean your face after waking up and before bed. Plus, rinsing your face right after you get out of bed is a great way to wake yourself up for the day’s activities.
Washing your face only twice per day also prevents you from over-cleansing. When you wash your face too often, you may experience a number of side effects, including:
- Outbreaks or oiliness. If you wash your face too often, you risk washing away too much sebum: a natural oil your body produces to keep your skin moisturized and protected. In response, your skin may produce extra sebum to compensate, which can clog your pores. This, in turn, can lead to blemishes.
- Dry skin. If you over-cleanse your face and strip away the natural oils, you may end up with dehydrated skin.
Bottom line: wash your face twice per day unless otherwise directed by your aesthetician or skincare professional.
What if You Have a Specific Skin Type?
Alternatively, you can take up a face-washing routine based on your specific skin type.
Oily Skin
If you have oily skin, you should probably wash your face twice daily. Washing your face regularly may rinse away excess oil and prevent it from clogging your skin’s pores.
However, be sure not to over-cleanse your face or exfoliate excessively. Doing so may cause skin sensitivity and irritation. Use a quality toner alongside your cleanser to dig deep and clear your pores.
Acne-Prone Skin
If you have acne-prone skin, it's still wise to only wash your skin twice per day. Why? Over-washing your skin could cause excess sebum production from your skin pores.
If you can’t seem to stop blemishes from appearing or get rid of extra oil, you might want to wash your face with a special cleansing agent that can neutralize oil and help clear your pores (without going overboard, of course).
Dry Skin
If you have dry skin, you might wash your face only once per day: right before bed. If you have dry skin, you need as much sebum as your skin can produce, especially if you don’t use a regular moisturizer. The sebum can trap in hydration and prevent your skin from drying out.
However, we recommend that you experiment with face washing routines to discover what works best for your skin. For example, try washing your skin once per day and see if your skin becomes overly dry or if it feels fine. Then increase the frequency to twice per day and give your skin time to adjust.
Sensitive Skin
Folks with sensitive skin should also wash their face once or twice daily. Start with twice per day and see if that exacerbates your sensitive skin issues, making your skin turn raw or inflamed. If no irritation occurs, stick with twice per day, but don’t feel bad about going down to once per day if this is better suited for your skin.
Furthermore, you should use a skincare serum if you have sensitive skin. Skincare serums can give your skin cells what they need to regenerate and revitalize themselves healthily, which may limit or reduce the irritation you experience.
What if You Wear Makeup?
Washing your face is of crucial importance if you wear makeup. Makeup can clog the pores of your skin, causing sebum build-up, acne outbreaks, and more if you don't wash it away at least once per day.
That said, you might still consider washing your face twice per day by adding a morning session.
Some cleansers are dual-action, meaning they work to remove makeup while also clearing pores and rinsing away impurities.
How Often Should You Use Facial Cleansing Products?
While rinsing your face with water is ideal, you may also wish to use a dedicated cleanser. Different cleaning products should be used at different frequencies for your skin to avoid doing harm to your skin or stripping it of vital hydration:
- Facial cleansers can be used twice per day if used in moderation. Gentle cleansers should form the backbone of your facial skincare routine, as they help clear impurities and sweat and remove makeup.
- Exfoliation products, whether physical or chemical, should generally only be used once every few days. You should not use exfoliation products once every day, let alone twice per day.
- If you use a facial toner, you should only use this once per day rather than twice per day. Apply toner at night before you go to bed to clear away extra dirt and debris from your pores.
The right skincare routine will do a lot to minimize oiliness and acne while keeping your skin fresh, hydrated, and looking as good as ever.
Summary
As you can see, washing your face about twice per day is usually ideal. That’s regular enough to get rid of dirt and debris without irritating your skin’s pores or causing acne flareups. Keep your specific skin type in mind so you can moderate accordingly.
Of course, your skin might see healthier activity in general if you maintain a great diet and give your body everything it needs to succeed. Supplements like Hope Health’s Organic Immunity Tablets come packed with helpful ingredients like vitamin C, moringa, and Elderberry, which may help balance your skin microbiome.
Try this supplement out today, and check out the rest of our online store for more options!
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