How to Really Wash Your Face

Washing your face, sounds easy right? Well, this step is fundamental for the skincare routine so doing it correct is crucial! It may seem pretty basic, but believe it or not, it’s one of the most important parts of skincare. That being said, a proper method is needed to maintain a healthy glowing skin.

Why do we need to wash our face?

During the day, our face is exposed to a lot of external aggressors such as pollution, UV rays, dirt as well as smoke. Not to mention the thick layer of sunscreen, makeup, sebum, sweat and bacteria covering the surface of our face. Even when we are sleeping, there are buildups of bacteria and dead skin cells. All of these can potentially cause skin problems in the future, such as breakouts, premature aging, irritation and so on. We know, what a nightmare! That’s why face-washing is important. It serves as the foundation of your entire skincare routine. We wash our face in order to remove every last trace of unwanted dirt and grime off of our face. By doing so, we prepare our skin to have better absorption of the next skincare product in our routine for maximum effect!

How often should we wash our face?

As a general rule of thumb, it is recommended to wash our face twice daily, once in the morning and once in the evening. However, there’s nothing wrong with creating your own rules since no one knows your skin better than yourself. It totally depends on your skin type and what works for you.

Some people with extremely dry or sensitive skin prefer to wash their face once a day by skipping morning cleanse and just rinsing their face with water only, which is totally fine. On a day when you do an intense workout or sweat a lot, washing your face for the third time that day is acceptable too, as long as you apply moisturizer afterwards to make sure your skin stays hydrated.

If you want to cleanse your face in the morning but concerned about the possibility of it getting irritated or you’re just too lazy to spend your time washing your face to get extra sleep or when you need to wash your face more than the recommended amount, you can try swiping your face with micellar water as an alternative since it tends to be very gentle on the skin and doesn’t require rinsing.

A little reminder: even though you get to decide your own skincare routine, we highly advise never skipping washing in the evening before going to bed!

How to wash our face properly?

Choose the right cleanser

First things first, it is important to choose the right face wash. Look for a cleansing product that is specially formulated for your specific skin type or skin concern. If you’re not sure where to get started, we have a whole other post dedicated to breaking down different types of cleansers!

Start with clean hands

While our hands may not look dirty, we still need to give them a good wash with soap and water before touching our face.

Use lukewarm or cool water

The temperature of water matters. Avoid using hot water to rinse your face because it can do more harm than good. Hot water will strip the skin of its natural oil. Instead, use lukewarm or cool water. And another friendly reminder: switching water temperature from hot to cold when washing the face won’t affect the size of pores. Check out our Myth vs Fact on pores to see why this skincare myth is debunked.

Wash your face gently

Splash your face with water and apply a small amount of cleanser with your fingertips. Rub hands together to lather. Using a gentle circular motion, massage the cleanser into your skin for 30-60 seconds with light pressure, allowing the ingredients to work their magic and properly cleanse our skin. Then, rinse thoroughly.

Pat, pat, pat

Our skin is delicate, so be sure to gently pat the face, NOT rub, with a soft clean towel. Leave your skin a little bit moist and damp, then carry on with your next skincare products to allow better absorption, maximizing the effects of the active ingredients.

Be Clean on Picky!

Need help finding the right cleanser for you? Picky Match can help highlight possible cleansers best fit for your skin type and concerns! You can also check detailed reviews and discussions about each product and see what the Picky community has to say. So don’t hesitate and hurry on over to the Picky app now to get started. Don’t forget to follow us on Instagram and subscribe to our YouTube channel for more fun skincare science content!

Created With

Dr. Stella
Dermatologist
@stellamarselie