How Often Should You Wash Your Face | Face Washing 101

If you want your face to look and feel healthy, you need to learn the value of face washing. Here is everything to know about it.

In this article:

1. Why Is It Important To Wash Your Face?
2. How Many Times A Day Should You Wash Your Face?
3. Is It Possible To Wash Your Face Too Much?
4. Can You Use A Bar Of Soap On Your Face?
5. Is Washing Face With Water Enough?
6. What Can I Use To Wash My Face?
7. How Do I Choose The Right Face Wash?

The Art Of Washing Your Face | Face Washing FAQs

Why Is It Important To Wash Your Face?

With the daily grime — bacteria, viruses, dead skin cells, and pollutants — that you encounter each day, washing your face has never been more important. It is essential in maintaining healthy skin that looks radiant and fresh.

• Without face washing, the skin becomes dry and itchy. Insufficient hydration causes the skin on your face to look oily, dirty, and aged. Clogged pores can result in numerous facial problems such as breakouts, acne, and even severe eczema. In some cases, these problems can lead to more severe ones as they also become extremely itchy. Incessant scratching usually causes wounds that break the skin, which then serve as the entry points for other infections.
• Face washing removes grime build-up. It is the essential first step in any facial skincare routine as it allows all those other products to properly penetrate the skin. It also keeps your skin hydrated as it manages your face’s pH levels. This enables your skin to properly retain water and the other products you use on it.
• Face washing clears your pores of all the debris. It not only cleanses your face but also helps you maintain proper pore size and prevents the production of excess oil.

How Many Times A Day Should You Wash Your Face?

Now that you know how important face washing is, it is time to know exactly how often it should be done. A lot of you might be asking, “Should I wash my face once or twice a day?”

Skincare experts generally agree that washing your face twice a day produces the best results.

The American Academy of Dermatology recommends washing your face twice daily. According to them, washing your face upon waking up cleanses it of the dead skin cells that accumulated overnight. Washing it at night, after your daily commute or a sweaty workout, clears it of accumulated oil, sweat, and dirt.

If you really cannot squeeze in a face wash twice a day, it is best to do it at night. The effects of all those pollutants that your skin has been exposed to are a lot worse than the effects of dead skin cells on it.

Additionally, people who suffer from oily skin and combination-type skin may benefit from washing their faces more often than those who suffer from dry skin. Pores tend to trap oil in them, holding dirt, too. Washing twice daily allows the skin to get rid of that oil and prevents breakouts.

Meanwhile, those with dry skin may choose to wash their faces only once. Excessive washing tends to strip the skin of the already-sparse sebum. The skin produces a natural oil called sebum that serves as its protection from harmful agents like pollutants and bacteria. Too much of it can lead to oily skin and acne. Too little might lead to dry and cracked skin.

Is It Possible To Wash Your Face Too Much?

Face washing is a good thing. However, as with anything, too much of a good thing can be bad.

As we previously discussed, experts generally recommend washing your face twice daily. Washing your face too much may irritate the skin. It may dry it out and force the skin to produce extra oil. This, in turn, may end up trapping more oil. The skin becomes dry, itchy, and red, which may lead to acne.

Can You Use A Bar Of Soap On Your Face?

According to dermatologists, using a bar of soap on your skin isn’t an option if you want to take good care of your face.

Skincare experts at Mount Nittany Physician Group say that traditional bar soaps have a very high pH level which is not suitable for facial skin. Not only do they dry the skin, but also they also strip it of its natural oils. This, then, may lead to tightness and dehydration. As a result, oil glands are triggered to work harder to produce more sebum, which results in clogged pores and acne.

Is Washing the Face With Water Enough?

While there seems to be a growing belief in washing your face only with water, this alone may not get the job done completely. Water may not be enough to slough away dead skin cells that have accumulated on the surface.

What Can I Use To Wash My Face?

Multiple studies have shown that there are appropriate facial cleansers for each skin type. Depending on your own type of skin, you may choose from a wide range of skincare products for acne, oily, dry, sensitive, or combination skin.

How Do I Choose The Right Face Wash?

Choosing the right face wash can be terribly confusing for a lot of people. There are cream-based ones and gel-type ones, those with scrubs and those without, and all those other labels we see everywhere. With that being said, how do we choose the right face wash?
If you are a bit more meticulous, you first need to know your skin type. Are you dry-skinned? Oily? Combination type? From there, you’ll have a better idea what to pick.

• Dry-skinned people may benefit well from cleansers with low alcohol content and cream-based cleansers.
• Oily-skinned people may want to look for cleansers with low pH levels and gel or foam cleansers
• Those with extremely sensitive skins may try milder cleansers that have as little additives as possible.
• If you work out or sweat a lot, you may try looking for products that unclog your pores.
• Those who put on makeup may pick facial cleansers that target removal.
• Those with sensitive skin or with allergies to synthetic ingredients may benefit more from natural cleansers.

Generally, though, you may try to pick a cleanser with a balanced pH that is neither too mild nor too harsh on the skin. Take your time to compare these products and see what is best for you.

Want to know how to properly wash your face? Erica Fernandes teaches us how:

Face washing is an art. Its value cannot be said enough. If you want to maintain healthy and radiant-looking skin, make it a habit to wash your face every day.
Do you have other questions about face washing? Ask them in the comments section below!

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