The answer, according to the experts, is a resounding yes. "You should definitely still be cleansing your skin as you normally would," said celebrity aesthetician Toska Husted.
When you return home after being outside for any reason, wash your hands then wash your face. A clean face can help keep germs away from your nose and mouth. Wash your hands before you apply any product to your face, even if you have been at home all day.
By cleansing with water only, you're less likely to over-strip the skin's natural oil and therefore reduce the risk of damaging your skin barrier. Cleansing your face with water only not only reduces the oil-stripping action but also the physical rubbing action, which would reduce irritation to the skin.
How often you wash your face can also make a difference in your appearance. But failing to cleanse your face regularly can lead to various issues like super oily skin, blemishes, and breakouts. “Not washing enough can lead to clogged pores and acne.
Regardless of whether or not you wear makeup or suffer from acne, it's important to wash your face before going to bed. Washing your face helps to: Clear pores. As you remove makeup from your skin, your pores open and your skin can finally breathe.
Both Emer and Zeichner agree that if you're only going to wash your face once a day, nighttime is the best time to do it. "Most dermatologists recommend face-washing twice daily, once in the morning and once before bed," says Zeichner.
“You should wash your face in the morning for various reasons,” she says. “Bacteria can accumulate throughout the night and, also, you should prime your skin by cleansing it for your morning skincare routine, not to mention to remove your nighttime creams and serums used the night before.”
"Some people may just not be genetically predisposed to breakouts or may produce less [oil],” says Batra. If that sounds like you, you may actually find your skin looks better when you ditch your cleanser.
Cleansing your skin and thoroughly removing makeup each night is an important part of any effective anti-aging regimen. Without cleansing, free radicals, toxins, and impurities aren't removed from your skin. For every night you don't cleanse your face, you are aging your skin by 3 months! And, it's accumulative.
There really is nothing wrong with using tap water to cleanse your skin, unless you have extremely sensitive skin. Unliked filtered water, tap water contains a variety of minerals and other substances, which could cause a skin reaction for people with sensitive skin types.
Cleansing Alone Isn't Enough for Acne
Good skin care means removing dirt, excess oil, and makeup. It can help to keep your pores from being plugged up. Still, water and a simple soap or face wash aren't enough to clear up acne. Think of your twice-daily cleansing as a first step in treating your acne.
"Life happens sometimes, so going a day without washing your face will not totally ruin your skin—but making a bad habit of not doing so most days leads to a cascade of poor outcomes in your skin health," Dr. Adeline Kikam, DO, MSc, FAAD, a board-certified dermatologist and the founder of Brown Skin Derm, says.
Washing your face several times a day can further irritate your skin, leading to more breakouts. What to do instead: Wash your face twice a day — when you wake up and before you go to bed. You'll also want to wash your face when you finish an activity that makes you sweat. Dry out your skin.
Benefits of not washing your face in the morning
My dermatologist explained to me that skipping my morning cleanse could help with my skin's dryness, as it would be one less thing stripping my skin of its natural oils (even though I was using a hydrating cleanser).
To maintain proper hygiene, a teenager should bathe daily and cleanse his or her face twice a day with soap or a facial cleanser to remove excess dirt and oil. Look for mild products that say non-comedogenic.
Your pores will appear larger and your skin will look dull and textured, instead of having a radiant, youthful glow. Cleansing helps increase hydration, remove unwanted impurities, and maintain clear, radiant skin. In fact, your skincare products work best on a clean face.
How can you tell if you're overwashing? If your skin has a "tight and dry feeling," you know you've gone overboard, says Hewett. "It can also feel sensitive or shows signs of sensitivity with reddish, dry patches."
Face creams, moisturizers, and makeup are some of the many skincare products that can give the skin a healthy-looking glow. However, healthy-looking skin can also be achieved naturally with behaviors such as getting quality sleep, exercising regularly, and eating fruits and vegetables.
However, simply leaving your face alone may not be the best skin care routine for everyone. While it is true that over-cleansing or over-exfoliating can damage the skin barrier, neglecting your skin entirely can lead to issues such as clogged pores, breakouts, and uneven texture.
Quit scratching
Dry skin, especially dry skin caused by medical conditions like eczema and psoriasis, can be itchy, tempting you to scratch. Do your best to keep your hands off and leave your skin alone.
Lukewarm water is advisable to wash your face with, but cold water has its benefits, too. Cold water tightens the appearance of your skin, so it may make you look renewed and refreshed. It also helps boost your circulation, which can help give your skin a healthier appearance, albeit temporarily.
When to wash. Rossi generally tells his patients they should wash their hair once or twice per week. But if you've had chemical treatments that can make your hair drier — such as bleach, perms or relaxers — you might want to wash it less than once weekly to avoid breaking or brittle hair or split ends, he said.