Tips when washing your face

If you have dry or sensitive skin, for instance, you may want to use micellar water or a gentle cleanser in the morning.

If your skin is really sensitive, it might be a good idea to swap your morning cleanser for a water-only rinse. But make sure to keep the evening a moment where you really cleanse your face. This is because people with extremely dry or sensitive skin may find that washing twice a day with a cleanser irritates or overly dries their skin. But if you do pare down to just water in the morning, dermatologists still recommend using a gentle cleanser in the evening to wash off oil, residue, and anything else that has accumulated during the day.

Here are more dermatologist-approved tips for how to wash your face to help you achieve your best, brightest, and cleanest skin ever. What is a cleanser? If your skin tends to be dry or sensitive , a gentle or creamy cleanser is the best bet.

Those with oily skin are able to use gel or foamy cleansers. And for people with normal skin, a water-based cleanser will work well. You can also try using something like a cleansing oil or balm, which tend to be more moisturizing than traditional cleansers and are able to cut through thicker makeup and sunscreens.

But these harsh cleansers can strip the natural hydrators from the skin, which can leave your face vulnerable to inflammation and dry skin, Dr. Instead, he recommends using gentle cleansers that respect the delicate balance of your skin.

It may seem like using a scrubby exfoliant is an easy way to knock out two skin-care steps in one. Both chemical exfoliants like salicylic acid and glycolic acid and physical exfoliants like scrubs and motorized brushes can be very effective at removing dead skin cells, dirt, and other gunk that can clog pores.

Zeichner explains. But when overused, they can actually disrupt the delicate skin barrier that keeps your face hydrated and protected, causing irritated, flaky, dry skin.

So, most of us should not exfoliate more than a few times per week. And those with sensitive or dry skin may only want to exfoliate once or twice a month. Ideally you should be washing your face twice a day once in the morning and once at night , as well as after workouts or any other excessive sweating. The timing of your skin-care steps—especially moisturizing—can make a big difference in how effective they are.

Most moisturizers contain both humectant ingredients which draw water into the skin and occlusive ingredients which help seal that hydration into the skin.

So, applying your moisturizer while your skin is still a bit damp from cleansing—not fully wet—helps keep even more of that moisture in. If you have acne, you still need to moisturize, by the way— just make sure to find a dermatologist-approved moisturizer for acne-prone skin.

Of course, that might be a little bit difficult if you have a few other steps in between cleansing and moisturizing. And, remember that you should always be wearing a daily sunscreen with broad spectrum protection and at least SPF Rather than scrubbing vigorously for 20 seconds, spend a full minute gently massaging your face in circular motions.

This stimulates your lymphatic system, which encourages oxygen and blood circulation. But your neck should be included in every step of your routine, starting with cleansing. Make sure your face wash reaches all the way up to your hairline another commonly neglected spot , or you could start to see breakouts forming there. Because the skin on your face is so delicate, take extra care to pat it dry with a soft towel. Towels you use to dry your hair and body could have pore-clogging residue from your shower products on them.

Every second your skin is left bare, dry air is pulling moisture right out of it. To sidestep unnecessary dehydration, apply the first layer of your skincare regimen within one minute of drying off. The usual protest against this sage guidance is that in the mornings, your skin is still clean from the night before. Wash your face in the morning to remove all that waste and secure better performance from your daytime products.

CRC Press; A comparative study of the effects on the skin of a classical bar soap and a syndet cleansing bar in normal use conditions and in the soap chamber test. Skin Res Technol. Thank you [email] for signing up. Please enter a valid email address. Your Privacy Rights. To change or withdraw your consent choices for Byrdie.

At any time, you can update your settings through the "EU Privacy" link at the bottom of any page. These choices will be signaled globally to our partners and will not affect browsing data. We and our partners process data to: Actively scan device characteristics for identification. I Accept Show Purposes. Try to exfoliate times a week. It helps remove any dead skin cells and helps your skin to absorb any products you put onto it.

If you use an exfoliator with beads in it, do it before your cleanse - the cleanser will help remove the beads wash your fresh skin. The final stage of any good cleansing routine should be using a serum to restore the acidic pH of the skin to help balance the bacterial flora on the skin surface , and to deliver acid-pH antioxidants such as vitamin C and AHAs to the skin surface.

Why you need micellar water in your skincare routine and which one to pick. Gallery 11 Photos. View Gallery. The best face exfoliators for a bright, glowy, healthy complexion.