You’ve heard all your life that you need to wash your face every day. So why, even after daily scrubbing, is your complexion not as bright and refreshed as you think it should be? The truth is you may not be washing your face properly.
Yes, there’s a right way to wash your face, and most of us have been doing it incorrectly. Follow our simple face washing guidelines to clean and nourish your skin in a way that gets beautiful and long-lasting results.
How Often and When?
The only hard and fast rule is that your face needs to be washed before you go to bed. This is the best time to remove all the dirt and makeup from the day and set the stage for your skin to absorb the nutrients and moisture from the rest of your skincare routine.
For most people, washing it again in the morning is a great way to start your day feeling invigorated, but a gentler cleansing is appropriate because your skin is already free of makeup.
You Can Wash Too Much
Washing twice a day is plenty – any more than that and you risk stripping your skin of its natural oils and moisture. Of course, there are exceptions. It's a good idea to remove makeup before vigorous exercise or to wash your face after a sweaty workout – just be gentle.
Picking the Right Cleanser
This is where a lot of us struggle. There are so many cleansers on the market, it can be challenging to pick the one that will truly make a difference for your skin. Our advice is to start with clean and natural ingredients.
When you use traditional products that are pumped full of chemicals, you can actually damage your skin. Clean beauty products nourish and protect while delivering noticeable results by improving the health of your skin. Avoid any products that contain sulfates, parabens, alcohol, or other chemicals.
Clean Ingredients
When you’re choosing cleansers, there are clean ingredients to look for that deliver powerhouse results:
- Alpha hydroxy acid to exfoliate and brighten
- MSM to target fine lines and discoloration by boosting collagen production
- Jojoba wax beads to exfoliate and moisturize
- Aloe vera to calm inflammation
Use Lukewarm Water
Hot water can damage your skin and strip it of its protective natural oils. Cold water doesn’t allow your pores to open, so impurities stay trapped. Find the perfect middle ground and use warm water throughout the cleansing process.
No Need for Fancy Cleansing Tools
Your best instrument for cleaning your face is your hands. Simply put a small amount of cleanser in the palm of your hand and work it up to a small lather with a bit of warm water. Starting with your forehead, work in a small circular motion moving around your eyes, down to your cheeks, nose, chin, jawline, and neck.
Rinse with warm water and pat dry – don’t rub. It’s best to have a soft towel dedicated only to your face so you aren’t accidentally introducing bacteria when you dry your skin.
Exfoliate
There are two ways to exfoliate at home: chemically or physically. Each has the same goal in mind: to remove dead skin cells, increase healthy cell turnover, and brighten your complexion.
How often you exfoliate depends on your skin’s tolerance and oil level. Someone with very dry or sensitive skin may want to exfoliate once or twice a week, while others may benefit from the process every other day.
Physical Exfoliation
This is a process of using an ingredient that abrades the skin to buff away dead skin buildup. One of the best physical exfoliators is jojoba wax beads. These tiny beads penetrate pores to dig out impurities and slough away dead skin.
They are also very nourishing and mimic skin’s natural oil so your skin will be left dewy and hydrated. We recommend using this gentle MSM exfoliating scrub a few times a week to keep your skin looking renewed and rejuvenated.
Chemical Exfoliation
This process uses ingredients that dissolve the bond between dead skin cells, allowing you to slough them away. We recommend alpha hydroxy acid (AHA) because it’s a clean ingredient that promotes quick healthy cell turnover for a bright complexion.
You can find daily cleansers with AHA that provide very gentle exfoliation each time you wash your face.
Finish with a Toner
Toners are lightweight formulas that reset your skin’s pH and tighten your freshly cleansed pores. Really great toners provide other benefits to your skin, like:
- Reducing redness
- Controlling excess oil
- Calm and reduce inflammation
This amazing toner with MSM, aloe vera gel, arnica, and witch hazel extract revitalizes your skin after cleansing so it’s perfectly ready for the nutrients and moisture of your next skincare steps.
Never Skip Moisturizer
Cleansing and moisturizing should always go hand in hand. Once you’ve removed oil, dirt, makeup, and other impurities, it’s time to replenish moisture and nourish your skin with high-quality ingredients.
Right after washing your face is the best time to get targeted results from a moisturizer. First and foremost, face cremes prevent your skin from becoming excessively dry, which can lead to other skin health issues like acne and discoloration. Certain ingredients in face cremes and moisturizers offer an array of extra benefits, like:
- Reducing the look of fine lines and wrinkles
- Evening skin tone and texture
- Reducing inflammation
- Stimulating collagen production
- Combating sun damage
- Protecting against future environmental damage
We recommend using heavier, restorative crème at night and a lighter-weight moisturizer during the day under sunscreen. Always use a specially formulated eye creme on the delicate skin under and around your eyes.
Find Your Perfect Beauty Regimen
Correctly washing your face is only the beginning of a great skincare routine – just make sure it’s a clean one. Traditional product lines, including face washes, can deposit dangerous toxins and chemicals on your skin that absorb into your body.
Because clean beauty products contain natural ingredients, you can feel good about your personal care routine while enjoying amazing benefits. A clean skin care regimen is key to keeping your complexion healthy, youthful, and glowing.