Every skin type is unique and comes with specific skin health needs. If you can pinpoint your skin type, you should be able to find skincare effective products and develop a routine that keeps skin healthy. That all starts with the most basic element – face washing. While it may seem simple, face washing is more complicated than it originally seems. How often you wash your face and what products you use will depend on your skin type, which determines whether you need a moisturizing, pore clearing, exfoliating, or other type of cleanser. How often you cleanse skin may also depend on your skin type as washing too often can dry and irritate skin, but not washing often enough creates risk for acne development and other skin health concerns. Keep reading to learn more about dermatologist recommendations for face washing based on skin type.

How Often You Wash Your Face Depends on Skin Type

When establishing a consistent morning and evening face washing routine, you should consider your skin type. Specifically, keep the following cleansing recommendations for each skin type in mind:

• • Oily skin – wash at least twice a day to control the production of natural oils and remove any excess oils or debris from skin. You should also take special care when removing cosmetic products as these can clog pores if they are trapped by excess oil. That may mean double washing at night. First, you’ll wash to remove makeup. Then, you’ll use your regular cleanser. The EltaMD Double Cleanse Daily Duo is a great option. Use just the EltaMD Foaming Facial Cleanser in the morning. At night, use the Oil-in-Gel Cleanser first to remove cosmetics and any environmental allergens or irritants from skin before finishing up with the Foaming Facial Cleanser.
• • Dry skin – you should wash dry skin at most twice a day. ALASTIN Skincare Gentle Cleanser is usually hydrating enough for morning and evening use even for those with dry skin. If you notice skin is still too dry when cleansing twice a day, you may want to limit to cleansing once each day in the morning or evening. Then, you can use a gentle toner like ZO Skin Health Calming Toner to dissolve any grime within the pores and rinse skin with warm water when you’re not cleansing.
• • Sensitive skin – those with sensitive skin should prioritize finding a cleanser that is made to be used on reactive skin. That means using a gentle cleanser with minimal ingredients and making sure to remove potential irritants from skin completely. ZO Skin Health Gentle Cleanser may be the ideal option as it’s designed to dissolve cosmetics and oils from skin without causing unnecessary skin dryness. It’s gentle, but it penetrates deep into pores for cleaner skin.
• • Combination skin – it can be difficult to find a good cleansing balance for combination skin. When parts of the skin are dry and others are oily, you may want to carefully cleanse the oily areas twice a day while avoiding dryer patches. You can also cleanse the full face twice a day but take extra care when applying moisturizer to dry areas. MD Skin Essentials Cleanse It is a gentle, pH-balancing facewash that cleans skin without stripping away essential moisture.

Other Factors That Affect Face Washing Frequency

While skin type is the main factor in determining how often you should wash your face, there are other things to consider, including:

• • Lifestyle – those who exercise frequently should wash their face more often to remove excess sweat.
• • Environment – warm and humid climates and areas with high levels of pollution may necessitate more frequent face washing. Dryer, cooler climates and higher altitudes may require less frequent washing.
• • Cosmetics – those who use makeup daily should always cleanse their skin to remove cosmetics prior to falling asleep to prevent makeup from being trapped in pores, which may lead to blemishes.

How to Effectively Wash Your Face: Step-by-Step Guide

First and foremost, choose the right cleanser before you get started. We’ve recommended some of our dermatologist’s favorite options by skin type above, but a gentle cleanser will usually do well for most skin types. If you have very oily skin, look for a gel-based cleanser. Dry skin usually does better with cream-based cleansers. If you’re just not sure which is right for you, consider consulting with a dermatologist. When you have the right cleanser and are ready to get started, follow the simple steps below that outline how to effectively wash your face:

• • Dampen face – use lukewarm water to dampen skin.
• • Gently apply facewash – use gentle, circular motions to apply facial cleanser and massage over skin to remove any dirt, grime, or impurities.
• • Rinse – using cool or lukewarm water, rinse all soap from skin fully. Ensure no soap scum is left behind as this can lead to irritation, acne breakouts, or flareups in common skin conditions.
• • Pat dry – using a clean towel, gently pat skin until dry.
• • Moisturize – it may seem counterintuitive when we’re talking about cleansing skin but moisturizing after you clean skin is essential. For dry skin, it prevents cleansers from stripping too much moisture. For oily skin, moisturizer prevents the overproduction of the body’s natural oils.

Common Face Washing Mistakes to Avoid

We’ve been through some of the most common dermatologist recommendations for a proper face washing routine but knowing what not to do can be almost as important. Below, we’ve included some of the top face washing don’ts:

• • Choosing the wrong product – even if you have oily or acne-prone skin, you should still choose a gentle facial cleanser. Harsh cleansers typically only succeed in irritating skin, and they don’t remove any more oil and grime from skin than consistently using a gentle cleanser.
• • Over-washing – washing the face too often can strip necessary oils from skin, leading to dryness and irritation. Most people keep skin clean and healthy by washing twice a day or if they have sweated excessively.
• • Using hot water – like over-washing, hot water can also strip skin’s natural oils. Instead of using hot water, stick with cool or lukewarm water.
• • Scrubbing skin – when skin is tugged or scrubbed during cleaning, it can lead to inflammation and irritation. Rather than scrubbing at skin, apply cleanser with gentle circles, rinse away soap completely with cool or lukewarm water, and pat dry.
• • Neglecting your skincare routine – cleansing is important, but it’s also essential to maintain the rest of your skincare routine, including sunscreen. Sun damage causes numerous concerns related to skin health and appearance, and applying sunscreen daily is the easiest way to prevent sun damage.

Develop Your Ideal Face Washing Routine

When it comes to optimal skincare, consistency is key. Finding the right products and maintaining the same morning and evening skincare routine can make all the difference. That starts with understanding your unique skin type, so you can choose products that address the specific concerns related to your skin type and follow a routine that fits your skin type. If you’re ever in doubt, consider consulting with a dermatologist.

Explore DermSkincare

Finding the perfect facial cleanser for your skin type or learning how to create the ideal skincare routine, DermSkincare has the high-quality skincare products you need to achieve and sustain optimal skin health. We hope you’ll explore the DermSkincare site to learn more about our dermatologist-recommended products. You can also come back regularly to read our blog where we offer skincare tips and tricks to incorporate skincare products into your routine and keep your skin glowing.