Can Washing Your Face A Lot Make Things Worse?

When your skin is oily or breaking out, you might think that you can reverse the problem by simply washing your face more frequently, but it turns out that washing your skin too often is just as bad as not washing your face, but for different reasons. When you overwash your face, you are stripping the good oils that are produced by your skin, which can make your skin too dry and cause it to overproduce oil, according to About Style. In addition to drying out your face, washing your face repeatedly can irritate your skin, especially if you are using an exfoliating wash or a device with a rotating brush.

Gentle cleansers are best, but if you have acne, you can use one formulated to help with acne, although you should be careful, since the acne fighting ingredients are often irritating and drying.

Dermatologist recommendations vary from person to person, but generally speaking, you should wash your skin one to two times a day, according to Vogue, one of which should be before bed. When you wake up in the morning, your skin will be pretty clean, but at night, you need to wash off not only the makeup that you applied directly to your pores, but also the sweat, pollution, dirt and other grossness that your skin was exposed to throughout the day.

CeraVe Hydrating Cleanser, $9, Amazon

Generally speaking, you know you are over-cleansing your face if your skin feels tight after you wash it. This is a sure sign that all of the good moisturizing oils from your skin have been removed. So save your skin by only washing it once or twice a day with a gentle cleanser, and keep it moisturized with lotion or face oil, even if your skin is naturally oily.

Neutrogena Oil-Free Moisture For Sensitive Skin, $9, Amazon

Happy cleansing!

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Images: JaclynHIll/YouTube, Amazon (2)