Starting the day with a full skincare routine is the beauty equivalent of making your bed. Every esthetician agrees. The one step of the beloved skincare ritual that's still up for debate is the morning cleanse. Should you cleanse with a cleanser or jus
t splash some water on your face? Let’s discuss.
One school of thought is skipping the morning cleanse would mean applying skincare on a face that isn’t clean, which means the skincare doesn’t penetrate the layers of the skin as well as it normally would. Not to mention, the potential build up of oil and sweat that could accumulate throughout the night would be sealed underneath a layer of glowy serums and SPF. Sounds like the obvious choice would be to wash your face in the morning, but it's not that simple.
Other skin professionals argue that cleansing three times a day, twice at night and once in the morning, results in the skin’s natural barrier being compromised. The skin’s barrier, also known as the acid mantle, is a combination of sweat and sebum (oil). A compromised barrier can look red, patchy, or flaky and feel very tight or even sunburnt, which is the literal opposite of what we’re trying to achieve with skincare.
So if there are professionals on both sides, that must mean it depends on the situation. Here’s a few factors to consider if you’re on the fence about the morning cleanse:
1. Your natural skin type. People with dry skin are already lacking natural oil that the skin is supposed to produce, so cleansing in the morning might be too stripping for their skin. But people with oily skin might need to cleanse in the morning to remove the excess oil that was produced overnight. Acne, rosacea, eczema, and other skin conditions can also affect the amount of oil being produced, therefore could be a factor in the decision.
2. The climate. If you’re living in Hawaii without an air conditioner, you are more likely to sweat at night and might need to wash your face twice a day. But if you’re in the desert in Utah, the drier climate is going to make your skin drier, therefore cleansing in the morning might be the step that's destroying your skin’s natural barrier.
3. The state of your bedding. (No judgment- just saying.) If you know that you haven’t washed your sheets or pillowcase in a month, it is probably a good idea to wash your face in the morning. Fabric can hold onto bacteria ridiculously well, so if you’re prone to breakouts and you’re not washing your pillowcases and sheets, the cycle of new breakouts every other week is probably going to continue
4. Your workout schedule. If you’re a 6am workout girly, then it’s not a good idea to cleanse right when you wake up, because you’ll be cleansing after the workout. But if you don’t workout until later in the day, a morning cleanse might be a good approach.
It’s worth noting that with the right skincare routine, your skin shouldn’t feel neither dry nor oily- it should feel normal. So if you’re feeling a little dry, consider skipping the morning cleanse to see if that fixes the problem. And as always, consult your esthetician that knows your skin well and trust the advice given to get you to your skin goals.
Do you cleanse in the morning?
Yes
No
コメント