Not washing your face to clear acne – does it work?

Do we really need all these skincare products? Does not washing your face to clear your acne really work?

If you cut out facial cleansers from your skincare routine and use water only to wash your face your skin can balance itself and your acne will clear up. If you have naturally oily skin and your skin does not regulate sebum well then you will need to wash your face if you have acne.

It seems like the polar opposite of what a person should do. After years of beauty magazines, dermatologists and moms telling us to wash our face to get clear skin this idea seems out of place

There are various tricks that claim to eliminate acne from the skin.  I’m one to stick to my skincare routine. I’ve tested and tried it before and it’s a good long term option that has been able to keep my skin clear. I wanted to look deeper into the idea that not washing your face can clear up acne.

Water only face wash method

This method entails only using water to clean your face, no face washes, no scrubs no serums or essences on your face. Doing the water only method gives you a break from all the products you use, some people do it out of desperation because nothing else seems to be working, and honestly, I get it.

Regardless of what your reasoning for doing this method is, the results can be spectacularly amazing or horrifying. This process entails using just water and rinsing your face off when you feel the need to. Or if you want routine, you can water wash in the morning and night.

Washing face with only water benefits

Washing your face with only water comes with the benefit of allowing the skin to regulate itself, something out skin can’t do well with all the products we use.

As the skin regulates itself it begins to flush out toxins, keep beneficial bacteria on our skin, kill off harmful bacteria and regulate its sebum levels (sebum is the natural oil created by the skin in an effort to moisturise itself).

It’s a quick, easy simple process that can do you some good if you try out. It takes away the chore of layering many products on and hoping that they work together.

It’s not all that new:

There is actually a good number of people who do this. They steer clear of facial cleansers, soaps, and face masks. In place of all this, they splash water on their faces daily. They might use rose water here and there but the whole long routing thing is non-existent in their life.

The women say that they have clear, acne-free, blemish-free skin. Their skin looks amazing and their complexions are beautiful and they do indeed have blemish-free and dewy skin.

This can be because of a variety of reasons. This can include genetics, age, skin type, hormone levels, your environment as well as your activity levels.

There are places in the world where people have no running water or access to the plethora of skin products that we have access to and use on a daily basis.

You will find that these women’s skin routine is much simpler or even non-existent. They still have the beautiful skin that we desire to have. Healthy skin has to do with more than just washing your face (click to see how else). We are all different so our skin needs will be different too.

What dermatologist’s say:

We all know that over-washing your face can have negative effects on it. From drying out the skin to causing irritation and even creating more acne. This is because when you wash your face, especially with products that are too harsh, you end up stripping your skin of its natural oil layer. This oil layer is made up of proteins and fats that your skin needs to stay supple, healthy and happy.

In addition, the oil layer is also helpful in protecting your skin from external environmental irritants. Leaving the skin alone will prevent the damage that over-washing can have on the skin. This also allows the good bacteria on the skin to keep your skin healthy on its own.

That being said if you don’t wash your face and your skin doesn’t regulate itself, especially if you have oily skin, you can end up with build-up from the pollution of the day and there are other negative effects of this as well. This pollution will sit on your skin combining with the sebum on your face and causing breakouts on the skin.

What about makeup?

I don’t recommend this if you wear makeup on a regular basis. Makeup can contain a list of ingredients that will clog up your pores. These ingredients can also have a variety of other negative effects on your skin. This is the reason everyone advises to wash your makeup before bed.

If you don’t wash your face and try to use a toner or makeup wipe then this will not be sufficient. Makeup needs various stages of removal to come off your face.

To the naked eye, your skin might be clean after using makeup wipes but if you check you will realize that the makeup will still be on even after using a cleanser. This is why it is important to use a cleansing oil then a gel cleanser and a toner to remove it all. This is a great cleansing oil you can use. Read more about oil cleansing here.

Something to consider:

  • Its non-drying: If you decide to not wash your face with products your skin can’t get dried out, it will retain the moisture levels on the skin.
  • Over-exfoliating won’t be a thing: When you don’t exfoliate your skin you won’t run the risk of over-exfoliating and damaging the skins natural barrier. Thus your skin will be protected from environmental irritants.
  • Your skin needs a rest: All these products on your skin might not doing that much good for your skin. The act of stripping the oils off your skin just to reapply oils from products is counter-intuitive. You need to let the skin do what it’s designed to do and fend for itself sometimes.

How many times should I wash my face if I have acne?

If you have acne and you choose to use facial products and face washes then you can wash your face twice a day as long as your products are gentle and don’t dry or strip your skin. You shouldn’t be over-washing your face as this can cause irritation on your face and can even wind up causing dryness.

If your skin gets dry then the skin will try to overcompensate by producing excess sebum to try to moisture itself. This will result in more acne because the excess sebum will mix in with the dead skin cells on your skin as well as the acne-causing bacteria, clog your pores and create pimples.

How long should you wash your face?

To make sure your products get an adequate chance to properly work on your skin and do their job you need to wash your face for 60 seconds. Washing for this long really helps to get the product into your skin and into your pores. Massage gently and in circular motions for the best result.

Why not wash your face in the shower?

Washing your face in the shower seems like a good idea right? You can wash your body and your face in one go without having to move to the sink, quick and simple right?

Unfortunately, washing your face in the shower is not a good idea. The temperature of the shower is too hot for the skin on your face. The skin on your body is not as sensitive as the skin on your face. Using hot water on your face will dry out your skin and strip your face of its natural oils.

In addition, I’m sure you don’t want a shower of cold water on your whole body after you’ve cleaned your body. You may, on the other hand, want a cold splash on your face after you’ve cleansed your face as it can improve your circulation.

How can I get clear skin fast? How can I clear up my skin overnight?

If you have a couple of pimples that you need to be cleared up in a hurry then I recommend you use the Mario Badescu Drying Lotion. If you’re into skincare then you know about this simple little product, you also know about all the rave reviews about this product.

It helps you get rid of your pimple over right. The product is simple and easy to use. Simply dip a q-tip in the bottle getting to both liquids and apply it on your pimple, in the morning your pimple would have greatly reduced if not disappeared. It will dry out your blemishes, keep your skins oil levels balanced and keep acne-causing bacteria at bay.

What is the best face wash for acne?

If you have acne you need a product that will gently break up and clear out the acne on your skin while also being able to prevent new acne from forming. You’ll also need a product that gently cleanses while hydrating as well.

The best face wash for acne is the CeraVe Acne Foaming Cream Cleanser Acne Treatment Face Wash. This product contains benzoyl peroxide, salicylic acid, niacinamide, hyaluronic acid and essential ceramides. Benzoyl peroxide and salicylic acid are the acne-fighting ingredients.

Benzoyl peroxide kills off any acne-causing bacteria on your skin, eliminating current acne-causing bacteria in the pimples and preventing new acne-causing bacteria from settling on your face.

Salicylic acid is a chemical exfoliator that breaks up the bonds between the dead skin cells stuck in your pores. It also removes dirt, bacteria and dead skin cells on the skin.

Hyaluronic acid will keep your skin hydrated and avoid the issue of dry skin which has a negative effect on the health of your face and your acne.

Ceramides maintain your skins natural protective moisture barrier, keeping your skin healthy. Niacinamide protects your skin cells from environmental irritants and stress. It also helps build new fresh skin cells.

Can washing your face too hard cause acne?

Yes washing your face too hard or even to often can give your skin acne. Too much of a good thing is a bad thing. This includes over-washing. Your skin is delicate and it doesn’t take that much to irritate it damage it.

When you over-wash your face it can damage your skins moisture barrier. If your moisture barrier is damaged you can develop tiny cracks in your skin. Any products or external irritants that enter into these cracks will irritate the skin and cause acne

In addition, if you over-wash your face you’ll wind up stripping your face of its natural oils thus making your skin dry and even scaly and rough.  This results in unhealthy dull-looking skin that is unbalanced. The dryness will cause your skin to try to produce excess sebum and you will develop acne. Read more about over washing here.

In conclusion, there are many pros and cons to doing this. I hope that this helped you understand more about not washing your face to clear up acne. If you found this article interesting or helpful then please share it.

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