You might be experiencing symptoms of over-washing your face and not even know it.
These symptoms might seem like your normal everyday skin type because you’re so used to it.
This article will help you figure it out if you have symptoms of over-washing your face.
Symptoms of over-washing your face
Over-washing the face is actually pretty common.
In an effort to make sure our faces are as squeaky clean as possible we sometimes over wash our faces. Just because the squeaky clean feels “right” doesn’t mean it is.
This daily, twice daily and for some three times daily ritual is simple enough, clean your face off regularly and you’re good to go.
But if you’re obsessed with your skincare to a point where you’re doing too much then you need to take a step back
Cleansing removes makeup, dirt, oil and the pollutants from the atmosphere.
When you don’t wash your face you’ll be more prone to breakouts and shine on the face. Yet when you do this step too often it becomes negative.
The feeling of your face having that squeaky clean feeling is not all that great, it’s usually a sign that you are doing too much.
Your skin should feel moisturized not “too clean” after you use your face wash.
This is a gentle face cleanser that cleanses but doesn’t strip or dry out your face.
Table of Contents
Am I over washing my face?
Thankfully you don’t have to go to a dermatologist to figure out if you are over-washing your face.
Here are some quick signs that help you figure out if you are over-washing your face.
Tight and dry feeling skin:
This is definitely a quick to spot, tell-tale sign that you are over-washing your face.
This dry and tight feeling happens when your face wash strips your face of your natural sebum so much that there is practically nothing on there to keep your skin moist.
In addition, some face washes contain very stripping ingredients in the formula. Rather opt for a hydrating face cleanser like this one if yours is drying out your skin.
Developing adult acne:
When your oil is stripped off your face the skin reacts by producing more sebum, the sebum produced is over and above the amount of sebum needed for your skin. This mixes with dead skin cells and clogs up your pores creating adult acne.
To avoid this from happening you need to keep your face moisturised with a good moisturizing face wash and a good moisturizer like this one to avoid acne happening this way.
Developing adult acne can also be caused by your diet, unclean pillows or your phone, click the link to find out more.
Reddish patchy skin
This means the skin is starting to get irritated as a result of the over washing.
Either the wash is too harsh (the texture), the chemicals are too harsh on your skin or the pressure you are using is too much – this can also happen if you are overdoing it with the exfoliating brush.
Exfoliating is still important so here is a gentle chemical exfoliator that removes dead skin cells without irritating the skin.
Seborrheic dermatitis (flaky skin)
It’s necessary to remove the top layer of dead skin cells off your face but flaking caused by over washing is another thing.
The flaky patches of skin emerge on the T zone. This reaction appears as a flaky rash.
The skin can also be swollen, greasy and red with small yellow or white flakes. It can be treated by a dermatologist but it can be avoided by not over washing.
You develop a rash
This is another way of your skin telling you that it’s irritated. This usually means that the protective barrier of your skin is compromised and as a result, your skin is reacting.
If you have this issue any product you use will enter through the damaged skin barrier and as a result, the skin produces a rash or an allergic reaction.
This damaged skin barrier brings along a variety of skin concerns such as acne, eczema and being vulnerable to the suns rays.
How often should you actually wash your face?
It’s important to wash your face on a daily basis.
Wash at least once per day for 60 seconds so that the product can really have time to clean out the top layer of your skin and get into the pores.
This will allow your skin to be cleaned out from the build-up of the day.
If you are only washing your face once a day then either of the two (morning or evening washing) is fine.
If you wash at night you’re removing any gunk from the day that you’ve accumulated on your face. Making it clean and ready for the heavier nutrient-rich night products you might be using.
If you wash in the morning then you’ll be removing sweat and anything that might have transferred from your pillow to your face (assuming you don’t have makeup and didn’t have to remove anything at night).
During the night our bodies produce sebum which is the natural oil our faces produce which helps our skin.
Washing your face twice a day is great because you’ll be washing away any impurities on the skin from the day and the sweat and excess oil from the night time.
But if your skin becomes dry from washing your face twice then it’s a sign it’s too much.
Rather opt for a purifying face oil like this one to replace the second wash, use the oil when doing the oil cleansing method.
How I can combat over washing?
Use oil instead: Firstly you might want to reduce the number of washes you are doing with a face wash or cleanser.
Wash your face with a face wash or cleanser once a day then use an oil cleanser to remove impurities in place of washing your face again.
If your face can only take one wash a day then only use the oil cleanser.
Use nutrient-rich products: Your skin is probably damaged from all this over washing.
Start using products with ceramides, hyaluronic acid and niacinamide. These ingredients work to increase lipid production in the skin.
This facial cleanser contains ceramides and hyaluronic acid and is gentle on the skin.
Wash your face less often: The easiest and most budget-friendly solution is to just wash your face once a day.
You can also alternate days where you are washing one a day and twice a day.
Washing your face with just water, is it a good idea?
If you’re over-washing or face you may be considering going in the opposite direction and start washing your face with just water.
Surpassingly it works, for some people. In skincare sometimes the saying ”less is more” is true.
Washing your face with just water gives the sebum on your skin time to balance itself and avoids you stripping the sebum off of your skin.
The trick to having blemish-free skin just might be not using all these cleansers, face masks, exfoliators or face washes so often.
That being said I wouldn’t suggest cutting out products entirely, but reducing how many products you use may just be the thing you need.
If you’re actually using the wrong cleanser your skin can get irritated and cause breakouts.
If you’re unknowingly doing too much exfoliating you can get breakouts.
Don’t get me wrong it is imperative to remove makeup, visible dirt and sweat from the skin but apart from that your face just might benefit from just washing with water sometimes.
Note: the success of this method comes down to genetics, age, hormones, skin type and activity levels.
Which soap is good for face wash?
General everyday body soap and hand soap can wreak havoc on your skin but soap specifically designed for the skin on the face is an underrated miracle.
Using a face soap is better for the environment, is travel-friendly, decently affordable and works just as well as any face wash.
As long as the soap you’re using doesn’t dry out your face and it addresses your skin issues you’ll be good to go
A good soap for your face is the Cetaphil Gentle Cleansing Bar, this soap is actually a soap-free soap.
This soap does not dry out your skin like regular soap which is known to really dry out your face. Regular soap also messes with your skin’s ph.
This soap-free soap is mild and gentle on your skin and cleanses without irritating your eyes or drying out your skin.
How to wash your face
- Wash your hands first, our hands’ touch and come into contact with more than we realise and all that bacteria gets transferred right onto our hands. Washing your hands before you touch your face prevents bacteria transferring from your hands to your face
- Dampen your face with warm water
- Apply the product into your hands and then apply the product onto your face, massaging it into your skin
- Massage the skin for about 60 seconds, this will give the product enough time to work on your face properly
- When you’re done massaging, rinse the product off with warm water
- Tone your face and moisturise the skin well.
Should I wash my face before bed?
Yes, you should wash your face before bed. The outside air is filled with pollutants, debris, dirt and bacteria.
As we go about our day all these impurities get attached to the sebum on our skin. All that gunk needs to be removed from the face at the end of the day.
You may also need to remove the days make up if you wear makeup. Washing your face before bed allows you to remove everything at one time
Tip: In order to really clean your face you’ll need to remove it with something that can break up and loosen all the impurities and sebum.
Oil cleansing cleanses your face effectively and it’s much more gentle than using face wipes.
The best time to oil cleanse is before bed. Cleansing your face before bed is also recommended because your face repairs itself as you sleep (read more here), you need a clean slate so your face can do this uninterrupted.
Do you have to wash your face in the morning?
If you washed your face at night (and washed it well) you don’t have to wash your face in the morning.
As you sleep you may sweat and produce sebum, but your skin isn’t exposed to anything other than that.
If you desire you can rinse your face with water in the morning or wipe it down with some rose water to feel refreshed.
This rose water is well-loved and works great
Why should you not wash your face in the shower?
Washing your body and your face in the shower is convenient but it isn’t good for the skin on your face. The temperature we shower in is generally too hot for our face.
We should only be washing our face in warm water. Because the skin on your body isn’t as sensitive as the skin on our face you can’t really tell how hot your shower water is when you washing your face.
Washing your face in the shower is a bad idea because the hot temperatures of the shower can wind up stripping your face of its natural oil.
The natural oil (sebum) is what keeps the skin moist, using hot water can dry out your skin.
What’s the best face cleanser?
The best face cleanser is the CeraVe Foaming Facial Cleanser. The CeraVe line is developed by dermatologists so you know it’s good.
This formula cleanses the face in a gentle way while helping repair the skin.
The product is soap-free, fragrance-free, synthetic colourant free, non-drying, non-irritating and non-comedogenic.
It has a thick consistency which foams and is great for normal to oily skin.
The ceramides in the product help to maintain the skins natural moisture barrier, the hyaluronic acid helps to keep your face hydrated and prevents drying. The niacinamide in the product helps to calm the skin.
That’s it for my information on over-washing your face symptoms. I hope it was interesting and helpful to you. If it was helpful to you or you know someone who might enjoy it please share
