Salma Hayek and I have something in common.
Well, obviously, I don't have her beauty and charisma, but we both don't wash our faces in the morning.
This is what she supposedly once said:
“I never, never, never wash my face in the morning”.
I mean, you have been told you must for years, right? I know. We all have.
But what is really the truth?
Here are some of the often-heard reasons to wash the skin in the morning, and my thoughts on each.
Related: The truth about what cleansers do to your skin
1. REMOVING THE EXCESS OIL (SEBUM) OFF YOUR FACE
Too much of your natural oils contribute to acne, that much is true. However, too frequent washing and stripping your skin of its oils actually makes matters worse because it dehydrates your skin, increasing low-grade inflammation.
Related: How To Get Rid Of Oily Skin – 5 Action Steps!
If your skin is oily but dehydrated, it will then try to produce even more oil to compensate. Your skin's natural oils (sebum) lock the water inside your skin, keeping it hydrated. If your skin lacks water, more sebum will be produced to keep the remaining moisture in your skin and preserve the integrity of the skin barrier.
Excess oil can be removed with a gentle toner like DIY chamomile tea toner or rose water on a cotton pad (reusable ones are even better!). This is a much gentler way of removing it than with a cleanser. Especially a foaming cleanser containing sulfates (like Sodium Lauryl Sulfate – SLS), and those with a too high pH (which you can't know unless you test it). Not to mention the scrubs!
In addition, using a foaming cleanser means you have to wash it off with water, which is also drying for the skin.
Remember, some oil you do want to keep on your face because it keeps your skin naturally moisturized and healthy.
Using just a hydrating toner will bring a boost of moisture to your skin and make it more dewy and glowing, instead of oily.
2. REMOVING THE ‘ACCUMULATED' DEAD SKIN CELLS
You do not want to remove these dead skin cells in the morning (either with exfoliation or harsh cleansing) because they make up the skin barrier.
Without a robust skin barrier, your skin is much more exposed to the harsh environment, pollution, toxins, pathogens, oxidative damage (which leads to skin aging and acne), just to name some.
These dreaded dead skin cells are actually there to protect the living skin cells underneath.
They are, in fact, the only cell types ready to face the harsh environment – and they are dead!
I know that your skin looks instantly better upon any exfoliation (mechanical or chemical), but this is just a temporary effect because you are exposing fresh, new cells to the surface (which may not be ready to be there).
Exfoliation is great when done a few times a week in the evening because the skin gets enough time to recover overnight.
If you want to have healthy and clear skin in the long term, be aware of the fact that your skin is, quite literally, naked and exposed upon exfoliation, and more prone to damage, acne and aging.
Exfoliation itself is not the key. The balance between exfoliating your skin and letting it recover is the key.
3. REMOVING DIRT
We are past that silly notion that dirt somehow causes acne, aren't we?
Plus, there is no dirt on your face from sleeping whatsoever. Unless you are using commercial laundry softeners.
They leave a waxy residue on your pillowcases, which can clog your skin while you sleep, and washing your skin in the morning might be too late to fix that.
Switch to using a natural softener instead or skip it altogether for your sheets and pillowcases.
Instead of a commercial softener, I love using white wine vinegar with a few essential oil drops of choice. Trust me, it works great and smells fantastic. You can also just skip using any softener at all!
4. FRESHENING UP
Again, a gentle hydrating toner to the rescue!
To make DIY chamomile tea toner, get organic loose leaves (or flowers), then steep 1 big tablespoon (or 2 tea bags) in about ¼ cup of hot water for 10 min or so. Let it cool down, then it is ready to use. Store in a container in the fridge for up to a week (then you need to make a new batch as there are no preservatives).
This anti-inflammatory powerhouse will not only wake you up, but it will wake up that beautiful natural glow of your skin!
Related: My Protective Morning Skincare Routine (For Acne-Prone Skin)
5. IT'S VITAL FOR THE PRODUCTS APPLIED AFTERWARDS TO PENETRATE THE SKIN
When you cleanse your skin, you also enhance the penetration of ingredients applied afterwards.
This is due to the surfactants, cleansing ingredients in cleansers, that not only cleanse the skin, but disrupt the integrity of the skin barrier to an extent.
Therefore, ingredients in the products you are using probably will penetrate somewhat better. However, this is heavily dependant on how big they are (their molecular mass, measured in daltons – Da).
Usually, anything bigger than 500Da has a hard time passing through.
More importantly, when you enhance the penetration, remember that you also make your skin more penetrable to other harmful substances and bad bacteria.
Unfortunately, we don’t get to decide that the good ingredients penetrate, and the bad ones stay away.
SUMMING UP…5 REASONS TO NOT WASH YOUR FACE IN THE MORNING
- Your skin needs an adequate amount of its natural oils to be moisturized, which many cleansers remove. You can easily wipe off the excess oil with a gentle toner on a cotton pad instead.
- You don't need to remove dead skin cells in the morning, which some cleansers can do. These dead skin cells protect the living cells underneath, which are not yet ready to face the harsh environment on the surface of your skin.
- Cleansing also disrupts the integrity of the skin barrier to an extent (depending on how harsh a cleanser is). This leads to more water loss from your skin, causing dehydration. Not to mention that cleansers also disrupt the skin's optimal pH level (acid mantle).
- You don't need to remove any dirt from your skin because there simply isn't any after a night's sleep. Furthermore, dirt doesn't cause acne.
- Cleansers can also enhance the penetration of various substances into your skin, including harmful substances, irritants and pathogens.
ACTION STEPS
- Sign up for my FREE online course, Secrets To Naturally Healthy And Clear Skin, to learn how to pick a good cleanser
- Replace your current cleanser with a gentle cleanser (if you discover you need to), then use that in the morning for a while
- Try not cleansing in the morning with a cleanser, and instead use the toner cleanse method. Check how your skin is doing. If you discover that not cleansing with a gentle cleanser in the morning leads to more congestion, go back to using your cleanser. You may try the toner cleanse again later as your skin barrier heals more
- If you need more support, definitely check out my Skin Rebalancing Protocol online course!
In radiant skin health,
Sara
Are you in your 20s or 30s, and tired of still struggling with acne and breakouts? There is so much misinformation about the right skincare for getting clear skin, and caring for sensitive acne-prone skin. This is why I made a FREE online course where you will find little-known skin-healing secrets you won't usually hear from the skincare industry or dermatologists. And yet, they WORK.
Sign up (and get instant access!) here:
Hi I’m trying to order the ROSE water, but saying it won’t deliver to my address, I’m in norwich, England, can I buy else where
Hi Zoe! Maybe try iherb? I order there all the time, they ship pretty much everywhere!I like Leven Rose rose water. Hope it works!:)
Instead of rose water can I use apple cider vinegar (diluted ) ?
Yes!:) Dilute 1tbsp of ACV in 1/2 of water. Make sure it doesn’t sting and is gentle enough on your skin. Also, use just raw and unfiltered ACV.
1/2 what of water? A 1/2 tbsp? Thanks.
Should be 1/2 cup!:)
What if I work out and get all sweaty in the morning? Do you think a cotton pad with toner is still all that’s necessary? Love your blog, thank you!
Hi Madi! You would need to experiment a bit! A gentle cleanser can be fine, but if you use a toner, and then splash some water on your face, that is usually more than enough.:)
I do OCM every day AM & PM follows by gentle cleanser, toner, several serums and a moisturizer. Should I still not wash my face in the AM? So far it works fine and I only get hormonal acne prior to my period.
Hi Renny! Great question! I usually won’t change something that works, but I suggest you try perhaps using only toner a few days per week instead of OCM in the morning, and see if you see any difference:))
Hi there,
My question is: if during my PM routine I apply tazarotene cream to my face alongside an oil-based serum, will washing my face with just water the following morning be effective at removing the cream? I’m asking because I’m worried about photodamage in the long term.
Thanks in advance!
Hi Elena!
Yes, that is fine. The product does its job, but it also degrades throughout the night, and brushes off on your pillowcases as you sleep. It is fine not thoroughly washing your skin in the AM, but you could wash with some raw or manuka honey if you feel unease about it. They are great for the skin, just do a patch test first!:)
Sara — you said it here first, but now the New York Times is talking about the acid mantle!
I’m a SO GLAD I discovered your site and stopped washing my face in the morning last year. My skin has improved drastically between that, and throwing out my CVS-bought products! Now I cleanse with Rosehip Oil, tone with witch hazel, and treat periodic spots with tea tree oil, and I’m much more confident! Thank you!
For skipping face wash in the morning and just going in with a toner, Am I able to continue with the rest of my skincare products? And they’ll sink in properly and won’t clog pores?
Yes, this is totally fine, it will work!:)
Hi Sara, after a workout would a gentle micellar water be ok followed by a few drops of oil to moisturise? I use the Garnier sensitive micellar
Totally fine!:) Just rinse out the micellar water with some water before applying oil.
I usually shower in the morning so I am sure that shampoo and conditioner gets onto my face. Would a gentle toner after the shower be enough to remove those products?
Hi! If I don’t cleanse in the morning, is it okay for me to still apply serum in the morning?
Totally fine:)
Hello – thanks for sharing all of this; I am learning so much! I saw this comment about the best way to take care after a workout and I am wondering something similar. It is best for my schedule to workout in the evening, but I prefer to shower in the morning because I feel more fresh, etc for my corporate job. We don’t have central air, so as the warmer weather hits, I feel a little too dewy, etc in the mornings for work. I know it’s better to shower after a workout and I don’t want to over-shower, so I’m not sure what the better option or routine would be. Should I just rinse off after my workout and then do a full shower in the morning? Or should I skip the shower all together after my evening workout and just wipe myself down with rose water, ACV, or something of the like?
Is it okay if i just rinse my face with water instead of using my cleanser?
Should be fine, yes!:) Use lukewarm water.
Hello,
What if my skin genuinely feels dirty though when I wake up? It always feels dry and dirty for some reason.
You can try using a gentle toner on a soft reusable cotton round to cleanse and see how that feels:)
Hi is water on a facecloth and toner enough to remove nighttime skin products in the morning.
Hey I’m a male n i wash My face only at night. In the am is it ok to only Splash cold water on my face n that’s all?
Hey Sara! Thanks for all the info!
A summer related question: I only use water on my face and it’s always worked for me in general. I do apply suncream most sunny days at this time of year. Is it enough to still just use water to wash my face on a day where I’ve applied sun cream/sunscreen?
Best
Paul