Why Cleansing Less Often May Be the Secret to More Balanced, Radiant Skin
Read Time: 1-2 Minutes
For many of us, some of the first beauty advice we ever received went something like this: Wash your face thoroughly, twice daily, once in the morning and once at night—and maybe even once in the middle of the day if your skin is particularly acne-prone or oily. Turns out, this well-meaning advice may be doing more harm than good for many of us, stripping our skin's necessary oils and damaging skin's lipid barrier causing irritations and dryness.
What is considered over-cleansing?
For most skin types, washing your face with a cleanser more than twice a day, with the exception of post workout cleanses—or, for people with dry, sensitive skin, more than once a day—is excessive. Over-cleansing can break down our skin’s protective barrier and strip our skin’s natural oils, making us more prone to redness, irritation, and even acne.
How often should I be washing my face then?
If you’re currently cleansing twice a day and feel your complexion is balanced and generally healthy, keep it up. But if you find yourself prone to dryness, acne, or irritation, try experimenting with washing only at night, and in the morning, just splashing some water on your skin to refresh.
“I have very sensitive skin and my daily cleansing routine currently involves rinsing with lukewarm water in the morning and using our pH balanced oil base Akwi Purifying Cleanser in the evening to remove sunscreen, makeup and daily grime. While the morning part has always been the same, my evening routine used to involve using eye makeup remover and micellar cleansing water to remove makeup, and because a micellar water doesn't completely remove all makeup, it followed by a gentle foaming cleanser for the evenings. Although the cleansers were gentle, my skin was always left so dry, and it wasn’t until I started DYI oil cleansing that my skin no longer felt dry.” —Munemi Imai, MUN Founder
Should I wash my face post-workout?
Yes. Letting sweat simply dry on its own after a workout is never a good idea; a good sweat session can clear our pores of buildup, but letting the sweat sit afterward means you’re also letting bacteria sit. Gently wash your face (and body.)
It’s tempting to scrub away at our skin in hopes of clearer pores, but sometimes the best thing you can do is just let it be. Remember, less is more. For most, gently washing with a pH-balancing cleanser twice a day, or once a day for dry, sensitive skin, is all that’s needed to keep skin clean and balanced. Try MUN’s oil-based Akwi Purifying Cleanser for a thorough, pore-clearing cleanse that won’t strip the skin. Containing detoxifying Castor Oil and nutrient-rich Argan Oil, Akwi leaves skin clean, soft and moisturized.
