Cleaning your face too often - is that even possible?
It is often recommended to thoroughly cleanse the skin morning and evening. In addition, many products advertise Deep Cleansing, which sweeps through the pores like my grandmother used to do when spring cleaning. In the evening, your face should be cleaned and thoroughly cleaned of make-up and dirt particles, that's for sure. Once the day's legacy has been cleaned away, skin regeneration is in top form.
However, you wash away a lot of things that your skin urgently needs with facial cleansing. Protective lipids from the skin barrier, for example Bt35. That's why balance matters. If you clean too much, problems will arise. It's worth reading on, especially if you're struggling with dry skin, blemishes or uncomfortable skin tightness after cleansing.
Why you should only wash your face with water in the morning
It makes sense to cleanse your skin when it's really dirty and stressed by make-up, air pollution or sunscreen. Did your skin get nothing but a hat of sleep? Then take it easy in the morning so as not to deprive it of its important lipids.
Since your skin is not exposed to so many environmental influences (dust, pollen, make-up, etc.) ) as during the day, there is actually nothing to clean in the morning either. Only a few dead skin cells, some sweat and a little excess sebum have to be removed. And lukewarm water and a clean towel are enough for that. At the same time, this gentle cleansing leaves the skin barrier intact and thus prevents skin problems. This is what you get:
- Soft, well-hydrated skin
- Less skin irritation
- Less dryness lines
Facial cleansing with water preserves the moisture balance of your skin. It protects itself from the stresses of everyday life with the help of fats. Fats not only cement the horny layer, but are also part of the hydrolipid film (protective acid mantle) above it. Together they prevent too much water from escaping to the outside. At the same time, they protect the skin against bacteria and impurities.
The skin produces everything necessary for these protective mechanisms itself. The lipids come from the sebaceous glands in the dermis. And the slightly acidic pH value that makes this protective acid mantle so effective against invaders is created when sebum and sweat combine. Doesn't sound very appetizing, but it's highly effective. This mix is also difficult for the bacteria that cause skin blemishes.
💦 Washing with cleaning products disables the skin's own protective barrier. The consequences include dryness, irritation, increased greasing and impurities. Conclusion: Your skin only needs | in the morning Pure love, air and water.
Common skin problems from too much cleaning
While your skin has been preparing for the new day in your sleep, a clarifying cleansing gel comes along in the morning and ruins all your work. The following skin problems therefore occur frequently.
Dry skin and tightness from cleansing products
Cleansing foams are fat-dissolving and soaps are also alkaline. How often have I heard the sentence: «After cleansing, my skin is dry and tight». Where that comes from is clear. Surfactants, soaps and alcohol dissolve the important lipids and make the skin's surface porous. This leads to increased moisture loss. At the same time, a basic pH value eliminates the protective function of the acidic hydrolipid film. Instead of ridding your skin of impurities, it now becomes even more susceptible to them.
Blemished skin due to aggressive facial cleansing
Blemished skin is more likely to occur with oily skin. But especially from the mid 20s or 30s pimples are often accompanied by dryness and tightness. This is partly due to improper care. Clarifying, anti-bacterial gels and foams clean with powerful surfactants or alcohol. But they also destroy the hydrolipid coat that repels pests. In addition, they not only attack "bad" bacteria, but also those that you need for a healthy skin flora. In short: aggressive cleaning sabotages your skin.
So if you often have pimples or suffer from mild acne, cleansing with just water in the morning promotes the skin's own defense against impurities.
If you only wash your face with water in the morning, you can save on many other products
In response to their fat-dissolving effect, facial cleansers usually have a whole host of other products in tow. They are intended to balance the pH value, the loss of lipids and dryness. And of course, we all need care basics. A good moisturizer and sunscreen are a must. But beyond that? Does our cosmetics cabinet really have to be bursting at the seams?!
The following applies here: Too much harms the skin more than it is good. It is not for nothing that contact allergies and sensitive skin are on the increase, even in extreme forms such as perioral dermatitis. Cleansing, toning, creaming, matting, make-up and and and, the whole thing back and forth simply overwhelms the skin. If you do without cleaning products in the morning, the first and most important step towards simplifying has already been taken. So dare, the result will surprise you!