How Often Should You Wash Your Face?

As a holistic esthetician, one of the first things I tell my clients to do is stop over-cleansing their skin.

And yes… that includes ditching the morning cleanse.

I know that might sound controversial in a world where we’ve been taught to constantly strip, exfoliate, and “deep clean” our skin, but hear me out.

Most of us are just sleeping overnight.

We’re not rolling around in dirt or working a 12-hour shift in heavy debris. Unless you’re like my firefighter husband sleeping in the dirt after a day of fighting fire, your skin does not need a full cleanse first thing in the morning.

In fact, for many people, cleansing twice daily can actually contribute to:
• dryness
• irritation
• barrier damage
• increased oil production
• sensitivity

Your skin has natural protective oils and functions for a reason.

Somewhere along the way, modern beauty convinced us that our skin constantly needs to be scrubbed, stripped, and corrected. Personally, I just don’t believe we were created to be unable to tolerate our own natural skin functions.

If you sweat at night, that’s okay.

Your skin is not dirty simply because it’s functioning normally.

What I recommend instead is:
• double cleansing at night
• rinsing with cool water in the morning
• focusing on supporting the skin barrier instead of constantly disrupting it

And when it comes to cleansing at night, always remember:

You sweep before you mop.

The first cleanse removes makeup, sunscreen, oil, and buildup.

The second cleanse actually cleans the skin.

This is also why I prefer gentle, barrier-supportive cleansers like the Osmosis Purify Cleanser. It cleans the skin effectively without leaving it feeling stripped, tight, or overly dry afterward — which is exactly what I want when I’m trying to support the skin instead of constantly disrupting it.

That simple shift alone can completely change how your skin behaves over time.

Healthy skin isn’t created through harsh routines and overcorrection.

It’s supported through consistency, nourishment, and repair.

Your skin will thank you.