This is how often you should wash your face, according to dermatologists

It’s tricky to know how often you should wash your face. Dermatologists explain it all and recommend the best facial cleansers.

If you’re anything like me, you have a friend (or two) who says they never wash their face. And who can blame them? They have dry skin, after all. Meanwhile, you wash your oily, acne-prone skin sometimes north of three times a day.

Meet the experts: Mona Gohara, MD is a board-certified dermatologist at Dermatology Physicians of Connecticut in Branford, CT. Angela Casey, MD is a double board-certified dermatologist, Mohs dermatologic surgeon, partner physician at the Center for Surgical Dermatology & Dermatology Associates in Westerville, Ohio, and founder of Bright Girl.

It’s true—the guidelines around washing your face are kind of blurry, but one thing’s for sure: ‘Everybody should wash their face,’ says Mona Gohara, MD, a board-certified dermatologist based in Connecticut. ‘It’s just to liberate the natural exfoliating and regenerate process.’ Washing your face is an important step when prepping your skin for any products you’re applying, but it’s also a necessary step to take at the end of a long day—whether you’ve been wearing makeup or not—to rid your skin of any excess dirt and oil before hitting your clean sheets.

‘Our skin comes into contact with so many potential irritants, and we really want to get all of that off of our skin so that our skin can rest and regenerate and renew,’ says double board-certified dermatologist Angela Casey, MD.

So maybe your friend who still appears to have great skin despite not washing often just hasn’t experienced any visible repercussions of that habit yet, Dr. Gohara says. But that’s not necessarily the best thing for anyone’s skin health, she adds. (Noted!)

Okay, so…how often should you really be washing your face? And how exactly should you wash it? While some answers depend purely on your skin type, there are some must-dos for everyone. Ahead, find out the answers and the best cleansers to buy, directly from dermatologists.

How often should you wash your face?

While the standard rule of face washing is to do it twice a day, at morning and at night, it varies from person to person, Dr. Casey says. With oily, acne-prone skin, you might feel the need to wash twice a day, Dr. Gohara adds, but if you have dry skin, you might only wash once a day because it can become irritated if you wash more frequently.

If you have more mature skin—which is more prone to dryness, according to Dr. Casey—washing once a day might be best, since you don’t want to strip any critical oils from the skin. (If you start to notice changes in your skin, like loss of elasticity or oil production, especially during perimenopause and menopause, that might be a sign to start washing just once a day.)

And when it comes to morning versus nighttime washes, choose the latter. ‘It’s when your skin naturally regenerates,’ plus, the skin cells are naturally exfoliating during nighttime, Dr. Gohara says.

Should you wash your face after working out?

This depends on your skin and how much you sweat, Dr. Gohara says. If you have acne-prone skin, you wear a headband or helmet, or if you just sweat a lot while exercising, it’s probably a good idea to wash your face afterwards.

‘Typically, you want to get that sweat and also any of the germs that you’ve come across in the gym off of your face,’ Dr. Casey says. However, if you have dry skin and you don’t sweat much during your workouts, it’s okay to forgo that extra face washing sesh.

What products should you use to wash your face?

One more thing: You should always use a cleanser when washing your face, never just water, because that’s not enough to dissolve dirt, oil, and other impurities from makeup like a cleanser will, Dr. Casey says. Water has no surfactant, which is ‘the primary component of a cleanser to break down the fats and the oils and the grease on your skin,’ Dr. Gohara adds.

How long should you be washing your face for?

After all, it’s difficult to remove any sunscreen, makeup, or anything else on your face after just a few seconds of washing, Dr. Casey says. In a full minute, you should be able to massage the skin and work your way up to the hairline to remove dirt, contaminants, and oil.

Think about it: The rule for washing your hands is 20 seconds, and ‘we have a little bit more surface area on our face,’ she says. So, you’ll want to spend about 20 seconds on each area of your face—but if numbers aren’t really your thing, just take two full passes from the central part of your face and nose, and then up and out, Dr. Gohara says.

Can you wash your face too often?

The short answer is…sort of. ‘Although there is no exact number when it comes to anything on grooming, one to two times a day is generally enough when it comes to face washing,’ says Dr. Gohara. ‘Too much can dry out the skin leaving it more vulnerable to irritation. Too little can clog the pores making acne more likely.’ Again, how frequently you should wash will usually depend on your skin type and lifestyle, as you’ll want to wash your face regularly if you work out or wear makeup.

How to wash your face like a pro

First off, you should use just your fingers, and not other tools, like a loofah or washcloth, Dr. Casey says. ‘There’s just a lot of variability in how those interact with our skin,’ she says. ‘Some of them have these exfoliating properties or a texture to them that can actually break the skin.’

Also, use lukewarm water, since it interacts the best with skin and opens the pores, and then apply a few pumps of your cleanser. Do a light circular motion across your face, starting centrally, and get it into the crevices around your nose and above your mouth, then work it out towards the forehead, ears, and jawline.