Cold water is often praised for its supposed health benefits, but when it comes to facial cleansing, it might not do the job properly.
VOGUE explains the best techniques to protect your skin barrier and reveals why warm water is the optimal choice for thoroughly cleaning your face.
Are Your Morning and Night Cleansing Habits Correct?
Do you diligently wash your face both in the morning and at night? Many people do, and this routine is often endorsed by beauty advisors and dermatologists. It seems logical: at night, you cleanse away makeup, dirt, oil, and sweat accumulated during the day. In the morning, you remove overnight buildup, including oil, sweat, and dust.
This routine typically involves using cleansing gels, foams, or facial washes twice daily. In the morning, it’s often followed by toner, skincare products, and makeup. At night, makeup removal is paired with a moisturizing cleanser. On the surface, this routine aligns perfectly with traditional beauty guidelines.
However, Tiffany Masterson, founder of the skincare brand Elephant, has a different perspective. She emphasizes that “healthy cleansing is all about balance. The goal is to remove dirt, pollution, sunscreen, bacteria, and makeup without compromising the skin’s natural barrier.” Over-cleansing, she explains, is one of the most common causes of dryness and sensitivity. Repeated washing strips away beneficial components from skincare products, such as healthy lipids, antioxidants, and soothing ingredients.
Masterson strongly advises against washing your face twice daily, particularly in winter when skin tends to feel tighter and drier. She suggests rinsing with water in the morning to preserve beneficial substances on the skin. Nighttime cleansing, she argues, is far more critical since the skin is exposed to significantly more pollutants during the day.
Are You Over-Cleansing?
Over-cleansing places unnecessary stress on the skin. According to Masterson, stressed skin becomes fragile and prone to damage. As the creator of Elephant, she overcame her own skin issues by avoiding what she calls the "Suspicious Six," the biggest culprits of skin impurities: essential oils, drying alcohols, silicones, chemical sunscreens, fragrances and dyes, and sodium lauryl sulfate (SLS).
Choosing the right cleanser is crucial. Masterson warns against using products with irritating ingredients such as fragrances, essential oils, SLS, or high-pH soap-based formulas. Instead of categorizing your skin as “oily” or “dry,” she believes it’s more important to focus on avoiding ingredients that could harm skin health. Many skin issues, she argues, arise not from inherent skin type but from problematic ingredients in products.
The Importance of Water Temperature
It’s commonly said that washing your face with cold water is healthier and gives your skin a radiant glow. However, water temperature plays a significant role in how cleansing products perform. Tiffany explains: “Cleansers contain surfactants designed to work best in warm water, which helps loosen oils, dirt, and makeup. Cold water, on the other hand, reduces the efficacy of surfactants, making it harder to remove residues and bacteria from the skin.”
For effective cleansing, Tiffany advises using warm water—never hot—as excessively high temperatures can irritate the skin.
The same principle applies to washing your hair. Tiffany notes that the shiny appearance often associated with rinsing hair in cold water comes from leftover oils that weren’t fully cleansed due to the lower temperature. While the shine may look appealing, it’s temporary and doesn’t reflect true cleanliness.
How to Cleanse Properly
Achieving a thorough and effective cleanse requires only a few essentials: clean hands, warm water, a cleanser free from harmful ingredients, and a soft, clean towel. By following these simple steps and avoiding common mistakes, you can maintain healthy, balanced skin.
Double Cleansing Essentials: A Beginner's Handbook
Video by Medical Centric
