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How often should you wash your face?

How often should you wash your face?

It’s something we do every day and predates most of our other skincare steps, but are you washing your face correctly, or even too much? We’re all guilty of going to bed without taking our makeup off or wiping away the dirt of the day at least once. Cleansing your face is perhaps the most important skincare step you can do though to prevent breakouts, dehydration and even ageing. Here’s how often you should cleanse your face and how to tell you’re doing it right.

How many times a day should you wash your face?

Everyone, regardless of what skin type you have, should wash your face at least once a day. Use a damp, clean cloth soaked in water or micellar water to remove any dirt, makeup or oil that may have built up during the day, before following with a cream-based or foaming cleanser before bed. Cleansing should take at least 60 seconds if you’re doing it correctly.

As oils and dirt can build up on your pillowcase, cleansing and washing your face in the morning can also help to keep your complexion clear. You may want to skip this step though if your skin is feeling dry, flaky, tight or sensitive – these can all be signs of overwashing. If you’ve been working out, swimming in chlorine or saltwater or wearing a face covering, a quick cleanse afterwards can also keep your skin looking and feeling healthy.

What products should I use?

As cream cleansers tend to be both gentle and moisturising, they’re great if you have sensitive or really dry skin. La Roche-Posay Toleriane Dermo-Cleanser Wipe-Off Milk is specially formulated for daily use on sensitive skin. Also suitable for allergy-prone skin. It’s enriched with Glycerine and La Roche-Posay Thermal Spring Water and instantly soothes and cleanses your skin.

Foaming cleansers, which form a lather, can slightly dry out skin so avoid if yours is naturally dry – these work best on blemish-prone or oily skin and hard-to-remove makeup or sunscreen. Effaclar Purifying Cleansing Gel is a foaming gel facial wash for oily and blemish-prone skin that gently lifts dirt, grime and sebum from the skin without disrupting its balance. For a deeper cleanse, Effaclar Micropeeling Gel is enriched with Salicylic Acid, this formula unclogs pores and targets persistent imperfections.

Exfoliating two or three times a week can also help to remove dead skin cells that clog pores. La Roche-Posay Ultra-Fine Scrub gently purifies even sensitive skin.

Discover La Roche-Posay’s full range of facial cleansers

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