Do You Need To Cleanse Your Skin In The Morning As Well As At Night?

When it comes to skincare traditions, we've all heard how important it is to cleanse your skin morning and night. Many skincare fanatics will tell you that washing as soon as you wake up and right before bed is the key to clean, healthy skin. 

It's easy to understand why nighttime cleansing is required if you want to have clear skin. Botanica Day Spa explains that washing your skin at the end of the day will help wipe away gunk accumulated throughout the day. This helps to give your skin a clean base to repair damaged skin cells.

Knowing how vital a nighttime cleanse is, it would only be natural to assume that morning cleanse is equally accepted. However, many believe that washing your skin in the morning isn't necessary, as your skin has just repaired itself throughout the night. On top of that, if you are sleeping, then outside factors can't clog your skin, right? Those with combination or normal skin might feel like morning cleanses are unnecessary for their skin type. To determine how essential it is to cleanse your skin in the morning, you need to know what cleansing your skin does and how it applies to you.

No matter your skin type, washing your face in the morning is key to getting your dream skin goals. Dermatologist Jennifer Segal tells New Beauty that "Cleansing, both in the morning and at night with a gentle cleanser, is key for all skin types because it removes bacteria and dirt that accumulated during the day and overnight without stripping skin of its natural barrier. Cleansing when you wake up also reminds you to follow with skin care products like SPF, which is the most important step in healthy, beautiful skin!" While you're not exposing your skin to as many environmental factors during the nighttime, bacteria, sweat, and dust can still cling to the skin while you're sleeping. Even though it's not as apparent in the morning, your skin has various clogging items that can affect your skin.

Currie Day Spa adds that cleansing your skin in the morning will help regulate your oil production throughout the day. When you wake up, your skin needs to be clean to absorb the rest of your skincare products. Adding products on top of dust and sweat accumulated during the night will activate your oil production and give you oily skin over the day. Cleansing your skin in the morning sets the base for clearer skin and unclogs the pores. 

The key to cleansed skin is washing your face correctly — you don't want to over-cleanse your skin so early in the day. Dermatologist Emma Craythorne tells British Vogue, "For morning, I always recommend a gentle product that will cleanse, but has effective barrier control ingredients to avoid drying out or irritating the skin." Your morning face wash shouldn't be too harsh on your skin, but rather needs to be gentle enough to remove impurities without stripping the natural oils. Leave your tougher face wash for nighttime use.

Olay recommends tailoring your morning cleanse according to your skin type. If you have dry or sensitive skin, you can get away with washing your skin with only water. This will keep you from drying out your skin, but it's still effective enough to remove dirt and sweat. If you have oily or acne-prone skin, you should use a gentle cleanser to manage your oil production and get your skin in balance for the rest of the day.