1. Do Wet Your Hands and Face First. If you're going to use a rinse-off facial cleanser, wet your hands and splash your face with water before applying the cleanser to your skin. It'll help you work a good lather to grab onto that dirt and oil before rinsing.
SOMETIMES your face should be dry, and sometimes it should be wet. Tissue-off cleansers (which are mainly used for very dry, sensitive skin) should be applied to a dry face. No water necessary. Simply tissue it off for skin that's clean, soft, and hydrated.
Active ingredients are great for people with specific concerns and a minimal routine — but for any kind of cleanser to work its best magic, you need to be gently washing your skin for 60 seconds.
Lukewarm water is advisable to wash your face with, but cold water has its benefits, too. Cold water tightens the appearance of your skin, so it may make you look renewed and refreshed. It also helps boost your circulation, which can help give your skin a healthier appearance, albeit temporarily.
“Some skin care products, such as moisturizers, work better when applied to damp skin as part of their function is to seal moisture in,” says Strachan. “When skin is already damp, it's hydrated. The moisturizer can then either provide more hydration or just seal it in.”
Have no fear – we've done our share of research, and the answer is clear: post-shower is definitely the way to go. Sure, washing your face in the shower saves time but it can also do more harm than good – like, clogging pores with other products (gross) or drying out skin with hot water (ouch).
Apply your moisturizer to clean, slightly damp skin.
Moisturizers are most effective if you use them while your skin is still damp because damp skin absorbs the product more readily.
Don't Forget to Use Moisturizer After Cleansing
While you do want to give your face a good cleaning, you don't want to overly strip the skin of essential oils or cause dryness, notes Zeichner. After washing, he recommends hydrating your skin with a light moisturizer.
Wet Or Dry? It's best to apply toner to a dry face, especially if you're using a pH balancing toner. To use toner properly, after cleansing, pat your face dry or dry it with a light towel. Then, place some toner onto a cotton pad and spread it over your face and neck.
Why? “Your skin cells are like fish—they need water to live, so leaving toner damp on your skin is a great way for your moisturizer to lock in all the hydrating benefits that toners offer. It doesn't have to be dripping wet—just damp.”
Myth: You shouldn't wash your face in the shower.
She continued, "As long as you are not using scorching-hot water or harsh soaps, washing your face while you're in the shower will save you time, save water, and give you a deeper cleaning to prep your skin for the rest of your skin-care routine."
The idea of it is to double-up your cleansers – one to help get rid of make-up, and the other will cleanse skin directly. Try a cleansing oil (as step one) followed by a foaming face wash or micellar water as the next step. It's one of the best cleansing routes if you're after a deep(er) cleanse. Our tip?
In an ideal world, you should wash your face twice a day.
Mona Gohara, MD, an associate clinical professor of dermatology at Yale School of Medicine, agrees that the morning wash is important, not only to give you a bracing wake-up, but to prime your face for your morning skin-care routine.
Damp skin would mean skin that is still moist but not fully dry.
You don't need to wash toner off after applying it to your face. “The best time to apply toner is right after using your daily cleanser. Toner can help remove additional dirt and grime that your cleanser might have missed.”
You should only cleanse in the morning when you wake up, and to get your makeup off in the afternoon or evening. If you do it more than that, regular wiping can dry out your skin. Tone several times a day, and moisturize later, but not at night, so that your skin can breathe.
By cleansing with water only, you're less likely to over-strip the skin's natural oil and therefore reduce the risk of damaging your skin barrier. Cleansing your face with water only not only reduces the oil-stripping action but also the physical rubbing action, which would reduce irritation to the skin.
In general, you should be cleansing your face at least twice a day. “You should wash your face both morning and night because the skin creates sebum and oil throughout the day,” says Saya Obayah, M.D., a board-certified dermatologist located in Austin, Texas.
Both Emer and Zeichner agree that if you're only going to wash your face once a day, nighttime is the best time to do it. "Most dermatologists recommend face-washing twice daily, once in the morning and once before bed," says Zeichner.
Because of its water-like consistency, toner is meant to be applied immediately after cleanser and before serums, moisturizers, and oils.
This will vary from product to product — a toner may take mere seconds to dry, while a serum or thick nighttime eye cream could take a minute, or even a few minutes to dry and be properly absorbed. A good rule to follow to simplify things? Wait about one minute between applying each skincare product.
Some toners are humectants, which means they attract moisture. So, if your skin is extremely oily and if you feel your toner provides enough moisture, you can definitely skip the moisturizer.
Rose water is, indeed, a natural toner. It comes from the Rosa damascena flower, commonly known as the Damask rose, and is created by distilling rose petals with steam. While it's become more popular in recent years, rose water has actually been used for centuries.