Pro Logic: How to Avoid 7 Face Washing Mistakes

As I learned from dermatologist Dr. Susan Stuart, there’s a proper way to wash you face, and it takes just four steps. But, aside from rejiggering your cleansing protocol, you may want to switch up some of the worst practices of face washing that you possibly do. According to Dr. Stuart, you can easily avoid face washing mistakes—even the oh-my-goodness-I-didn’t-realize ones. Check out these seven cleansing gaffes and see which ones you need to toss.

Mistake #1: Not washing your hands. You don’t know where your hands have been! Well, maybe you do—and that’s all the more reason to wash them before you start begin washing your face. “You do not want bacteria from hands to be transferred onto the delicate facial skin,” Dr. Stuart warns—and when you think about it, you gotta agree with her.

Mistake #2: Using super-cold or super-hot water. The idea that rinsing your face with cold water in order to close the pores is false. “Not only will the cold or hot water shock and irritate the skin, but it will also lead to varicose veins on the face,” Dr. Stuart says.

Mistake #3: Applying facial cleansers on dry skin. Never apply facial cleanser without wetting your face first. “Most of these products are aggressive and should be mitigated by water,” she says.

Mistake #4: Not rinsing and repeating. Just because it looks like the cleanser is all whisked away when you do a cursory rinse, doesn’t mean it is. If you don’t rinse repeatedly until the cleanser is 100% gone, you risk drying out your skin and clogging pores. “Do not forget to rinse the area close to the scalp, as this leads to skin irritation,” Dr. Stuart adds.

Mistake #5: Over-exfoliating. Listen: Exfoliation is good. But, like most things we love, it needs to be done in moderation. “If you exfoliate too often, you can remove and dry up a new layer of skin, which will eventually weaken the natural protection of the skin of the face,” she explains.

Mistake #6: Re-using a dirty, rough towel. No big shocker here: The towel you use to wash your face should always be clean and soft. Case closed.

Mistake #7: Going to bed with makeup on. I am a staunch believer in this one: Never go to bed without first thoroughly cleaning your face of makeup and dirt. Why? Let Dr. Stuart make the case: “Leaving makeup on overnight can lead to an accumulation of fungi, redness and irritation.” Simply put: Ew.

And there you have it: Seven face-washing mistakes that are actually pretty easy to remedy!

Which of these seven face-washing mistakes do you make? Or are you a gold-star face-washer? Comment below!

Photo via Style.com

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