If you had to make a short list of my most prominent personality traits, it would go something like: only watches scary movies, loves her very old dog, and takes really good care of her skin.
But just because I take good care of my skin doesn’t always mean that I reap the benefits of it. As I’ve mentioned time and time again, I have extraordinarily dry skin, which—especially during the cold months of the year—pretty much means that it always looks dull and lifeless. I’ve tried it all, from drinking a gallon of water every day for the past seven years to shelling out cash on expensive products that promised me they’d fix my dry skin for good (they didn’t). Very few elements of my skincare routine have made any sort of a difference—until now.
The phenomena of not washing your face in the morning has been floating around the internet for a while now, with some swearing by it and others saying skipping the step will wreak havoc on your skin. As someone who uses retinol at night and has recently battled with some adult acne, I was extremely hesitant to try it out, as straying from my routine in any way, shape, or form with my skin is something I try to avoid at all costs. But after desperation led me to finally skipping my morning face wash, I have some thoughts:
The Benefits of Not Washing Your Face in the Morning
After a conversation with my dermatologist about my skin’s dryness, she said that skipping a morning cleanse was something she recommended for me, as long as I splashed my face with water first to rinse off any residue from the night before (she also explained that damp skin makes my first skincare step, hyaluronic acid, more effective).
My dermatologist explained to me that skipping my morning cleanse could help with my skin’s dryness, as it would be one less thing stripping my skin of its natural oils (even though I was using a hydrating cleanser).
What Happened When I Stopped Washing My Face in the Morning
Every single thing I do to my skin is about keeping it as hydrated as possible, and I’ve been a fan of CeraVe’s Hydrating Cleanser for years. My dermatologist recommended it to me years ago, and I’ve never looked back—so when I was washing my face in the morning, that’s what I was using.
It’s worth noting that I often work out in the morning, which leaves me super sweaty. On days that I do break a sweat in the morning, I obviously break my new no-cleansing rule to avoid any bacteria living on my face all day.
After skipping washing my face in the morning, I noticed a difference in my skin’s dryness within a couple of weeks. Before, even after I put on my usual serums and moisturizers, my skin would look dry again within a couple of hours of completing my skincare routine. When I skipped washing, it suddenly was feeling hydrated for longer periods of time. I felt like the glow from my vitamin C serum and moisturizer was actually showing, and what’s more, that glow was lasting throughout the day.
It’s officially been over a year since I stopped cleansing my skin in the morning, and I can honestly say I feel way more confident in my skin. I’ve seen a night-and-day difference in how it looks, and dare I say, I’d even describe my skin as more dry-normal than just dry, which I haven’t been able to say since high school. I have less flaking, fewer dry patches, and all-around, my skin looks healthier. As long as I give my face a good rinse after I wake up, skipping cleansing also doesn’t make my skin feel less “clean.”
After all of the time and effort I’ve spent trying to get my skin in its best shape, I never thought that skipping a step would be the key to success, but for me, it was.
