Published: April 30, 2024
Once winter bids farewell and the days start turning warmer, you’ll probably begin to notice your skin taking on a greasier finish. This is down to how the warm temperatures and high humidity stimulate the skin’s sebaceous glands into producing more oil. This, coupled with the extra sweating that people do during the spring and summer months, means that many people end up washing their face a few times a day.
This is particularly common among those with acne-prone skin and it’s easy to understand why. With acne being caused by sebum, sweat, dirt, and dead skin cells clogging up the pores, surely if you wash your face more often, you’ll be better placed to prevent breakouts from plaguing your skin?
In theory, this makes sense. However, in reality, things don’t quite work in this way. Instead, wash your face too often and you’ll likely make things worse for yourself.
So, how often should you be washing your face in the warmer months? Read on as Bionyx explains!
Why is it Important to Not Wash Your Face Too Often?
Before we get into how often you should wash your face, let’s quickly talk about why this actually matters.
Each time you wash your face, it’s not just sebum and dirt that you remove. Instead, your cleanser will also interfere with your skin’s natural protective barrier. This barrier plays a few key roles. Not only is it responsible for keeping your skin safe from environmental irritants and allergens but it also keeps moisture trapped in the skin, preventing it from evaporating quite so quickly.
The more often you wash your face, the more compromised your skin barrier will be. This will then inhibit it from functioning in the way that it should. Your skin will lose moisture at a much faster rate, leaving it susceptible to dehydration, which, in turn, increases sebum production even further. It will also have to deal with more exposure to environmental irritants. This will cause more inflammation in your skin, meaning that acne breakouts will occur much faster.
Although it may bring you temporary relief when you wash your face several times a day during the warmer months, you’re not doing your skin any favors in the long run. At the same time, you don’t want to end up not washing your face enough, making it crucial to strike the perfect balance…
So, How Often Should You Be Washing Your Face in the Spring/Summer?
Experts generally recommend cleansing twice a day, no matter the time of year. This applies to oily skin too. While you may be tempted to squeeze in an extra midday cleanse, resist the urge. Use your cleanser once in the morning and then again in the evening.
If twice-daily cleansing doesn’t seem to be enough for your skin, you may want to reassess the cleanser that you’re using. Again, it’s all about finding the perfect balance. A cleanser that’s too mild is only going to leave you with clogged pores in the long run. Meanwhile, a cleanser that’s too potent will over-strip your skin’s protective barrier, meaning that you’ll end up dealing with all of the issues that we mentioned above.
Instead, you’ll need a cleanser that’s powerful enough to tackle the excess sebum that’s produced in the warmer months, yet without stripping your skin dry.
This is something that the Bionyx Rhodium Mousse Cleanser excels at. Mousse cleansers, in general, are revered for how they provide a perfect cleanse. They lather up beautifully, enabling them to efficiently remove dirt and oil. However, unlike foaming cleansers, the lather that they create doesn’t have a drying effect on the skin. It moisturizes and hydrates instead, keeping your skin looking flawlessly healthy post-cleanse. The fact that this cleanser is also infused with colloidal platinum is the icing on the cake. This is our signature ingredient at Bionyx because of how it offers up numerous skin benefits, one of which is to give the skin a radiant glow!
Double Cleansing: Should You Wash Your Face Twice?
Double cleansing is a skincare technique that originated in South Korea but has since taken the world by storm. It involves washing your face twice; first with an oil-based cleanser and then with a water-based cleanser.
The purpose of this is to allow you to easily tackle both oil-based and water-based impurities. It can be undeniably effective, making it a great method to try during the warmer months.
With that said, you don’t need to be double cleansing twice a day. Save it for the evenings, when there’s extra dirt piled up on your skin. Double cleansing twice a day every day will only end up leaving your skin over-cleansed.
How to Wash Your Face in the Warmer Months
While washing your face may seem pretty self-explanatory, adopting the wrong techniques could make your efforts less than effective. There’s a right and wrong way to go about things – understanding this could make a huge difference to your skin:
Water Temperature
Let’s start with water temperature. Many people cleanse in the shower under a steamy jet. Sure, this may feel relaxing, but hot water is extremely detrimental to your skin. Again, just like when using an overly harsh cleanser, it will melt away too much of your skin’s protective barrier, leaving your skin vulnerable to damage. Instead, lukewarm water is the way to go. Aim for a temperature that’s warm enough to feel comfortable but not so hot that it runs the risk of scalding your skin.
Removing Makeup
If you’re wearing makeup, you may be tempted to remove this with your cleanser too. While it’s true that many cleansers can tackle makeup without any problems, you’d be best off using a dedicated makeup remover first. After all, you want your cleanser to focus on removing dirt and sebum from your skin. It won’t be able to do this quite as well if it’s immediately facing a barrier of makeup.
Using the Right Amount of Product
It can sometimes be tempting to apply a larger amount of cleanser if your face feels particularly greasy or dirty. After all, surely more cleanser means a better cleanse?
While it’s understandable why people may think this, it isn’t actually true. Instead, the recommended amount stated on the packaging is the amount that you should be using. So long as you’ve purchased your cleanser from a reputable brand, it will have undergone a lot of trials and testing to determine the perfect amount of product to use. Go overboard and apply too much and you could end up irritating your skin.
Cleansing Technique
Do you ever roughly scrub your cleanser into your skin? If so, it’s time to change your habits. Even with the gentlest cleanser, being too rough with your skin will damage your skin’s protective barrier. As you know, this is something that you need to preserve as much as possible. Instead of rubbing or scrubbing, all you need to do is gently massage your cleanser onto your skin. The ingredients within the cleanser will then take care of the rest!
Other Ways to Keep Your Complexion Clean and Grease-Free During the Warmer Months
Although you should only wash your face twice a day, there are other techniques and products that you can turn to if your skin seems to easily end up overloaded with oil:
Exfoliation
An exfoliator is one product that everyone should be using. Unlike a cleanser, this shouldn’t be used daily. Instead, exfoliation should only be carried out two or three times a week, depending on your skin type. However, it’s a great way to intensify your regular cleanse a few times a week.
When choosing an exfoliator, follow the same rules as when choosing a cleanser. Don’t be swayed by a product that looks overly potent. Instead, find one that will exfoliate without damaging your skin in any way, just like the Bionyx Rhodium Complex Facial Peeling. This product will beautifully complement your cleanser by taking things further, pulling impurities out from the deeper layers of your complexion.
Remember to always exfoliate after cleansing. This way, your exfoliator can focus on those deep-seated impurities rather than battling through the surface layer of dirt that your cleanser should have tackled.
Clay Face Masks
What happens if you cleanse twice a day and exfoliate three times a week but still feel greasy?
This is where a clay face mask can be a game-changer. Clay is revered for how it absorbs excess sebum, even after it has delved into the pores. This makes clay a great tool for de-greasing the complexion and keeping the skin feeling clean.
While there are plenty of clay masks out there to choose from, the Bionyx Platinum Transformative Thermal Mask takes masking to the next level. Not only does it contain kaolin, one of the most beneficial clays to use, but it also boasts a self-heating effect. The mask warms up as it’s rubbed into the skin, which leaves the pores feeling relaxed and more elastic. This then allows the clay to draw oil away even more efficiently.
Hydration
As we mentioned earlier, dehydration causes sebum production to rise. Unfortunately, in the warmer months, it’s so much easier for the skin to become dehydrated.
So, although hydrating your skin isn’t going to directly keep it clean, it will go a long way in helping you to cut back on how greasy your skin feels over time.
The best way to hydrate your skin is in layers. Start by applying a hydrating toner after you’ve finished cleansing, just like the Bionyx Rhodium Facial Toner. Then, follow up with a serum that’s packed with hydrating humectants, such as the Alloy Platinum Synergizing Serum. Finally, finish off with a hydrating face cream – the Bionyx Platinum Transformative Cream would be a great choice!
Summary
Now that you know how often to wash your face and you’re aware of the problems that can occur if you accidentally cleanse too often, you’re well-equipped to give your skin the perfect amount of cleansing action. Follow the tips that we’ve shared above and you’ll be able to keep your skin looking fresh, dewy, and matte, no matter how hot and sticky the weather may be!
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