Cleansing is a huge first step in keeping your skin fresh and healthy. Other than 'which cleanser is right for me,' a question we like to answer in person when we can see and analyze your skin, these are the top questions we get around the act (and art) of cleansing.

WHY CLEANSE EVERY DAY?

We're going to throw four reasons at you. We could come up with many, many more, but these big ones should convince you to cleanse (or make you feel great that you already are):

You cleanse the rest of you, right? We all cleanse our bodies every day in the shower, so cleansing your face should be considered just as important a part of your daily routine. Yes?

Throughout the day, the skin on our face is subjected to an environment that includes city grime, pollutants, dirt, sweat, and bacteria. All of that stuff settles onto our face – the part of our body that’s most exposed to the world (which is why, consequently, it ages first and tends to need more care than the other skin on your body).

You don't need New York City grime on your pillowcase. Take that environmental stuff and add to it makeup and products. By night, what’s left on our face is a cocktail of things you probably don’t want on your pillowcase, let alone sinking into your pores while you sleep. This is why cleansing our skin every day, and even more specifically every night, is one of the most important ways to prevent breakouts, blemishes, and maintain overall skin health.

You want to get your money's worth out of the rest of your products. Think of your cleanser as the foundation for seeing successful results from other products in your routine. You want to get the most bang out of your buck – and results out of the ingredients – from the moisturizers, serums, and facial oils that you might be using post-cleanse.

Want smaller appearing pores? Cleanse. Pores that go uncleansed and become clogged will appear larger because of the clogging. If that's not taken care of by a pro on a regular basis, it can cause those pores to remain enlarged. Cleansing is your best weapon for keeping this at bay.

WHAT SHOULD MY MORNING CLEANSE LOOK LIKE?

At least a light cleanse in the morning is important every day, as your skin sweats and detoxes while you sleep. You also want to remove any product that's sitting on your skin from overnight and start with a clean canvas for your daytime products to absorb effectively.

And at night?

Our favored evening cleanse is a double cleanse, featuring an oil cleanser to start (goes on dry, emulsifies with wet fingers, and rinses off) and finished with your gel or cream cleanser. With the right selections for your skin type, this doesn't overdo things – rather, it helps keep blackheads at bay and prep your skin for other products.

I’M PRETTY TIRED. HOW INVOLVED DOES MY EVENING CLEANSE NEED TO BE?

Hopefully we gave you enough reasons in your first question to motivate you for two minutes before bed to cleanse! 

Think of it this way – cleansing your skin thoroughly takes about 90 seconds, but you can do a lazy cleanse in just 60 seconds (who's counting). A nightly double cleanse takes maybe 2-3 minutes, total. Worst case scenario, a quality facial wipe is better than no cleanse at all. 

If you enjoy the products, you'll built a night-ending habit and make a ritual out of it. You can even massage your face a bit (like we do to you) and use it as a moment to destress and move into another phase of your day. Thinking of a cleanse as a start to the day and a finish to the day can give you calming benefits far beyond your skin.

WHAT ARE THE MOST COMMON CLEANSING MISTAKES?

1. Not cleansing. Enough said.

2. Cleansing inconsistently or skipping nighttime cleansing. The grime adds up every day, so you have to manage it every day!

3. Using an ineffective cleanser. The cleanser you have now is not actually getting all the gunk and bacteria off your skin, so it continues building up and causing breakouts and clogged pores. In this case, you can be cleansing consistently, but either the cleanser itself just isn’t great at removing much (side-eye to Cetaphil...), or the type of cleanser needs to be adjusted for your skin type. Come talk to us.

4. Using too harsh of a cleanser. You’re using too harsh of a cleanser, which is actually causing breakouts and increased blackheads. Medicated acne washes, washes made with sulfates and harsh detergents, and bar soap in the shower are most common culprits.