Should You Wash Your Face in the Morning?

Do you wake up with a morning dewiness to your skin and prefer not to wash your face in the morning? #WokeUpLikeThis. But do you wonder if just a water rinse is enough?

We hate to dampen your romantic vision, but this isn't the movies—that morning skin dew is mostly grease and night sweats residue. And while we appreciate that you do not want to strip your skin, if your version of cleansing is stripping your "glow" away, you aren't doing a proper routine.

We think your real question is, "Do I have to wash my face in the morning?" Before answering that question, we have to first declare that it's important and mandatory to wash your face every single night. But as far as the morning goes, if you want the most results from your skincare routine or if you struggle with breakouts, you should also cleanse every morning. Here's how to do it right.

First, you need to identify your skin's needs and choose a cleanser. The most common struggle with AM cleansing we hear is that people don't want to "dry out" their skin. Indeed, skin with soaping agents like certain sulfates and actives like benzoyl peroxide and mandelic acid can feel like they dry out the skin when you aren't putting proper hydration and ingredients back into your skin after your cleanse. But we almost always recommend a gel cleanser that cleans the skin thoroughly. Because great skincare starts with a great cleanse.

If you have normal to oily or acne-prone skin, you should be able to use a lathering or active cleanser most mornings and may even want to follow up with an active toner. You just need to use sufficient serums and moisturizer afterward.

If you have normal to dry skin, you may want to opt for a sulfate-free option in the morning – especially if you're not willing to follow your cleanse up with the proper aftercare. You can always keep a non-lathering cleanser (oil, creamy, sulfate-free) for mornings when you are dry, have already cleansed your face once and need to cleanse again, or had a recent facial treatment or procedure. Usually, these cleansers use "gentle" in their names or descriptions. Remember, a drugstore brand labeled as "gentle" doesn't always mean gentle; sometimes, mass-market ingredients can be irritating due to their low quality. (Read more about our thoughts on that about CeraVe here.) You can use a good oil or creamy cleanser, but you should rinse and feel like all remnants of the cleansing product are off your skin, or they will block your serums from working.

People mistakenly quickly wash their face, not realizing the importance, then leave it to air dry, and finally throw on lackluster follow-up care afterward, giving them dry, brittle skin for the day. We want you to spend about a minute on your morning cleanse, and please remember to wash with warm water, never hot, in both the shower and at the sink. And don't rub your face dry after cleansing. Just pat it mostly dry with a gentle, clean towel and promptly follow up with your remaining skincare steps. Watch here for a complete lesson cleansing!

Besides getting your skin clean, morning cleanses are important because they are another opportunity to treat your skin with the right ingredients. Antioxidants are morning-time masterclass-worthy ingredients. Be sure you wear at least one serum with antioxidants during the day, but feel free to layer more as you choose. Vitamin C ingredients and peptides are also lovely in the morning.

After the all-important thorough cleanse, you should still use a toner and serum in the morning. Oily skin can use a swipe-on toner with AHAs or BHAs before serums to get them to work even better; normal skin should use either a swipe toner with gentle exfoliants or a hydrating toner sprayed on the skin. Dry skin should lavish in as many sprays from a hydrating toner as it takes not to feel dry anymore and then go in with their serums. Toners can be confusing. They are tonics that help prepare your skin for more serums and lotions. Like serums, they can be either "active" or "nourishing."

Now you've done a proper morning routine! Your lotion and SPF will go on beautifully to reveal properly glowing skin. Remember, tinted moisturizer is not a moisturizer, and most skin needs a swipe of moisturizer before their tinted moisturizer makeup product. This is because makeup is not skincare. Even if it says primer or moisturizer in it, the true way to prime your skin is with the ingredients to create long-lasting change, not just temporary looks.

Here are some of our favorite AM products:

Oil to Normal Skin / Acne-Prone Skin:

Vivant Skincare Mandelic Acid Wash

Vivant Skincare Green Tea Cleanser

Vivant Skincare 3% Mandelic Acid Toner

Face Reality Sal-C Toner

Vivant Skincare Pure C&E

Vivant Skincare Rejuv Rx

Face Reality Daily SPF Plus

Normal to Dry Skin:

Osmosis Purify Cleanser

Vivant Skincare Green Tea Cleanser