Knowing what to use to wash your face can help your skin look its best

Taking good care of your skin is a no-brainer. Not only will you look good, but you’ll feel better too. Keeping your skin in tip-top shape requires washing it on a daily basis. Knowing what to use to wash your face is necessary to get the most out of your beauty regimen.

Normal Skin

If you’ve got skin that isn’t too dry or oily and isn’t prone to breakouts, consider yourself lucky. Your skin tends to stay looking good and doesn’t experience much drama. Washing your face with the proper cleanser can help it stay that way.

The goal when looking for a cleanser is to find something that isn’t filled with fragrances and other additives that can irritate your skin. Look for soap that is all-natural and it will only help your skin instead of wreaking havoc.

Using warm water when washing can also prevent your skin from becoming dry, as hot water can cause irritation and make your skin look red and feel extremely tight. Such water can also cause flaky skin.

Dry and Sensitive Skin

The key for those with dry and sensitive skin is to get your face clean, without causing irritation or further dryness. Again, this is not the time to use soaps that contain lots of harsh ingredients, such as fragrances ? they will only do major damage.

Instead, opt for soaps that are creamy or milky. They are gentle on your skin and can even help soothe some of that irritation. To find these types of cleansers, look for those that are labeled for dry or sensitive skin.

When washing, make sure you use cold or warm water. Avoiding hot water can prevent your skin from becoming even more irritated. Additionally, rub gently. Being too rough can make your face feel tight and painful.

Acne-Prone Skin

Acne occurs when pores become blocked. Dead skin, oil and all kinds of pollutants work their way into your pores and cause parties in the form of pimples. To prevent this from happening, it’s important to use a cleanser that contains ingredients that get your pores nice and empty, and send that nasty stuff packing.

Salicylic acid can help to unclog those pores, which can help keep acne at bay. Using a cleanser that contains this ingredient can also make your pores look smaller. Although you can’t actually shrink pores, you can make them look more petite by keeping them empty.

When dirt and other gross items fill up your pores, they look larger than they actually are. Keeping them empty, however, makes them look smaller, which can improve your appearance.

Wrinkle-Prone Skin

If you’re no stranger to wrinkles, or are at the age in which you are concerned they’ll show up, it’s time to reach for a wash that not only keeps your face clean, but prevents those unsightly lines from making an appearance.

Look for cleansers that contain retinol or vitamin A, which are known for their anti-wrinkle properties. For best results, follow the cleanser up with a moisturizer that also contains anti-aging ingredients. This clever combination is one of your best defenses against looking older, as is sunblock.

The sun can also cause some major damage to your skin, in the form of wrinkles and sun spots. Wearing sunscreen on top of moisturizer that contains SPF can keep you looking younger, longer.

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Frequency

Washing your face too little or too much is just as bad as using the wrong cleanser. Those with normal skin should wash their faces when they wake up and before they go to bed. If you have super sensitive or dry skin, you can actually get away with washing it just once or twice, depending on your needs.

Those with oily skin should only get their scrub on two or three times a day, but no more than that. It may seem smart to wash your face excessively during the day to quell that oil production, but doing so actually causes your glands to overreact and produce more oil. Instead, you can use oil blotting paper to soak things up.

Knowing what to use to wash your face can really give your appearance a boost. Fortunately, figuring out what works best is easy and is totally worth the minimal effort.

Resources:

Daily Glow: Should You Wash Your Face With Bar or Liquid Soap?