How to Choose and Use the Best Face Wash for Healthy, Great-Looking Skin

How to Choose and Use the Best Face Wash for Healthy, Great-Looking Skin

The point of a face-washing cleanser is to remove dirt, sweat, and makeup without also completely drying out your skin. When navigating the health and beauty section, your safest bet is to go with descriptors like fragrance-free and gentle (unless you’ve been instructed otherwise by your dermatologist), but oh, the choices! Do you go with a cream or a gel? Do you buy oily or acne-specific washes?

Read more: Organic Skin Care Products First, note that many products are created for specific skin types. Some help with heavier-duty cleansing, and others are better at safeguarding delicate skin. Here’s how to choose based on your skin type.

For People with Dry Skin

Dry skin has a hard time hydrating itself because it lacks lipids (fats), water, or both. Your skin may feel tight and look flaky. Oftentimes winter exacerbates the dryness or symptoms of skin conditions like eczema. I have eczema myself, so I personally fear winter as much as the Game of Thrones world does because it means much more careful management to fight off breakouts. So when Winter Is Coming, I switch to an oil-based cleanser and a heavier face cream for moisturizing multiple times throughout the day, as needed.

Of course, not everyone with dry skin has to go to the same lengths or use the same products. If you have dry skin, look for cream- or milk-based cleansers to keep your precious oils and prevent further drying. Specific brands like CeraVe, SkinCeuticals, or my current (non-winter) favorite Caudalie could work.

For People with Oily Skin Oily skin overproduces sebum and is more prone to breakouts, but holds moisture pretty well. You probably think your oily skin has sealed an acne-filled fate, but as this paper in Clinics of Dermatology explains, we’re not quite clear on the relationship between sebum and development of acne. Acne is influenced by many factors, including genes and hormones, so the best thing to manage it is to work with a dermatologist and properly wash your face.

For oily skin, Dr. Badreshia-Bansal, MD, a fellow at the American Academy of Dermatology (AAD), noted on this AAD page that an oil-free foaming cleanser that doesn’t block pores but also contains salicylic acid or benzoyl peroxide can help to prevent breakouts.

For People with a Combination of Oily and Dry Skin

For many people, different areas of your skin may be normal, dry, or oily. The most common oily areas are the forehead, nose, and chin (nicknamed the “Tzone”), whereas the cheeks, neck, and area around the eyes tend to be dry or normal. Badreshia-Bansal recommends a mild cleanser, like Cetaphil or if you stretch the budget a bit more Kiehl’s Ultra Facial Cleanser, that isn’t too harsh on the skin and doesn’t remove much sebum. You’ll know if you’ve scrubbed away too much if your face is left feeling “tight” after washing.

For People with Sensitive Skin This is, for lack of a better word, a sensitive category. Most people will have reactions of varying severity to specific cosmetics, soaps, lotions, and other common household products, and then think they have sensitive skin. That’s not necessarily the case, however. Sometimes irritation is a matter of overusing a specific product, or just using the wrong product for them. Check with your dermatologist or immunologist to run patch tests to see what may be irritating your skin if you’re unsure, or think you might have sensitive skin.

In most cases, people with true skin sensitivity also have skin conditions like eczema, rosacea, and psoriasis, among others. They tend to have a thinner outer skin layer which is easily irritated and reacts readily. I feel you, sensitive skinsufferers. Luckily for me, the right cleanser and moisturizer for my skin (along with not eating foods that triggered my eczema) were game-changers.