If I’m honest, my inner lazy girl pitched this story because I was sure the answer from skincare experts would be a validating ‘no.’ Don’t get me wrong – without a splash of water on my face (closely followed by a strong skim cap), I would probably never wake up. But does one actually need to bother with cleanser every morning – especially if one diligently double cleansed the night before? That’s what I wanted to know.
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Unfortunately for anyone hoping to push back their alarm by a precious minute or two, the answer, as it turns out, is a resounding YES.
“Dust and pollution do not go away at night, so cleansing is essential in the morning,” says Anna Field, director of The Paddington Beauty Room. “You also need to cleanse to remove your night cream.”
Kaye Scott, co-director of The Clinic in Bondi Junction, agrees. “In the morning, a good cleanse balances the skin, setting it up correctly for other products,” she says.
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Field’s approach is to double cleanse at night (“I personally prefer a pre-cleanse product to wash my make-up off then follow with cleanser to actually clean my skin,” she says) then use the same cleanser morning and night. So. Much. Cleansing.
Scot even recommends extra cleansing throughout the day between activities like gym sessions. “Cleanse before the gym to take make-up off and after the gym to remove the sweat that can lead to pimples along the hairline,” she guides. Sigh.
Now that you know it’s mandatory, what kind of cleanser do you choose? Oily skin types should look to cleansers containing chemical exfoliants like lactic acid to keep congestion at bay, while “for dry skin, we recommend calming, hydrating ingredients such as sandalwood or chamomile,” suggests Scott.
