Cleansing your face is an extremely important step in your skincare routine. However, many women complain about dry, tight skin after washing their face, and many even think that this is a sign that their skin is clean. So what causes dry, tight skin after washing your face, and is this feeling really good?
1. Dry, tight skin after washing your face
Our skin has a slightly acidic protective layer consisting of a mixture of sebum, amino acids, fatty acids, lactic acid, and water (sweat). This acid layer protects the skin from bacteria, viruses, and pollutants that can penetrate the skin.
The protective acid layer also secretes enzymes that help break down excess sebum, keeping the skin's oil layer balanced. When we try to remove excess oil from the skin, we accidentally remove this protective acid layer, making the oiliness worse.
Normally, if you choose the right cleanser, your skin can naturally rebalance its pH level after washing your face in the usual way within 30 minutes. However, if you wash your face too enthusiastically or use the wrong product, you will accidentally damage this protective acid layer of the skin, which can take up to 2 weeks for the skin to rebalance itself.
The pH of healthy skin ranges from 4.5 to 6.2. If we use a cleanser with a higher pH (highly alkaline), it means that the cleansing effect is more intense, more corrosive, and harmful to the skin.
If the skin feels dry and tight after washing (the face feels tight, not smooth but feels like the skin is pulled dry after washing), this means that the skin has lost too much oil, or the skin is too dry at this time.
2. Causes of dry, tight skin after washing
2.1. Choosing the wrong cleanser
Not all cleansers are the same, choosing the wrong cleanser will cause many negative effects on the user's skin. Each skin type will have different characteristics, so choosing a cleanser must also be different.
If you have sensitive skin but choose a cleanser with a strong fragrance and powerful whitening effect, it means you are destroying your skin with a cleanser containing a high concentration of detergents and fragrances.
If you have oily skin, but only use mildly acidic cleansers and oil-free ingredients every day, your skin will not be able to reduce oiliness, on the contrary, it will stimulate the sebum glands to work harder, making the skin lose the necessary moisture, leading to dryness and rapid aging.
2.2. Scrubbing to roughly
Many people think that applying a strong force will help clean the skin more deeply, so during the face washing process, they always rub the skin vigorously, many people even use towels and face wash pads to rub the skin many times. This will make the skin thinner and drier, more irritated, and more susceptible to bacteria and acne attacks.
2.3. Applying cleanser directly to the skin
Another mistake that women make when cleaning their skin is applying cleanser directly to the skin, spreading it evenly, and then rinsing it with water. All types of cleansers contain chemicals that should not be used directly on the face, especially when the skin is still dry and not wet.
The best way is to wet your face, wash your hands, then take a sufficient amount of cleanser on your hands, whip it up on your hands first, and then wash your face.
2.4. Washing your face many times a day
Even if you have oily skin, washing your face multiple times a day can be detrimental. Overwashing can strip your skin of its natural moisture, leading to irritation and prompting the sebaceous glands to produce even more oil, which can result in acne. This is often the reason for experiencing dry and tight skin after washing.
During dry winter months, washing your face too frequently can deplete your skin with essential moisture, leaving it feeling dry and tight, which can be quite uncomfortable.
2.5. Exfoliate at the same time as washing your face
Exfoliation is an indispensable step in skin care. However, you should only exfoliate 1-2 times/week. If you exfoliate regularly with each face wash, your skin will be dry, sore, and easily irritated,...
2.6. Wash your face with water that is too hot or too cold
In the summer, many people often wash their face with cold water, whereas in the winter, hot water is the first choice. However, hot/cold water is not suitable for the skin because the temperature change will cause the skin to go into thermal shock, causing irritation and broken capillaries. Especially if the water is too hot, it will also cause the skin to lose the necessary moisture, the skin will be dry and tight after washing the face. It is best to use warm water to wash the face.
2.7. Skip the moisturizing step after washing
In addition to the above reasons, dry and tight skin after washing your face can be a normal phenomenon of the body due to the skin temporarily losing moisture, leading to dry, tight skin. Therefore, replenishing water and moisture to the skin after washing your face is extremely necessary. You should use a layer of toner (rose water) to balance the pH of the skin or wait about 10 minutes after washing your face and start applying moisturizer to the skin.
2.8. Not washing your face thoroughly
Not washing your face thoroughly will cause all efforts to clean and nourish your skin to fail. Not washing your face thoroughly can be due to using too little cleanser, not creating enough foam before applying it to the skin to wash, or not massaging evenly on the face.
3. What to do to avoid dry skin after washing your face
The American Academy of Dermatology recommends that we only wash our face twice a day, once in the morning after waking up and once in the evening before skincare steps. Sometimes after activities that cause a lot of sweat, we should also perform this skin cleansing step because sweat can irritate the skin.
You should wash your face with warm water, using a gentle, cleanser. The choice of facial cleanser must be suitable for your skin type such as:
- For sensitive skin: for sensitive skin;
- For dry skin: for dry skin;
- For oily skin: for oily skin.
Use your fingers to create foam before applying to the face, rub the facial cleanser onto the skin and gently massage for about 1 minute in a circular motion, upward, you should limit the use of towels or facial wash nets because these products can irritate the skin. Note that the massage should be gentle and slow to increase the cleaning effect while still maintaining the elasticity of the skin, helping to increase blood circulation on the skin to help the skin relax.
The size of each person's face is different, so it is necessary to use the appropriate amount of facial cleanser to create enough foam for the entire face. Using too little facial cleanser will not be optimal for the cleaning effect while using too much will be counterproductive and wasteful.
After washing your face, use a dry, clean towel to gently pat dry, do not rub your face. It is necessary to balance the pH and moisture of the skin with a suitable toner/lotion, this will be a stepping stone for the following intensive care steps to maximize the effectiveness.
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