I don't wash my face, am I disgusting?

[EmmaFaye29]

After years of trying different cleansers, toners and moisturisers, I realised that all they do for my skin is dry it out and make it look worse/more oily. I now use nothing. Water gets on my face in the shower but that is it. I'll use a bit of moisturiser in the winter if I feel I need it. My skin honestly looks and feels 100x better but I feel what I'm doing is somehow "wrong" and a bit grose. Anyone else?

Yes it may seem counterintuitive but water is actually drying to the skin.

I work independently in health and can't tell you how many people have proudly me they only use "soap and water" or "splash in the shower" while I look at their blotchy, irritated, dull, dry, uneven skin that looks 5-10 years older than their actual age 😂

Perhaps they have overused chemical filled potions?

I use liz Earle hot cloth cleanser to clean and exfoliate as i get blackheads, then a few drops of some revolution acid for my underskin bumps. Not everyday though

I used to not and then changed to do. In my fifties. My skin feels better if I do. Sorry, op.

@Janegrey333

I work independently in health and can't tell you how many people have proudly me they only use "soap and water" or "splash in the shower" while I look at their blotchy, irritated, dull, dry, uneven skin that looks 5-10 years older than their actual age 😂

Perhaps they have overused chemical filled potions?

This poster is saying the absolute opposite @Janegrey333

You need to put your money where your mouth is and post some pics

I name change frequently, fudge details and on occasion flat out lie to reduce the risk of being identified irl. I never post during work time or on work equipment. I don't post about current work except in the vaguest terms to minimise the impact if I am identified. But sure, yes, I'll post a close up of my face to prove a point to you, random stranger on the internet.

No @Janegrey333 they are often lifelong soap only users. And it shows. Badly.
Good quality skincare is a big seller because for most people, most of the time, it works and makes their skin better. Not just appearance, actual skin health. Some people have tried cheap nasty products which will never do anything as they are 99% talc etc and then dismiss all skincare. It's such a shame when solutions are there.

I'm fully aware we live in a patriarchal society where women are judged on their looks and I don't want to promote that as a sole reason for skincare. However when I work with someone whose self confidence is shattered by years of bad acne or rosacea and can find something that helps, that's worth it. Our face faces the world and if it's at its best, it helps with confidence and self esteem. I truly believe that and will keep advising on the best products to use - avoiding TOXIC chemicals. Everything is a "chemical" technically, even water and air, it's the ones that affect our health you need to be aware of. Especially now we are leaving the EU and it's stricter rules and opening up to any old shite from the US where their regulations are very poor. Chlorinated chicken and toxic personal products, whoopee.

And yes drinking water, good food, enough sleep and spf all help too.

This poster is saying the absolute opposite @Janegrey333confused**

I meant - in addition to.

I'm allergic to virtually everything, so I just use water on my face and dermalogica microfoliant once a week.

“I don't apply SPF. I've gone through times when I can't afford it and found the best way to protect my face was to stay out of the sun, and wear a broad-brimmed hat when in it.”

Unfortunately a huge part of sun exposure is from reflected and ambient light. So just because you are wearing a hat when in the sun, you are still exposed whenever you’re in a bus or car; near a window; walking by the water, or on any surface really.

I don’t wear SPF during winter as I don’t want to be putting it on my face year-round - it’s so chemical that I just don’t trust it to be having other unwanted effects - but I do for most of the year. I think it’s a bit naive to think that a hat will protect you - you need the combination of sun avoidance, sunscreen AND covering up to get anywhere close. You have 2 of the 3.

it’s so chemical

What else would it be other than chemical? Are you shoving dark matter on your face? Thanks for the accusation of naivety. I am fully aware that there's only so much a hat can do. Generally I stay out of the sun when it's strongest and when that's not possible I wear a hat. I avoid SFP because when I stopped using them I realised they made little difference to me. I think I'll take my advice from someone whose scientific understanding goes beyond 'it's so chemical'.

I wash my face with shower gel in the morning to remove my mascara.

I rarely moisturise although I did buy some recently to use.

My skin is soft and spot free.

Hi i just exfoliate once a fortnight and moisturise every morning that's it apart from a little sun screen.

If you never wash your face, how do you remove sweat and dirt? Does it not make you uncomfortable to walk around with dirt and grime all over your face? If you live somewhere like London and travel by tube regularly, a face wipe used on the face at the end of the day will be literally grey/black with dirt and pollution. Or what do you do when you work out or if it's a really hot day, and your face is really sweaty, just let old dried sweat stay on your face indefinitely? Surely that must stink after a while?

Surely you wouldn't not ever wash any other part of your body, so why walk around with a face caked in dirt and dried sweat?

many people have proudly me they only use "soap and water" or "splash in the shower" while I look at their blotchy, irritated, dull, dry, uneven skin that looks 5-10 years older than their actual age
I couldn't really care less if I look 5 years older than my actual age haha! I dont have the money, time or inclination to spend on multiple product to make me look younger and I dont really care if I look 35 instead of 30. It just doesnt bother me what strangers think.

I only wash my face with water no soap then moisturiser every morning.

MN seems to be full of people who splash a bit of water on their face and still get mistaken for 21 year olds at the age of 50 as well as people who are a size 6 who apparently eat tonnes of pizza and do no exercise. It confuses me

Haha YES. I work independently in health and can't tell you how many people have proudly me they only use "soap and water" or "splash in the shower" while I look at their blotchy, irritated, dull, dry, uneven skin that looks 5-10 years older than their actual age 😂
Actual soap is awful for facial skin, especially after menopause when it's drier anyway.
Using cheap crap products on your skin also a bad idea. Especially those that contain alcohol. Can't tell you how much I loathe wipes and micellar water. Urgh.

Good products, tailored for your skin needs, preferably natural based without toxic ingredients can really make a huge difference to the look and feel of your skin. Not just about anti-ageing, it's about keeping your skin comfortable and hydrated.

Does anyone else think this is working up to be an MLM pitch?

I can't tell you how often someone who spends $$$ every month on gunk and serums and toners etc for their face asks me what my secret magic product is. Don't worry, I don't tell them it's just water, a flannel and SPF, because it's not. It's genetics obvs.

The vast majority of what your skin looks like is down to genetics, sun exposure and diet. Skincare is largely a marketing con, you only have to look at how the key ingredient for this or that changes with fashion. Anti ageing for example - 10 years ago it was peptides, then it was Q10, then it was collagen, now it's retinol, and I patiently await the next trend. Skin is designed to be a barrier, it isn't absorbing any of the crap you put on it.

I think that sounds good if you don’t wear make up, but if you wear make up you surely need something to remove it, but maybe an oil and then water is probably better than a cleanser

Skincare has massively improved my natural skin. Without using any product I am dry and sensitive. I’m in my early 20s, my vegetarian diet is healthy, I drink plenty of water and am otherwise healthy and active - I do need skincare to soothe and moisturise my skin.

My dm is of the soap and water school, and her skin doesn’t look that great tbh (and she doesn’t care, good for her!)

I put it down to no spf, make up, or any barrier between her and the sun for many decades of being outside a lot.

I do agree it’s largely sun exposure, genes and diet.

I work independently in health and can't tell you how many people have proudly me they only use "soap and water" or "splash in the shower" while I look at their blotchy, irritated, dull, dry, uneven skin that looks 5-10 years older than their actual age 😂

Don't you just sound like a peach.

I’ve never used soap or water on my skin since l was 12.

I’m 56. I’ve got no wrinkles at all.

@dayslikethese1

MN seems to be full of people who splash a bit of water on their face and still get mistaken for 21 year olds at the age of 50 as well as people who are a size 6 who apparently eat tonnes of pizza and do no exercise. It confuses me

Everyone also lives in the countryside, in converted barns, or little villages -

Or lives in London with high flying DH, and earns upwards of £50,000+