Is washing with water enough?

[tarmactreacle]

I was listening to my friends talking about their skincare routines. I just wash my face with water morning and night then stick on a bit of Body Shop youth serum and their foundation and that's it.

I wear a bit of make up - foundation, powder and lip gloss but it's all pretty much worn off by bedtime as I never touch it up during the day

Is water enough or should I get a cleanser (and toner whatever that is supposed to do?)?

I have no skincare routine at all and my skin is excellent. I think it's mainly luck/genetics.

Yes but I don't wear makeup except on special occasions, when I do I'll wash it off or use make up wipes to remove

Depends on your age i think. I wear makeup 3-4 times a week and would just remove using wipes and then I moved to micellar water and just used a moisturiser in the mornings. Now I'm 38 and I cleanse, tone and moisturise morning and evening. I use spf.I have found my skin has changed the last year or so and have put it down to hormones/peri menopause. It is much drier nowadays and needs more care. I've always had dark circles.

I've had difficulty skin my whole life & I've finally found a routine that really suits it & my skin is the best it's ever been & I'm mid 50s now.

I use a 2 step cleanser system which comes with a white flannel & honestly it's surprising how much dirt still comes off on the second cleanse! Water alone most certainly wouldn't be enough

Then I use Estee Lauder Advanced Night Repair Serum followed by a light moisturiser + Estee Lauder advanced repair eye cream..

I do this after my shower before bed which allows the products to do their job overnight

This routine has rebalanced my skin which used to be both oily and incredibly dry and I regularly had break outs & red patches.

I also use products in the shower & simply wouldn't feel or be clean with just water alone. I always find this gross when people say on here that they don't wash using soap.

Hot water and hands I have very sensitive skin. My skin is good no problems.

I don’t wear foundation or mascara - lipstick and eyeliner only, both of which are easily removed with soap and warm water. My twice daily routine is:
Cleanse - wash with soap and warm water
Tone - splash with cold water after washing
Moisturise - I use a good moisturiser twice a day.

It’s always hard to tell about yourself but I am often told by friends and colleagues that I look younger than I am.

I enjoy washing my face 😂 I do wear makeup and use a cleanser and flannel. It’s a nice step in my bedtime routine.

I don’t wear makeup - apart from some lip gloss occasionally and perhaps a bit of eyebrow pencil. My skincare regime is getting my face wet in the shower twice a day, followed by some Nivea cream if my skincare regime feels dry. If my face was actually dirty I would use emollient cream to wash it rather than soap. I have great skin and never get spots.

Enough for what?

At the end of the day we are animals so water is enough if you aren't adding lotions, potions and make up. You wouldn't use cleanser, wipes and other bits on a cat or dog unless a medicine so you don't have to use it on yourself.

But if you want to use lotions and potions particularly anything oil based or with pigment you are going to need at the very least a good scrub with a face cloth and some soap.

Aging is a natural process, not everyone is interested in
interfering with it. I use moisturiser as I have dry skin and nothing else unless I need sunscreen but even then I prefer to cover up with UV clothing rather than cook in the sun nowadays.

Why? If you've made it so far with water... why the need to change based on strangers on the internet? I've only ever used water to wash my face. Makeup remover for eye make up but that's only a bit of mascara.

Save your money!

Just splashing water on your face isn't washing, it's just "rinsing". To actually wash/cleanse your face, especially if you wear foundation/moisturiser/sunscreen, you will need some sort of cleansing agent or some friction (flannel or wipes) or both.

Your skin must be pretty good naturally though to look clean with just a rinse so you won't need a complicated regime. Sadly I have very oily combination skin and have to use cleanser (or Dove which isn't actually soap) with a face flannel to remove all oil and make up or my skin looks very dull and grubby. I also use an exfoliating wash and clay mask once a week for a deep clean but sounds like you don't need that either you lucky thing @tarmactreacle

This thread is really interesting 🙂 I have very sensitive skin and I'm wondering if just washing with water then maybe using a moisturizer might help calm it down? I'm sure lifestyle factors have a bigger influence than anything applied topically to the skin.

@JaninaDuszejko do you find water removes suncream in the summer or would you use soap for this?

I use baby wipes- a lot cheaper than make up wipes 😂

I don't wear make up, nor do I use moisturiser, creams or any products except sun cream, but not that often tbh.

I've always washed with only water unless my face actually looks or feels dirty, and then I would use a little soap or shower gel, but this is rare.

People always tell me I look young for my age.

You need to use a cleanser to remove dead skin sells and grease. I'm sure some people have good skin despite this but a lot of people won't.

I use Liz Earle cleanse and polish and it has undoubtedly improved skin since I've been using it. I do wear makeup and mascara and foundation and I take it off with a makeup wipe, then remove the rest with the cleanse and polish. You wouldn't believe how much the markup wipe doesn't take off!

I then use Liz earle instant boost skin tonic and spray it over my face, then after about 10 mins I use Liz Earle light moisteriser and an olay eye cream.

I often do, I don't wear mascara, (I have mine dyed a couple of times a year), and I don't run marathons etc so salt sweat lines aren't an issue.

I just stick my face under the shower each morning and put on moisturiser. I don't wear any makeup. Eye liner and lipstick on special occasions (once in the last year), liner comes off with a face wipe if needed.