“But I cleanse my face properly — why is it still oily?”
“Where do these breakouts keep coming from?”
If these thoughts sound familiar, you’re not alone. Skin cleansing may seem simple, almost routine — a familiar ritual, twice a day, without much thought. But often, what feels harmless or helpful is quietly disrupting your skin’s delicate harmony.
Let’s unravel the most common cleansing mistakes — the ones that sneak beneath the surface and dim your natural radiance without you even realizing.
1. Scrubbing Your Skin ‘Squeaky Clean’ — and Stripping It Bare
Oily and combination skin can be frustrating: the unwanted shine, the melting makeup, the constant urge to feel “clean.” So you scrub harder. You reach for that intense cleanser that leaves your skin squeaky beneath your fingertips.
But here’s the truth: that squeaky sensation is your skin’s cry for help.
Harsh cleansing damages your hydrolipid barrier — the skin’s natural shield that locks in moisture and protects against inflammation. Once it’s stripped away, your skin becomes even more sensitive, breakout-prone, and — ironically — oilier.
🌿 Your solution?
Choose gentle, pH-balanced cleansers. Avoid aggressive surfactants like SLES, ammonium lauryl sulfate, and olefin sulfonates. Instead, opt for skin-loving ingredients like cocamidopropyl betaine or disodium cocoamphodiacetate. After cleansing, your skin should feel soft, calm, and barely touched — never tight or raw.
2. Washing With Hot Water — When Heat Harms More Than It Heals
Hot water may feel indulgent, especially after a long day. But for your skin, it’s anything but comforting. It disrupts your protective barrier, triggers inflammation, and encourages your sebaceous glands to go into overdrive.
And cold water? Not helpful either. It doesn’t dissolve sebum or cleanse thoroughly.
💧 The golden temperature?
Lukewarm — like a soft embrace. Just warm enough to cleanse, but gentle enough to preserve your skin’s balance.
3. Using Harsh Scrubs — When What You Need Is Kindness
Those exfoliating face washes from the drugstore may promise “2-in-1” magic — cleanse and renew — but in reality, they can be brutal on your skin. Their formulas often contain aggressive surfactants and sharp exfoliating particles that scratch and irritate your already vulnerable complexion.
✨ Try this instead:
Gentle enzyme peels for a soft, non-abrasive exfoliation. And for deeper care, chemical exfoliants (like AHAs or BHAs) — used only once or twice a month — can give your skin a glow without the trauma.
4. Overwashing — the Vicious Cycle of Clean and Oily
It’s easy to think that if your skin is oily, you need to wash it more. But over-cleansing only fuels the fire. You strip away the oils, your skin panics, and produces even more.
🕊️ Better approach?
Cleanse twice a day — morning and evening. No more. If that doesn’t feel like enough, it’s not about frequency — it’s about formulation. Seek out products with zinc, niacinamide, white clay, green tea extract — ingredients that gently regulate oil without disruption.
And if you have dry or sensitive skin? Sometimes a splash of warm water in the morning is enough. Let your skin rest.
5. Skipping Makeup Removal — the Silent Skin Saboteur
We’ve all been there — exhausted, tempted to crawl into bed without washing our face. But every day your skin collects more than just makeup: it gathers pollution, sebum, and sunscreen residue.
🧴 Don’t skip double cleansing.
Use a micellar water or cleansing oil before your regular wash. That’s the only way to truly clear away what your skin doesn’t need — and protect it from clogged pores and inflammation.
6. Forgetting Toner — When Skin Needs That Final Whisper of Care
Toner isn’t an extra step. It’s a moment of restoration. After cleansing, your skin’s pH may be disrupted, its barrier slightly disoriented. Toner brings it back into balance and prepares it to fully absorb the next steps in your routine.
🌸 Choose wisely:
Avoid alcohol-based toners. Instead, reach for formulas rich in calming botanicals and a balanced pH — 4.5–5.5 for normal to oily skin, slightly higher for dry and sensitive skin. Think of toner as silk — subtle, but transformative.
7. Rubbing Your Skin Dry — When It Deserves Gentle Grace
After cleansing, what you do next matters. Tugging at your face with a rough towel can stretch, irritate, and damage the skin — especially if that towel harbors bacteria from past uses.
✨ Your new ritual?
Gently pat dry with a clean, soft towel — or better yet, single-use paper towels. And don’t forget your pillowcases: change them regularly, and if you can, treat your skin to silk — breathable, hypoallergenic, and oh-so-kind.
Tell me — have you made any of these cleansing mistakes before? What helped you shift your skincare routine? Let’s talk in the comments. Beauty is a conversation — and your voice is part of it. 💕
Other Articles
