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I get more spots when I wash my skin?

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Hi, so for ages I had really bad skin and had to wear foundation every day to cover it up. But I really hated to wear foundation and wanted to stop wearing it as I thought maybe it was the cause of my spots. My skin did clear up a lot and I stopped wearing it, covering the remaining spots with concealer. My skin was still bad and would get massive spots and as soon as they disappeared another would come.

I decided to try a different face wash as I thought maybe it was the face wash I was using. No change. And another face wash. Two weeks later, no change, in fact even worse. So I decided to remove using it completely. A few weeks later my skin was COMPLETELY clear. Since then I haven't washed my face, using only 'simple' brand moisturiser, face wipes and toner which don't cause my skin to go crazy. However, their face wash does make me break out so I don't use it but I may try one with even less ingredients from that line some time.

The other day I tried yet another face wash and my skin has gone crazy again. I like the feeling of washing my face but it just makes it worse. I don't consider myself to have sensitive skin- or maybe it's just my face? I can use hair dye fine without any problems.

My question is, would it be really bad not to wash my face with soap? Would it cause some sort of build up of dirt and make it worse at some point? I still wash my face with water and exfoliate lightly with a cloth but is it necessary to use soap? I remember my biology teacher saying how skin products are a load of rubbish and that our skin looks after itself naturally with its own oils. So would it be okay to not wash my face with soap?

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don't use really hot water and don't rub it too hard- do it gently with warm water twice a day.
Hi, I used to have the same problem as you and your Biology teacher is absolutely right! The skin on our face is odd as it reacts very differently to different products for different people! For me, I have now started to have very clear skin and to be honest I don't even do as much as you! In the mornings I just wash my face with water, to be honest I have never been a girl who spends much time on her, so I don't use face wash (does more harm than good!) and my face also gets washed when showering!

You, my friend have this unlucky problem with foundation, I have it too. Do not clog up your skin with it, it helps clog pores and aggravate your spots :smile: Don't worry about spots, I used to be really self conscious about them but now I don't see the point. Every girl gets them but I don't understand why some girls feel the need to be so bitchy about it if someone has some just because they don't feel the need to cake their face with foundation. All in all carry on as you are, it's completely fine. :smile:
I never wash my face with soap, just plain water, then use Simple toner and moisturiser. I find that doing anything different gives me spots. A lot of face washes contain sodium lauryl sulphate, which makes them foamy, it could be this thats irritating your face.
Hello, Personally I swear by hot water and soap. I have used lots of stuff on my face, most of which has made it worse. Then I tried some face wash with natural ingredients in it, and this stuff worked really well. However, with it being natural stuff wasn't the cheapest thing.
So I did some research and found that Dove extra sensitive soap is recommended by many people (You can read some reviews here). This stuff has worked so much for me. The reason why you probably get more spots from the soap you use is probably if it has fragrance in it, the fragrance will dry out your skin. Which in-turn makes your skin produce more oil to keep it moisturised and therefore you get more spots.
This dove soap doesn't have fragrance in so hasn't dried out my skin and has got rid of most of my spots also its 1/4 moisturiser so it moisturises your skin too. I wouldn't use any soap but this Dove soap now.
I hope this helps!
I'd say you're fine, but if you're concerned about not cleansing your skin, try a cream cleanser that you rub onto dry skin and remove with a cotton pad. I have dry skin and find this is more gentle - it's what the French do, apparently.
Reply 6
Face wipes would be better than soap. Regular soap is very bad for skin if you have problems with spots, it would be better to not wash at all than use regular bar soap!
Reply 7
you might be over washing your skin? You could try malik deep sea mud soap.Brilliant stuff and it's not the least bit harsh
I use Simple products however I have read about models who swear by hot water and a 'good' soap.
Reply 9
Take a look at this site, especially the honey cleasning method and the oil cleansing method. I'm pretty happy with my current routine so I ahven't used either, but I hear they can get great results, and other stuff on this site ahs worked well for me :smile: http://www.crunchybetty.com/
Reply 10
i think if just hot water works for you, stick with that. :smile: face wipes do a basic clean anyway and if your skin is reacting to cleansers they're probably doing more harm than good! i just stick with whatever doesnt give me spots aha, :smile:
Original post by thescientist17
(skip to end if you don't want to read all of this!)

Hi, so for ages I had really bad skin and had to wear foundation every day to cover it up. But I really hated to wear foundation and wanted to stop wearing it as I thought maybe it was the cause of my spots. My skin did clear up a lot and I stopped wearing it, covering the remaining spots with concealer. My skin was still bad and would get massive spots and as soon as they disappeared another would come.

I decided to try a different face wash as I thought maybe it was the face wash I was using. No change. And another face wash. Two weeks later, no change, in fact even worse. So I decided to remove using it completely. A few weeks later my skin was COMPLETELY clear. Since then I haven't washed my face, using only 'simple' brand moisturiser, face wipes and toner which don't cause my skin to go crazy. However, their face wash does make me break out so I don't use it but I may try one with even less ingredients from that line some time.

The other day I tried yet another face wash and my skin has gone crazy again. I like the feeling of washing my face but it just makes it worse. I don't consider myself to have sensitive skin- or maybe it's just my face? I can use hair dye fine without any problems.

My question is, would it be really bad not to wash my face with soap? Would it cause some sort of build up of dirt and make it worse at some point? I still wash my face with water and exfoliate lightly with a cloth but is it necessary to use soap? I remember my biology teacher saying how skin products are a load of rubbish and that our skin looks after itself naturally with its own oils. So would it be okay to not wash my face with soap?


Use warm water alone when you get up and when you go to bed. Don't eat too much crap, drink a decent amount of water and exercise regularly to clean out your pores. This is all you should need to do.
(edited 11 years ago)
Reply 12
Don't wash.
Reply 13
Whatever you decide to do when it comes to washing, there is something else you can do. Apparently changing your pillow cases more regularly can help with spots - haven't tried this as I don't have a big problem with spots, but it may help. :smile:
Original post by thescientist17
(skip to end if you don't want to read all of this!)

Hi, so for ages I had really bad skin and had to wear foundation every day to cover it up. But I really hated to wear foundation and wanted to stop wearing it as I thought maybe it was the cause of my spots. My skin did clear up a lot and I stopped wearing it, covering the remaining spots with concealer. My skin was still bad and would get massive spots and as soon as they disappeared another would come.

I decided to try a different face wash as I thought maybe it was the face wash I was using. No change. And another face wash. Two weeks later, no change, in fact even worse. So I decided to remove using it completely. A few weeks later my skin was COMPLETELY clear. Since then I haven't washed my face, using only 'simple' brand moisturiser, face wipes and toner which don't cause my skin to go crazy. However, their face wash does make me break out so I don't use it but I may try one with even less ingredients from that line some time.

The other day I tried yet another face wash and my skin has gone crazy again. I like the feeling of washing my face but it just makes it worse. I don't consider myself to have sensitive skin- or maybe it's just my face? I can use hair dye fine without any problems.

My question is, would it be really bad not to wash my face with soap? Would it cause some sort of build up of dirt and make it worse at some point? I still wash my face with water and exfoliate lightly with a cloth but is it necessary to use soap? I remember my biology teacher saying how skin products are a load of rubbish and that our skin looks after itself naturally with its own oils. So would it be okay to not wash my face with soap?


you're probably using stuff on your face that is far too harsh for your skin.
Try liz earle cleanse & polish or clinique's mild face soap to remove makeup (do NOT use a wipe!)
then use a serum and a moisturiser.
- Never, ever skimp on the moisturiser! Most important bit of your skincare routine : (
You'll probably see some improvement.
Reply 15
Original post by foxes-are-ginger

Try liz earle cleanse & polish or clinique's mild face soap to remove makeup (do NOT use a wipe!)


Ohohoh Liz Earle cleanse&polish is excellent, nice and gentle, plus it smells lovely :3
hi i had the exact same problem id apply all these spot removing products and just end up with more! what helped me was not using soap when washing my face in the morning just cold water and patting my skin dry not rubbing the towel all round my face, dont put anything on the spots and dont try to squeeze them unless they have a white head.

i use simple moisturiser as it has no added perfumes etc and simple facewash for in the shower.

my foundation is the reason behind most of my outbreaks and my skin reacts badly to liquidy foundations i use miracle touch by max factor and always put on mineral powder so my skin doesnt get too oily- which has worked. it also helps wearing make up less ive stoppped wearing it to school and only wear it going out. now i get one or two spots and thats it. hope this helps!!!! :smile: x
i found this site to be useful in giving instructions on how to wash face properly
http://www.facewashformen.info

was this helpfiul?
I remember for a while I went through this really weird phase where I was allergic to so many different products; face washes, hand soaps, even shampoo !

I had to get a special medicated shampoo, but in terms of my face, there was nothing out there that helped keep the spots and rash at bay.
I then tried just washing my face with cool water and a clean face towel. My face cleared up really well and it was my preferred way of washing my face for several months after that. Eventually my sensitivity went away so I now use face wash again, but every now and then I will just wash my face with water and I don't really see any advantage of using my face wash apart from the nice smell it leaves on your skin.

I would definitely give it a go as it worked for me. Hope this helps ! :smile:
Everyone needs to be using a good face wash (not a foaming one or with any alcohol in it) how do you expect your acne to clear up if you leaving bacteria on your face as thats what is causing it.

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