At the beginning of the year, you probably resolved to treat yourself and your skin better. How far have you gotten with that, and will this 60-second facial-cleansing rule bring you closer to your skin goals?
In January, aesthetician Nayamka Roberts-Smith encouraged her followers to wash their faces every morning and night for a full 60-seconds each time. Sounds pretty easy, doesn’t it? Perhaps this was why the routine went viral. This one-minute rule doesn’t require you to buy new products or switch up your skincare routine and, most importantly, it is easy to remember.
You may have heard opinions about the importance of cleansing your face and how to go about it. But how long should it take to cleanse your face, and does the amount of time you spend doing it matter?
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According to Roberts-Smith, “Cleansing your face (with your fingers) for 60 seconds allows the ingredients in the cleanser to actually work. Most people wash their face for like 15 seconds max. [Sixty seconds] softens the skin and dissolves sebum blockages better. Texture and overall evenness improve.”
The 60-second facial-cleansing trick is pretty simple.
Instead of spending thousands of naira on expensive serums and other products, all you have to do is just rub in your daily cleanser for a minute. We’re in!
Purvisha Patel, a board-certified dermatologist and founder of Visha Skincare, says, “In our busy lives, where face washing may be done in a hurry, or even as an afterthought in the shower, the beauty hack for washing for 60 seconds is a good guideline. It makes sure that the cleanser is applied and actually rubbed into the skin for a whole minute before getting washed off.” Patel divides the time even further, to people washing each of the four quadrants of the face for 15 seconds.
Speaking to Allure Magazine, licensed aesthetician and skin therapist at Heyday Natalie Fairchild says that the extra time ensures the thorough cleansing of your skin. If you’ve ever gotten a facial, you’ll notice that the aesthetician takes a minute or more to cleanse your skin. That gets off all the makeup and oil that you walked in with. “Cleansing for 60 seconds, especially using an oil cleanser or balm, helps to soften the skin, clean out pores, and clean off all the pollution, makeup, and sweat from the day,” says Fairchild. Just as important, especially if you’ve spent said money on serums and other fancy products: Products work better on thoroughly cleansed skin.
Ariel Ostad, a board-certified dermatologist in New York City, says a proper cleanse maintains the skin’s natural barrier, even while removing excess dirt and oil. “Your skin’s barrier is always working to protect your face from chemicals, ingredients within products, and making sure pollutants don’t get in.” A light cleanser helps remove dead skin, without disrupting the protections that your body instinctively puts in place.
However, it is important to note that not all skin types are equal.
Always keep yours in mind when setting the cleansing clock. People with acne, for example, can likely benefit from following the 60-second facial-cleansing rule. This is because it will help to exfoliate clogged pores, clean the pores and wash away excess oil and debris on the skin.
As with other skin-care suggestions, notice how your skin reacts in the moment. If your skin feels tight or stripped after cleansing, that may be a sign that 60 seconds is too long. “Over-cleansing” or washing your face multiple times in a day can, over time, lead to dryness and inflammation. It could also trigger issues like acne and rosacea. To stave off irritation, Ostad recommends that patients with those issues stick to a 20- or 30-second cleanse.