Can you wash your face with only water? Short answer, yes. Long answer, it depends. Let me explain.
Cleaning your face with just water not only can be done, people have been doing it for hundreds, if not thousands of years. Whether or not water only face washing is going to work for you, will depend on different factors.
Here I’ll go over the things you need to consider before trying water only face washing. I’ll cover the benefits of using only water to wash your face and then I’ll go over the three different methods you can choose from (and what they’re best suited for). I’ll wrap up with a basic FAQ.
So, let’s start.
Things to consider when choosing water only face washing
Your lifestyle
Are you a high-maintenance sort of person? You know, ten different products layered on top of each other every day, or a pound of makeup? Depending on the types of products you use and how they’re designed, you might find water only is not doing it for you – think waterproof makeup and other heavy silicone-based skin products, for instance.
Your method
Are you just splashing your face with some water, day and night and calling it a day? Are you factoring in your skin’s cleansing needs depending on the time of day, or the type of day you’ve had? There is more than just one way to clean your face with water and you need to make sure that the method you use fits your changing needs, in order to reap the benefits and get results.
Your expectations
Are you looking to only clean your face with water, morning and night, no matter what? Or are you just hoping to strip down your skincare routine to the most effective essentials and figured (rightly) that you probably don’t need to be using quite as many cleansing products, quite as often as you’re told?
Or are you coming into water only face washing hoping to replace all your skincare – meaning, you want to just wash your face with water, no moisturizer, no anything, and get amazing skin?
This actually does work for some people, but it tends to work better when you’re on the younger side and your lifestyle is reasonably healthy. Your gut is healthy, your body is functioning at a well balanced level and producing all those wonderful youth enhancing chemicals that make us look good, without much effort. For most people though, you might have to play around with some add-ons to really make your skin glow.
Your Attitude
Are you one of those people who get easily excited about the “new thing (to you)” and decide that it’s going to solve all their problems immediately, and when it doesn’t it’s a huge disappointment and you throw it all away?
Or are you open to trying a new thing that sounds promising, that you may end up implementing completely or partially, depending on the results (if any) and/or lifestyle compatibility?
Water only face washing, like water only hair washing, or any other beauty and lifestyle decision, doesn’t have to be a religion. You don’t have to follow that and ONLY that, no matter what or you’re a fraud.
It’s OK to dial back, reassess, readjust. Pause it for a while because your needs have changed (or you’re bored)! Pick it up again. Pair it with other things that add value to your life. You can decide to use it every day or only for the mornings, or on no makeup days, or when you’re feeling lazy and you just want to “get it done”.
Benefits of water only face washing
So what are the benefits of washing your face with only water?
- The number one benefit (and the one you should definitely feel excited about) is that it helps to maintain the natural protective barrier and microbiome of the skin. This is extremely important for the health of your skin, which is built and prepared to self-regulate. Like every other part of the human body – it’s a finely tuned holistic organ that’s incredibly well designed. It makes sure that the skin is healthy, clean, fresh looking and balanced.
- It’s even healthier for your WALLET! Self-explanatory, I think…
- Also, in a world suffocated by plastics and non-recyclable waste, it’s just about the lowest waste approach you can adopt in your skincare.
- It can be surprisingly beneficial for your wellbeing. Not only the possibility of fixing long-standing skin issues or just having a more balanced and glowing complexion. But the fact that you don’t have to be dependent on a million beauty products, or be tempted to spend a fortune on some “new miracle cure”, for the dozens of skin troubles that can come when your skin’s simply out of balance from too much of crap.
Quick story:
When I was a teenager I never washed my face – literally. I had no skincare routine, I wore no makeup, or product of any kind on my skin – I. Never. Had. One. Blemish.
This was the case until I turned 18 and started to develop serious hormonal acne, but that’s another story. Until I was 18 I never washed my face, even with just water, and my skin was always PERFECT.
Methods (yes, plural) for water only face washing
So how do you clean your face with just water?
Despite what you might have heard, there are actually different ways you can go about water only face washing. Which method you could adopt depends on your skin type, lifestyle and preference. We also need to discuss water temperature.
First, the importance of temperature in water only face washing
Water will effectively wash away debris and sweat, regardless of temperature. But in order to wash off excess sebum (natural skin oils) or oil-soluble contaminants (makeup, sunscreen, certain pollution) you need to add some heat and/or manual extraction (with a washcloth or towel).
The increased temperature will help to soften and loosen the oil-based grime, to be effectively and manually removed with the washcloth or towel.
Having said that,
there are 3 main methods for water only face washing:
Method 1 – Basic
Splashing warm or cold water for about 30 seconds to a minute on your face and neck, and drying it off with a towel. The most basic.
This method is perfect for:
It’s good for all skin types and issues.
Method 2 – With a washcloth or sponge
Soaking a washcloth in warm or hot water, wringing it out, applying it to the face for 10-15 seconds and wiping off the skin. Repeat 2 or 3 times, all over your face and neck. Basically, the same method you would use for oil cleansing, but without the oil.
Make sure to splash your face and neck with cold water afterwards, to tighten back the pores and skin after being exposed to the heat.
You can also use a sponge (for instance, a Konjac sponge), working it in small circular motions throughout your face and neck. Rinse it out well in between applications, like you would the washcloth.
This method is perfect for:
It’s good for all skin types, especially oily. If you suffer from sensitive skin, or rosacea make sure to use a very soft washcloth and water that’s more lukewarm. A konjac sponge is also very good for rosacea since it’s very soft on the skin – it’s often recommended for washing babies’ skin for that reason.
Note: with this water only face washing method you can actually also use cold water, since the manual wiping with the washcloth is actually doing most of the work. You might have to go over the skin a few more times than would be necessary with the warm water, but it would also do the trick.
Method 3 – Deep cleaning
Steaming your face for 5 minutes with a towel over your head (to get that sauna effect) and wiping off your face with a good terrycloth towel in upward/outward motions, to manually remove all the gunk.
Like with the second method, you want to make sure to splash your face and neck well immediately after with cold water, to tighten back the pores and skin.
This is similar to the method above, but it’s more deeply cleansing, since you’re flushing out all the crap in your pores as well.
This method is perfect for:
It’s good for all skin types, especially acne-prone. Not recommended if you suffer from rosacea – heat tends to aggravate the condition.
Note: you can add some herbs to the water you’re boiling, to get the added benefit to the skin and the respiratory tract. Think lavender, eucalyptus, rosemary, chamomile – there are endless possibilities!
After cleaning your face with just water
One thing to keep in mind even with water only face washing methods – use a toner.
Natural waters and tap waters are on the alkaline side (some more than others), whereas the skin is slightly acidic and it needs that acidity to maintain the protective mantle. When you apply water to the skin it will elevate the pH momentarily (making it slightly more alkaline) and it will take about an hour to rebalance on its own.
An excellent way to speed this up after water only face washing is to use a good toner. By definition, they’re slightly acidic and will do wonders for the health and appearance of your skin. You can make a VERY simple toner with just water and vinegar. And follow with your usual skincare routine.
If you’re exposed to hard water, it’s even more important to use a vinegar toner, since it will “soften” the water and eliminate the mineral deposits that might be left on your skin.
Toners are a must-have if you’re using foam-based cleansers as well, by the way. In that case, to rebalance the pH (it’s very alkaline) and wipe away any leftover residues from the cleanser.
If you’re interested, you can read more about the essential skincare products you really do need (and which ones you don’t) in any skincare routine here.
Water only face washing FAQs
Is water only really enough to clean your face?
We can get very scientific with the nature of water and the different types of grime that can accumulate on our face (and whether or not they’re oil or water-soluble). But to put things into perspective, consider that German clinical dermatologist and anti-aging expert Dr. Yael Adler has stated several times over the years that the only thing you need to cleanse your skin is “water and a towel”.
In fact, when you’re rinsing your face with water and then wiping it off with a towel, you’re physically removing the layer of whatever is sitting on your face – it’s an exfoliation and that is a form of cleansing.
Will it remove makeup and sunscreen properly?
Generally speaking, yes – see above.
To clarify, Dr. Adler also wears makeup and she stands by the same method for removing it at night. Again, you want to consider what kind of makeup it is – if it was specifically formulated to resist easy removal, you might have a harder time getting completely off using only these methods.
Can I wash with only water if my skin is dry or oily?
Water only face washing can be done on all skin types. It cleans and removes any excess oils your skin might have produced in the gentlest way possible. You just need to be adding the proper moisturizer for your skin type in the next step.
Can I wash with only water if I have acne or rosacea?
Yes. As mentioned earlier, it’s a matter of choosing the right water only face washing method to suit your skin needs.
A facial steam is going to be perfect for acne-prone skin, since it cleans out and flushes the pores. Using a warm and soft washcloth would be good for rosacea. Again, you would need to consider the next step in your skincare routine, to make sure you’re addressing the specific needs of your skin and promoting a rebalance.
Water only face washing can be an amazing addition to your skincare routine. Not only are you helping to maintain that precious microbiome and protective barrier intact/whole, but you’re taking a solid step towards uncomplicating your life.
Even if you don’t end up adopting it completely every day – you never need as much crap as you think you do.
Any thoughts or experiments and experiences with water only face washing? Let us all know in the comments!
