Should You Be Cleansing in the Morning?

Let’s settle a nerdie skincare debate: should we really be cleansing in the evening and morning?

We love cleansing! We enjoy removing makeup more than we do applying it and are big advocates of waking up and getting our cleanse on before we go, go.

Yet some experts believe that cleansing in the morning disrupts our skin’s microbiome and damages the skin barrier which provides vital protection throughout the day.

We’re such loyal members of the morning cleanse club because it whisks away the dead skin cells and excess sebum that’s accumulated overnight for bright, balanced skin and improved skincare absorption.

Keep scrollin’ for our nerdie reasoning on why cleansing in the morning is key to skin health.

Why you should be cleanse in the morning

Removes dead skin cells

Beauty sleep is real, hoomans! As we’re peacefully catching Zzzs, our skin’s hard at work making sure essential skin functions are underway to protect and restore. While cell mitosis – the process of creating new skin cells – occurs 24-hours a day (yep, our skin’s a busy bee!), it’s during the night that cell renewal rates and dead skin sloughing speeds up.

That’s when our skin has a chance to repair everyday intrinsic and extrinsic damage, as well as free radical activity. The result? A lovely load of dead skin cells to sweep away from our skin. That’s where our morning cleanse comes in. Cleansing our skin in the morning removes the dead skin cells that have built up overnight which could block pores and develop into a breakout if left to sit on our skin during the day.

Nerdie fact: between 10pm and 2am is the optimal time for skin growth repair. So, get to sleep the earlier the better!

Balances sebum

A quick splash and dash won’t cut the mustard when you’re dealing with morning shine. Sebocytes, cells found in our sebaceous glands, secrete sebum (aka oil) and don’t take siestas overnight. When this sebum reaches the skin’s surface it oxidises which can cause inflammation in the form of open and closed comedones – blackheads and whiteheads.

In fact, a study published in the Journal of The European Academy of Dermatology and Venereology in 2014 found that lipid peroxidation (an effect of sebum oxidation) was elevated in the sebum of patients with mild acne. So, you don’t want oxidised sebum hanging around longer than necessary.

A morning cleanse wicks away any oily build-up, so skin is balanced throughout the day. Keep on movin’ Franks, you’re not welcome here!

More nerdie reads: Expert Tips for How to Cleanse Your Face

Hydrates skin

Waking up to dehydrated skin? Worry not, nerds, it's completely normal. A study in 1998 conducted at the Rabin Medical Center in Israel found that transepidermal water loss was higher during the evening and night versus the morning. That’s when water is lost from our body to the atmosphere through the epidermis, the outermost layer of our skin.

So, hydrate, hydrate, hydrate. But it’s crucial to cleanse first, hoomans. Applying a moisturising skincare products to an unwashed face is a waste as they’ll sit on top of a layer of sebum and dead skin which means they won’t penetrate as deeply as they have the potential to. Some are cautious of cleansing in the morning in case it dries their skin out further but if you’re armed with a creamy, dreamy cleanser (like our PreProbiotic Cleanse), the skin will be cared for and nourished as it’s cleansed.

Preps skin for skincare

A morning cleanse is your skin’s reboot. All sweat, oil and dead skin that’s accumulated as you snooze has been whisked away to reveal a perfectly prepped canvas that’s ready for topical skincare.

Active ingredients, like vitamins A + C found in our Skin Protein, will penetrate further once skin has been cleansed and there’s not a restrictive barrier of sebum and dead skin cells to permeate through. Plus, cleansing aids in cellular defense and protection as your skincare has the chance to do its job and not just sit on the skin’s surface.

So, apply your serum, SPF and moisturiser with a smile knowing it’s penetrating deeper and working harder!

More nerdie info: What is PreProbiotic Cleanse?

Wellbeing + me-time

Just because you brushed your teeth at night doesn’t mean you’d skip your morning wash. We’re here for minty fresh breath! And the same goes for our skin – without the smell of course. Cleansing is just as much a vital step in our morning ritual as having brekkie and getting dressed (into clean pjs, thanks lockdown!). Our morning cleanse preps ourselves and skin for the day ahead – what better way to start the day than with a few moments of me-time?

Choose the right cleanser + technique

Sorry Sally, you’ll be taking a back seat for this one. For your morning cleanse, use a gentle, non-stripping cleanser that nourishes and cares for your skin’s natural microbiome, your skin’s ecosystem of good and bad bacteria. We’d advise against active cleansers in the morning – save them for a PM pamper!

Our PreProbiotic Cleanse is a gentle, inactive cleanser enriched with prebiotic and probiotic goodness to balance your natural biome, as well as poly hydroxy acid (PHA) to gently lift away dead skin cells and excess oil.

You haven’t been wearing SPF or makeup (we pray!) overnight so there’s no need to double-cleanse to remove them. See, your morning cleanse isn’t a total drag – simply wake up, cleanse once with a gentle cleanser, and your skin is prepped for further skincare application.