skin care essentials Is Cold Water or Hot Water Better For Your Skin?

If you’re skin care obsessed like us, you may already have your skin care routine down pat. But if you’re following a daily regimen and still not seeing the results you’re looking for, chances are you may be using the wrong water temperature.

When cleansing your face, the water temperature you use and how often you wash your face are essential factors you must take into consideration. Now, that doesn’t mean you need to use bottled water — your skin isn’t that picky. But the water you wash your skin with does have to be just the right temperature. 

Keep reading to learn about how water temperature can affect your complexion, plus learn about the best facial cleansers you can incorporate into your skin care routine. 

What Can Hot Water Do To Your Skin?

While a steaming hot shower or face washing session can feel quite relaxing in the moment, it’s not the best option for your skin. Piping hot water can cause a heightened level of skin sensitivity and dry out your skin, stripping it of necessary natural oils. 

 

This can be incredibly unpleasant if you already have dry skin or oily skin. Oily skin could respond to having its natural oils stripped by creating even more oil — leaving you looking excessively shiny, or worse, causing an unwanted breakout.

 

What Can Cold Water Do To Your Skin?

Splashing cold water on your face will not only wake you up in the morning but also it can also act like an astringent and bring down puffiness and leave your skin feeling refreshed, according to the American Academy of Dermatology (AAD). That being said, you should try to avoid cleansing your skin with too much cold water because it does not effectively clean out the skin. Cold water tightens up your pores, which can trap bacteria and dirt into the skin. 

 

What Water Temperature Is Best For Your Skin?

Turn up (or down) the temperature so that it’s somewhere in between hot and cold — lukewarm is ideal. Recommended by the American Academy of Dermatology, moderately warm water will make for the best face washing experience and overall skin health. Lukewarm water can help ensure that your facial cleanser gets the right amount of foaming action, removes enough dirt from the surface of your skin and balances your natural skin oils appropriately.

The Best Facial Cleansers You Can Use

Now that you know the best temperature to use, it’s time to choose the best facial cleanser for your skin type. We recommend choosing from one of the following options:

L’Oréal Paris Pure-Clay Detox & Brighten Cleanser

After using this clay facial cleanser, the skin is purified of dirt, oil and left with a clean, clear look. The cleanser is formulated with charcoal to help draw out impurities and leave skin looking bright and refreshed. It’s also suitable for all skin types, including sensitive skin.

Editor’s tip: Stick to cleansing your skin just twice a day in the morning and evenings, and after any intense workouts. Overwashing your skin can leave it irritated and dry. 

L'Oréal Paris Revitalift Bright Reveal Brightening Daily Scrub Cleanser

If you have mature skin or are primarily concerned with signs of aging such as fine lines and wrinkles, this is the face wash for you. Formulated with glycolic acid, this scrub-cleanser gently exfoliates and helps remove dead cells that linger on the surface. The result is a brighter, more radiant-looking and even skin tone.

 

Editor’s tip: Glycolic acid can increase your skin’s sensitivity to the sun, and can also dry out the skin without proper hydration. We recommend using a moisturizer with built-in SPF, like the  L'Oréal Paris Revitalift Triple Power Day Lotion SPF 30, to supplement your routine after using a cleanser like this. 

 

L'Oréal Paris Micellar Cleansing Water Complete Cleanser Waterproof - All Skin Types

Your skin’s surface becomes covered with dirt, excess oil, and impurities throughout the day. Use this no-rinse, gentle facial cleanser to help mattify oily T-zones (excellent for combination skin types) without over-drying your cheeks and under-eye area.

L’Oréal Paris RevitaLift Radiant Smoothing Cream Cleanser

If you have skin that’s on the drier side, using a cream cleanser that gently exfoliates can add hydration while getting rid of dead skin cells. This cleanser removes dirt and other impurities from the skin’s surface, and has vitamin C and salicylic acid to make your complexion look even and radiant. 

Because of its creamy consistency, you want to make sure you rub it in your hands before applying to create a soft lather. Then massage onto the skin and rinse thoroughly. 

Next: 8 Tips to Help You Get the Most Out of Your Facial Cleanser

Edited by: Shannon Stubbs. Photo Credit: Chaunte Vaughn