# Face washing fail: What am I doing wrong? **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [May 7, 2011, 1:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/face-washing-fail-what-am-i-doing-wrong/581035 "2011-05-07T01:21:11Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![wonky](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wonky/32/393_2.png) [@wonky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wonky)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2011, 1:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/face-washing-fail-what-am-i-doing-wrong/581035/1 "2011-05-07T01:21:11Z")
Whenever I wash my face with anything that needs to be rinsed off I struggle to actually rinse the stuff off. I get that I’m not supposed to scrub my face with a towel, but essentially I just end up splashing water around and still end up with lots of whatever substance I’m ostensibly “rinsing off” still on my face, especially around my hairline. My solution has always been to do these washings before taking a shower where the rinsing is easy peasy. But today I decided to wash my face with some new stuff and the result was the same as always. Apply the substance, attempt to rinse, end up blotting lots of excess off with a towel. Is this one of those things that only I can’t do? ---
**Author:** ![Zsofia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/7bcc69/32.png) [@Zsofia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zsofia)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2011, 1:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/face-washing-fail-what-am-i-doing-wrong/581035/2 "2011-05-07T01:38:36Z")
I do it in the shower also. I laugh at “remove with tissue”. Really? ---
**Author:** ![sinjin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ebca7d/32.png) [@sinjin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sinjin)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2011, 1:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/face-washing-fail-what-am-i-doing-wrong/581035/3 "2011-05-07T01:41:09Z")
Nah, I can’t do that TV commercial bs either. I have found that washing my face with Dove soap every other day in the shower works for me. Way less break-outs, less rosacia, less flaking. YMMV. ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2011, 1:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/face-washing-fail-what-am-i-doing-wrong/581035/4 "2011-05-07T01:41:22Z")
I just washed my face… …and I can’t do a thing with it. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Amasia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ba9def/32.png) [@Amasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Amasia)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2011, 1:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/face-washing-fail-what-am-i-doing-wrong/581035/5 "2011-05-07T01:42:49Z")
How much product are you using? Probably around a dime or nickel sized amount is all that you need. Also, it helps to begin lathering the product in your hands so that when you apply it to your face, it’s already starting to break down. Are these oil-based products? Maybe that’s why they don’t come off with water. ---
**Author:** ![Cub\_Mistress](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ea666f/32.png) [@Cub\_Mistress](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cub_Mistress)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2011, 1:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/face-washing-fail-what-am-i-doing-wrong/581035/6 "2011-05-07T01:44:01Z")
I use a soft, wet washcloth for “rinsing.” ---
**Author:** ![Sierra\_Indigo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f0a364/32.png) [@Sierra\_Indigo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sierra_Indigo)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2011, 1:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/face-washing-fail-what-am-i-doing-wrong/581035/7 "2011-05-07T01:56:03Z")
There’s also a difference between “Scrubbing with a towel” and using a facecloth to gently wipe away residue once the primary rinse has happened ---
**Author:** ![twickster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ec9cab/32.png) [@twickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/twickster)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2011, 2:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/face-washing-fail-what-am-i-doing-wrong/581035/8 "2011-05-07T02:08:41Z")
How hard is your water? Do things rinse easily in the shower? ---
**Author:** ![FloatyGimpy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/floatygimpy/32/7750_2.png) [@FloatyGimpy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FloatyGimpy)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2011, 2:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/face-washing-fail-what-am-i-doing-wrong/581035/9 "2011-05-07T02:10:49Z")
I wet my face, lather the product, gently wipe away with warm damp facecloth, then splash rinse, pat dry, apply cream. ---
**Author:** ![wonky](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wonky/32/393_2.png) [@wonky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wonky)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2011, 2:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/face-washing-fail-what-am-i-doing-wrong/581035/10 "2011-05-07T02:13:22Z")
> [@twickster](#): > > How hard is your water? Do things rinse easily in the shower? Yeah, this is a long-standing inability that spans many states and many water supplies. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Postariti](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/b4bc9f/32.png) [@Postariti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Postariti)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2011, 2:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/face-washing-fail-what-am-i-doing-wrong/581035/11 "2011-05-07T02:24:15Z")
Have you ever tried using Cetaphil cleanser? It was originally developed as a non-water cleanser - rub on and wipe off with a tissue. This means it’s non-irritating if some is left on your skin. So if you use it, and can’t rinse it all off, it’s no big deal. Once your face is dry, I doubt if you would notice there was any residue left. ---
**Author:** ![SeaDragonTattoo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/df705f/32.png) [@SeaDragonTattoo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SeaDragonTattoo)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2011, 2:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/face-washing-fail-what-am-i-doing-wrong/581035/12 "2011-05-07T02:30:26Z")
I use a wrung-out wet washcloth to gently wipe away/rinse, no scrubbing. I hate, hate, hate splash-rinsing, because water inevitably runs from my hands to my elbows and I hate, hate, hate that feeling. Plus the sink counter gets all wet. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2011, 2:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/face-washing-fail-what-am-i-doing-wrong/581035/13 "2011-05-07T02:37:56Z")
You might have a mild case of [seborrhoeic eczema](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Seborrhoeic_eczema.png), which may appear at the hairline. ---
**Author:** ![anu-la1979](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/47e85d/32.png) [@anu-la1979](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/anu-la1979)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2011, 2:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/face-washing-fail-what-am-i-doing-wrong/581035/14 "2011-05-07T02:39:16Z")
Try a Clarisonic with CeraVe or Cetaphil ---
**Author:** ![twickster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ec9cab/32.png) [@twickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/twickster)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2011, 2:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/face-washing-fail-what-am-i-doing-wrong/581035/15 "2011-05-07T02:44:21Z")
> [@jsgoddess](#): > > Yeah, this is a long-standing inability that spans many states and many water supplies. 😃 Just checkin’. ---
**Author:** ![ZipperJJ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zipperjj/32/211_2.png) [@ZipperJJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZipperJJ)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2011, 3:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/face-washing-fail-what-am-i-doing-wrong/581035/16 "2011-05-07T03:14:23Z")
> [@Postariti](#): > > Have you ever tried using Cetaphil cleanser? It was originally developed as a non-water cleanser - rub on and wipe off with a tissue. This means it’s non-irritating if some is left on your skin. So if you use it, and can’t rinse it all off, it’s no big deal. Once your face is dry, I doubt if you would notice there was any residue left. +1. I use Cetaphil “Gentle Face Cleanser” and I rinse it right off with no problem. Although I do have humongous hands that make great face splashers, and I always get the mirror and my chest all wet. Maybe you’re too dainty? 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Shayna](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/shayna/32/17976_2.png) [@Shayna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shayna)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2011, 5:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/face-washing-fail-what-am-i-doing-wrong/581035/17 "2011-05-07T05:52:23Z")
> [@SeaDragonTattoo](#): > > I hate, hate, hate splash-rinsing, because water inevitably runs from my hands to my elbows and I hate, hate, hate that feeling. Plus the sink counter gets all wet. This, this, this. 1,000 times this! I use a washcloth, too, but I don’t wring it out. I lay it across both palms and fill it with water to do a combination splash/wipe type rinse. Also, I use Noxzema. I’ve used it since I was a teenager. ---
**Author:** ![Rachellelogram](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rachellelogram/32/8689_2.png) [@Rachellelogram](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rachellelogram)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2011, 9:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/face-washing-fail-what-am-i-doing-wrong/581035/18 "2011-05-07T09:06:22Z")
Have you tried using this line of face wash: [http://www.amazon.com/LOreal-Anti-Breakout-Facial-Cleanser-6-Fluid/dp/B004C112DW/ref=pd\_sim\_bt\_3](http://www.amazon.com/LOreal-Anti-Breakout-Facial-Cleanser-6-Fluid/dp/B004C112DW/ref=pd_sim_bt_3) It comes with a “scrublet” which you can rinse and use to get the soap off your face after you’ve scrubbed your pores with it. I really like it. The scrublet is great for other things too, I use it to massage lotion into my face, hands, and feet. Just wash it in between, it’s made of washable rubbery stuff. And it has a little suction cup on the end which sticks easily to the bathroom wall, if you want. ---
**Author:** ![rhubarbarin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/eb9ed0/32.png) [@rhubarbarin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rhubarbarin)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2011, 5:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/face-washing-fail-what-am-i-doing-wrong/581035/19 "2011-05-07T17:12:25Z")
I’ve been using a facewash once or twice per day for many years and always get it off completely with just water. I definitely have a technique, thinking about it: I lean very deeply over the sink (because I hate water running down my arms to my elbows too!), cup my hands to collect water, bring my cupped hands full of water and my face close together in order to get the most water possible actually on my face, then ‘press’ the water up over one area of my face (starting with the forehead and working down) and give a rub with my hands away from my hairline/jaw. Repeat 3-5 times with lots of gentle rubbing, and you have a product-free face. I also am pretty good at not getting puddles or water all over the place. It’s the modified splashing method I guess. ---
**Author:** ![Surly\_Chick](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ec9cab/32.png) [@Surly\_Chick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Surly_Chick)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2011, 5:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/face-washing-fail-what-am-i-doing-wrong/581035/20 "2011-05-07T17:52:21Z")
I’ll put a plug in for the Neutragena face wipes. They remove everything and you don’t need to rinse afterwards (although I use a clarifying lotion after). [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/face-washing-fail-what-am-i-doing-wrong/581035.md?page=2)