Should you wash your face after a facial? The answer is pretty easy – no matter your skin type, for best results from your facial you should not wash your skin soon after a facial.
If you want to understand why not, and some tips on how to keep your post-facial glow, keep reading this blog post where I’ll break it all down.
What are the benefits of spa facials?
Let’s start off with why you’d want to get a facial appointment in the first place. In my opinion, regular facials aren’t totally necessary for good skin, but they do have some benefits.
Personally, I think they’re super relaxing and enjoyable.This alone shouldn’t be discounted as not a ‘real’ benefit to your skin, because anything that relaxes you is beneficial to managing stress.
For example, I like to have acupuncture to help me manage my stress. Stress is very damaging to the body both internally and externally, and is a key cause for premature skin ageing.
Generally speaking, most facials start by exfoliating away dead skin cells and excess oil using active ingredients such as chemical exfoliants. The benefit of this is much glowier skin, although this will fade after a few days.
Your skin will then undergo either a gentle cleanser or deep cleansing, depending on the type of facial you’ve selected. Face masks such as clay masks are often used at varying points in the facial process. Each mask has unique benefits depending on what it’s made from.
Pore extraction facials
Lastly, you might have some kind of professional treatments like facial massage or pore extractions. Facial massage helps to bring blood to the surface of the skin, and pore extractions focus on removing any clogged pores.
So, should you wash your face after a facial?
Because each part of your facial has used skincare products designed for each step, it is not a good idea to wash your face after a facial. This would be like doing all of your skincare at home to just… wash it all off!
It’s a waste of product, and you may not see the full results of your post-facial glow.
Correct after-facial care
This doesn’t mean you should avoid washing your face ever again. Just make sure to wear the products for at least most of the day.
If you got the facial in the morning you can do a simple cleansing routine at night. Whereas with a the facial in the evening, I personally wouldn’t bother cleansing at all (assuming you didn’t apply makeup or sunscreen after your facial). If you did apply makeup or sunscreen, it’s best to remove these.
If you can, schedule a morning facial so that you get the maximum benefit of a good facial. This will allow the products to sink in an penetrate during the day, leaving you with beautiful skin.
Alternatively, get an evening facial but do not apply anything extra after the facial. This means you can sleep with the products left on, and the next morning you can wakeup and do your usual skincare.
Tips for the perfect post-facial care
Here are some top tips for post-facial care that take care of your skin, and don’t diminish the results of your facial:
- Avoid hot water and use lukewarm water instead. Hot water can be very stripping on the skin, and you should avoid this in general with your skincare routine.
- Avoid harsh cleansers that can strip the skin barrier of natural oils. Check out my gentle water based cleanser recommendation list.
- Avoid exfoliating with both physical scrubs and chemical exfoliants like salicylic acid. This can cause skin irritation as you probably had some exfoliation during your facial.
- Stay out of direct sunlight unless you’re wearing SPF. Even if so, it’s best to avoid lots of sun exposure.
- Drink plenty of water. Facials and massage in general can deplete your body of water, so drinking lots of water keeps you hydrated, plump and glowy.
- Avoid using a retinoid for a couple of days.
How to avoid post-facial breakouts
Post-facial breakouts are one of the more unfortunate side effects of facials, and they can happen for a number of reasons. Personally this is one of the things that puts me off them, because if you have sensitive skin you are likely to react to one of the 10-15 products they might apply.
For this reason, it’s common for people with skin sensitivity to be put off by facials.
If you’re wondering about should you wash your face after a facial, you might be tempted to wash it off. At this point I think it may be a little too late. I’d suggest either not getting the facial, or riding it out completely to see the full results.
Purging from chemical exfoliants after a facial
Sometimes post-facial breakouts can occur because they used an exfoliant, for example. Let’s take the example of sun damage or dark spots. If you had your consultation and told them this is something you want to work on, they will likely have used a chemical exfoliant such as glycolic acid.
Acids can cause some short-term breakouts. This is because they’re breaking up dead skin cells, and it can sometimes reveal a couple of spots, but these should be short lived.
In this sense, there is no real way to avoid breakouts from facials themselves. However, you might see breakouts if you:
- Have a very hot shower for a long time, causing irritated skin.
- Exfoliate soon after your facial – essentially overdoing it. Even if you have oily skin, you need to let your skin recover.
- Use harsh skincare products that cause irritation or skin barrier damage. Check out my skin barrier product recommendations if this is you.
- Don’t use a clean towel to wash or dry your face.
- Wear heavy makeup on the same day as the facial.
The best facials for acne breakouts
To find out whether facials can help with acne breakouts, I recommend reading my in-depth blog Will a Professional Facial Help with Acne Breakouts?. Long story short, it’s a mixed bag.
Not all facials are the same, some are more targeted towards acne. Others are targeted towards clearing out pores, like a hydrafacial. In the short term this can improve the look of your pores, but it won’t prevent them from becoming clogged again. You can only prevent this by changing your skincare routine long term – check out my guide for clogged pores.
The bottom line is that if you’re dealing with moderate-severe acne, it’s unlikely a facial can fix this for you.
Acne is caused by internal factors such as hormones and genetics, which are impacted by diet and lifestyle. This is why topical treatment is often not as effective as oral treatment.
Should you wash your face after a facial?
The answer is no, not if you can help it. Ultimately it’s a waste of skincare products, and the money you spent on the facial. The best way to see the benefits of a facial is to allow the products time to sink in, ideally 8-12 hours.
If you’re going to be in the sun, take extra care by applying an SPF and wearing a hat. Professional facial treatments can be great if you want the look of healthy skin, but you also need to protect your skin.
Finally, remember that a one-off treatment is unlikely to solve your skin problems, but it can give you a short-term boost. For long term results you’ll need the right skincare routine, and you need to be consistent with it.
