At least according to “Influencers”.

At some point, washing your face became something you needed a TikTok tutorial for, apparently, because “You’re washing your face wrong!!” is now all too familiar to those of us who find themselves on the skincare side of the app (and other social media) from time to time. Washing your face has become a multi-step and multi-product process used to create anxiety and stop our scrolling.

Not because anyone was asking. Just because someone appeared in your feed (if you’re on the skincare side of social media) to announce that you’d been doing it wrong.

You need a separate oil cleanser; and you need a separate gel cleanser. Obviously.

Oil cleanse on dry skin, obviously. *insert influencer sigh & eye roll here* (can we all start saying sigh roll??) .

Then use the gel cleanser on wet skin, obviously.

*sigh roll*

Every. Single. Night. Obviously. Otherwise, are you evengetting your face clean?

*sigh roll*

Can we just not with this bullsh*t? 

For most people, one thorough wash is likely enough. Double cleansing can be useful at times, but it isn’t a nightly requirement for everyone with a face. But hey, “you’re doing it wrong” is a pretty reliable way to get you to stop scrolling…so…

When a double cleanse can help

A few layers of water-resistant, stubborn sunscreen or waterproof makeup sometimes take a little extra TLC to remove. An oil based cleanser can help loosen those stubborn products. Depending on what you’re wearing and how well your cleanser removes it, following with another gentle cleanse may make sense.

Wearing sunscreen or makeup doesn’t automatically mean you need two cleansers every night. Some formulas come off readily with a regular cleanser. Others are designed to hang on through sweat, swimming, and an afternoon outside. Those may need a little more help.

There’s actual research behind that distinction. A small study comparing sunscreen removal found that both a foaming cleanser and a cleansing oil effectively removed the non-water-resistant sunscreen tested. For the water-resistant sunscreen, the cleansing oil performed better.

That supports choosing a cleanser that can remove what you’re wearing. It doesn’t establish that everyone needs to wash twice. Cleveland Clinic makes the same broader point: most people don’t need to double cleanse, and unnecessary washing can contribute to dryness and irritation.

If your current cleanser gets the job done and your skin feels good afterward, you don’t need to add another step because someone delivered the instructions very confidently.

And if you’d rather use one product?

Same, fam, same.

The name Lazy-A** Double Cleanser is a reflection of my refined sense of humor, yes, but there’s also a practical idea behind it: one product that does both jobs.

It starts as an oil cleanser, helping to get stubborn sunscreen, waterproof makeup, etc. moving. Add water and it turns into a lightly lathery wash that rinses away clean, no residue. You get the oil cleanse step and the wash off step without a second product or a second rinse. Less water, less bathroom counter mess (or am I the only one who gets water EVERYWHERE when washing my face??).

You can also just use it as your everyday cleanser. You don’t have to wear a full face of makeup or have layers of waterproof sunscreen on to qualify. Though, when you are wearing all that sunscreen, we do recommend starting on dry skin, then adding water—it’s more effective, and ultimately more efficient.

If you like the ritual of multiple steps and products, and your skin is happy – you do you, boo. Or, if you’re washing your face once and your skin is happy, you’re probably doing just fine, too. 

Washing your face doesn’t need to become yet another thing someone convinces us that we need to “optimize.” Just wash your face sometimes, ‘kay?