Healthy skin begins as clean skin. Cleansing is important to remove dirt, dust, excess facial oil and makeup from your face. More is not necessarily better--more scrubbing and harsh skin cleansers will not produce finer skin. No matter what your skin type, most soaps and liquid skin cleansers are very alkaline (which helps them clean better). For this reason, they have a tendency to alter the skin's natural acidic barrier, which keeps out harmful, infection-causing agents. Ideally, skin should regain its acidity soon after washing it, but this is not always the case. Using mild, gentle cleansers, toners, exfoliants and moisturizers is key. A good cleansing regime includes morning and nightly cleansing. Cell rejuvenation takes place in the body overnight; therefore, allocating time for nightly skin cleansing and treatment is paramount for healthy skin cells to be produced. It is also a good idea to exfoliate in the morning and slough off the dead skin cells that have accumulated during the night. Nightly cleansing should never be overlooked as pores are clogged with oil and toxins from the environment during the day regardless of what makeup is being used.