Face Washing and Teeth Whitening to Lose Weight

I have a dark secret that might surprise you. 

I rarely wash my face before bedtime. 

Disgusting, right? Although going to bed with a grimy face is never a good thing, it feels good to confess this egregious lack of hygiene. I know there are women who cannot imagine how one could live with clogged pores and a filthy face each night, and I am not proud to tell you I lived and slept with myself just fine. There are others thinking same, girl, same, and I’m glad I can help you feel seen in this area of struggle.

To clarify, and offer a ridiculous excuse, this habit of going to bed without washing my face is mostly related to me being a morning person who has mentally been asleep for an hour before she physically hits the bed. It is the reason I do not spend good money on expensive face products. It would be like paying for a wetsuit in the desert. And though I kept this dirty secret to myself I was truly not even that ashamed until my recent skin care revolution.

My chronic lack of motivation to wash my face at bedtime continued until I started working to lose weight. Now, I am a licensed nurse practitioner who specializes in weight loss, so my personal weight loss came naturally and easily. Riiiiight. It was as natural as my artificially colored red hair. I struggled to make progress and encountered the same setbacks my patients have described, until I discovered a secret sauce that led me to lose weight.

What I uncovered is that prioritizing washing my face before bed and whitening my teeth a few evenings per week launched me into another level of wanting to show up well. It all started when I wanted to stick to the time I committed to stop eating every evening. Sitting on the couch I craved snacks, so I got up and did laundry, or other equally exciting tasks as a distraction. I wanted something that helped me unwind better than household chores so I decided to do a face mask. That led to washing my face the next night because my skin felt so fresh the morning after the face mask. Then, I decided I should add washing my face to my daily weight loss goals to hold myself accountable to better all around self care. I started meeting both my dietary and face hygiene goals most days. In addition to noticing my clothes fitting better I noticed my skin looked healthier, and it was nice to see some improvement in multiple areas.

Subsequent to this small progress I started to feel the pull to backslide, which I believe is Satan’s interference to stop us from being well. I started thinking I could skip a night of face washing or have an extra treat. Just a little wouldn’t hurt, right? As a result of the temptations I decided to bring out the big guns, in the form of two small teeth trays. I started whitening my teeth a few nights per week, and not only did those trays provide a physical barrier to stop me from snacking, the whitening process gave me a renewed sense of accomplishment. Watching my teeth become whiter seemed like a metaphor for what was happening in my body, mind, and soul as I nourished myself better and shed unwanted weight.

To be sure, studies show face washing and teeth whitening have no direct correlation to weight loss. That is a fabrication, there are no studies on this matter I am aware of, and if science is studying this concept I would be concerned. What I am sharing is not scientific but my lived experience of how small choices to be and do better can overlap into other areas of our life and propel us further in our wellness journey. For me, the two habits of face washing and teeth whitening are evidence of and strategies for a woman who is caring for herself and becoming well, shining face to pedicured toes. And once I started doing those two things consistently I did, in fact, lose weight. Perhaps for you, the secret to progress in your wellness goals may lie in something similar. Think about a little thing that will boost your mood and give you a small but motivating win. Make your bed, organize that drawer that drives you crazy, sit and watch your bird feeder in the morning, or add a five minute prayer and meditation to your day.

Often wellness is found when the smallest things are consistently and most timely applied. Losing weight is never just about food, exercise, and numbers on a scale. We are whole, complicated women, who are capable of being well, in Jesus name. 

Be well, be intentional with caring for yourself, and maybe think about washing your face, too.