Sometimes the most efficient, productive beauty practices seem counterintuitive; putting oil on your skin is good for it, bathing in hot black tea removes the sting of a sunburn, etc.

Other times, there are some that seem completely straightforward but end up being bad news. Take, for example, your run of the mill facial cleansing cloths, those easy-peasy wipes that are a godsend to those of us who are pressed for time, super-fastidious or just plain lazy. Some are designed to remove makeup, others to help keep breakouts at bay and all are supposed to get our complexions clean, right?

Not so much.

READ: TotalBeauty.com Awards 2014: Best Facial Products

Sadly, one of our favorite go-to, easy-does-it products may be causing more harm than good.

Huh? How can a wipe be detrimental? As Dr. Craig Kaffert, a New York based dermatologist summarized for HuffPo, "Makeup wipes are quick and convenient but not optimal for overall skin health." Read and learn (as I just did).

If you use them to remove your makeup, you may be overdoing it in the tugging and rubbing department. "Many women use wipes to remove eye make-up," cosmetic dermatologist Dr. Sam Bunting told Stylist. "Because the cleansing lotions can be quite mild, it may take a considerable amount of physical force to get stubborn make-up off, thus risking harming the delicate eye area."

Then there 's the not-so-little hiccup that results from alcohol being the first ingredient in the vast majority of cleansing wipes. A) It's overly drying to skin, B) It doesn't clean skin effectively so any products that you're applying afterwards aren't absorbing properly.

And we've saved the biggest detractor for last; "Using [them] may effectively remove makeup, but once that's over, all you're doing is moving the dirt and bacteria around on your face, from one place to the next." Bottom line, your skin's not getting clean and you're setting yourself up for complexion woes.

Happily, this isn't an issue that's hard to tackle or a difficult problem to overcome. Simply vow to use wipes only as a last resort or when there's no better way to wash up (camping, after-work date, etc.). And, start washing your face properly. (Need help? Here's a refresher course.

Face wipes may be easy and breezy but if they're not helping make your skin beautiful, what's the point?