You don't necessarily need to wash your face a lot. What works best for me is to not use soap at all, unless my skin's really dirty, because the soap'll dry it out too much, and I DON'T have very dry skin. Rubbing my skin hard or using abrasives will also cause an outbreak for me. Stressed skin is more susceptable to infection by the bacteria that cause acne. I rinse my skin and wipe it with a soft towel, and that's it. Basically, you need to experiment and find what balance works best for you. Everyone has different levels of oil production and skin sensitivity.

#1 rule: Don't pick at your acne! This is the hardest rule to follow, because those white and black spots look SO ugly! But, if you pick at them and make them inflamed and bleeding, not only will you cause scars that take longer to heal, but you spread the bacteria around your body.

Some other things I've found helpful:

Alpha-hydroxy acid lotions are great and mild. They work by removing the top layers of skin, gently removing oils and infected tissues. This is one of the most successful things for me. I've heard that rubbing a lemon on your face or rinsing with vinegar also helps with acne, and this makes sense because they would basically be doing the same thing as the alpha-hydroxy acids.

You could experiment with tea tree oil, too. It's anti-bacterial, and so may reduce the bacterial populations on your skin. Never apply pure essential oil to your skin, but try diluting it in water or a non-oily lotion. I haven't tried this, but it makes sense.