The Things That Touch Your Skin And How To Keep Them From Giving You Breakouts




    A lot of skin problems are caused by the things that come in contact with our face -- tissues, glasses, hands, hair. They are usually dirty and your skin is prone to getting clogged, you get irritated skin and breakouts. If you have problems with a certain area of your face, ask yourself what objects come in contact with that area.
    Here is a short and simple guide to keeping the things that come into contact with your skin clean!

Bangs:

   Clip them out of the way after you have applied moisturiser, also clip them out of your face when you sleep. If you aren't washing your hair for a couple of days for whatever reason, you might want to quickly shampoo your bangs in the sink. Or, you know, clip them back. Bangs pick up skin care products and make-up from the face, and I notice clogged pores on my forehead when I neglect the whole bang situation.

Phone:

   Your phone is one of the most touched object and collects a layer of stuff from everything you have touched throughout the day. Train yourself to talk without resting the whole phone surface on your cheek (this also prevents your sunscreen from ending up on the screen). Wipe down your phone with a mix of water and rubbing alcohol once a week. Headphones are also a great solution.

Pillow cases:

   Wash them regularly, at least once a week and more often if you are sharing them, or sweat at night. Women prone to breakouts might want to use one side of the pillow on the first day, the other side on the second day, then throw it into the wash.
   There is no need to launder pillowcases in very high temperatures, a regular laundry cycle is enough. Choose a natural detergent (or use wash-nuts), and pick a natural fragrance or softener (or forego one altogether).

  Make-up brushes:

   If using a cream / liquid foundation, you might wand to clean that brush as often as every day; with mineral foundations and powder brush you can stretch it out a bit. Dirty brushes have a mixture of products, skin oils and dust that can be really nasty -- I had a very unpleasant situation going on on my forehead before realising the importance of keeping my brushes clean.

Facial cloths:

   Wash wash-cloths / exfoliating mitts / what have you after every use with a gentle soap and hot water. Rinse very thoroughly.

Glasses:

   The nose pads can lead to blackheads around the area. Wipe them with alcohol every evening. Redness or staining might mean you are allergic to the metal (usually nickel is the culprit).
   The pads should sit perfectly so that they don't slide and they don't pinch the nose, otherwise it can irritate the skin. Your optician should do this for free (including readjusting if things get loose), but there are tutorials online if you need to do it yourself.

Hands:

   Hands come in contact with just about everything, and you don't want that stuff on your face. Try to not touch your face unnecessarily, don't pick or rub mindlessly. One thing that helps here is face massages -- this seems to satisfy my face's need to be touched. Also, wash your hands thoroughly with regular soap (antibacterial soap is bad and pointless).

   So as you see the key is here to keep your stuff clean with mild cleaning products. A lot of soaps and detergents are really harsh and contain stuff that you don't want anywhere near your face.



Photo credit Reinhold Brezovszky


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