From The Straits Times    |

Photo: 123rf.com

 

When a nasty breakout occurs, it’s easy to point your fingers at a new makeup or skincare product you’ve been using. 

But the truth is, your everyday habits could be the very reason why you’ve been getting zits. 

Here are some ways to spot if your subconscious actions are the cause of your skincare woes.

 

1. Touching your face unnecessarily
Let’s be real, we’re all guilty of this. Whether it’s resting our chin on our hands or tucking our bangs behind our ears, our faces always seem to be in contact with our germ-filled hands. The most obvious way to counter this is to keep your hands away, but washing your hands more diligently works too.
 
2. Talking on the phone
Guilty of texting in the toilet? Or throwing your phone into the deep crevasses of your bag without looking? Or even worse, using your phone while you eat? If you said yes to any of these, then your phone is probably even dirtier than your hands, which makes touching your face a totally bad idea. Clean your phone with wet wipes frequently or plug in a hands-free device when answering calls to minimise the chances of you getting anything nasty from your beloved phone.

 

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3. Taking hot showers
A long, steamy shower can strip away the topmost layer of your skin, which causes it to dry out. If your skin starts turning red in the shower, it’s probably time to lower the temperature. While applying moisturiser helps, it’s really best to just minimise the number of long, hot showers you take to prevent irritating your skin.

4. Sleeping in an air-conditioned room every day
Chances are, your school or office already causes your skin to be exposed to air-conditioning for most of the day. This dry environment causes your skin to lose moisture, and sleeping with the AC turned on isn’t going to help things. If you absolutely can’t fall asleep with the windows open, then make sure you’re extra diligent with your bedtime beauty routine.
 
5. Working out with makeup
It’s nice to look cute when you workout, but it’s not worth risking the breakouts that could happen when you put on makeup to the gym. Perspiring opens up your pores, which could make you more susceptible to nasty pimples when your makeup reacts with bacteria in the environment.
 
6. Not changing your sheets
Changing your bed sheets is a chore, we get it. But the dirt and bacteria on your pillowcase can cause breakouts. So every time you feel too darn lazy to wash your sheets, just remember it’s definitely the lesser evil of the two.

 

 

This story was first published on www.cleo.com.sg.