Routines – We love them, we live by them, we don’t think twice about them…but could our daily routines be causing some serious skin damage? Bad habits can have a damaging effect on the skin (and we knew that) but there are some natural behaviors that can be harmful to our skin health as well.
Surprisingly, most of the ways in which our skin suffers are not directly related to our skin care routine. In this blog post, we will be identifying the top 5 secret skin stressors, what you can do to reduce their effects, and how to keep your skin glowing.
#1 - Touching Your Face
Satisfying an itchy nose, resting our chin on our hands when we’re thinking, or rubbing our eyes after a long day all may seem like innocent habitual movements but are they? Dermatologists explain that repeatedly touching our face has disastrous effects on our complexion. Our hands contain mass amounts of dirt, oils, and bacteria particles that, when introduced to the skin, can contribute to acne and skin irritation. Skin touching may also escalate to skin care no-no #1: picking and popping!
As for rubbing your eyes…two words: STOP NOW. Digging into our eyes with our fists can break the delicate capillaries under our eye area skin, leading to tissue damage, dark circles, and premature wrinkles. Our best tips to stop the habitual skin touching are to keep your hands as busy as possible, keep your hair out of your face, and to reapply face moisturizer every few hours to keep skin moistened. This will be a nice, dewy little reminder every time your hand sub-consciously wanders back to your face.
#2 - Cellphones
Between the various places we set our phones down, how often we touch them, how long they dance around in our congested purses, and all the different people we let touch them, our cellphones are bacteria cesspools. Answering a phone call is like sticking a ball of germs to your cheek and jawline – gross, right? Why would anyone do that? Well, we do it every day without realizing how terrible it is for our skin. All the dirt and bacteria buildup found on our phone screens can inflame and clog pores, leading to serious breakouts. To combat this, we recommend cleaning your phone screen daily with an antibacterial wipe.
#3 - Woke Up on the Same Side of the Bed?
Most of us have spent many restless nights in search of that special sleeping position that just ‘works’, but switching up the way we sleep has shown to have positive effects on the skin. Sleeping on one side is damaging to skin because whichever side of your face is regularly pushed into the pillow can more quickly develop creases and wrinkles. The best way to prevent this is to try making sleeping on your back a habit. Although may be difficult to move away from our favorite sleeping position, avoiding sleeping on the same side every night will greatly benefit skin in the long run. Additionally, because your pillow case comes in regular contact with your face, washing it frequently is important to remove the buildup of excess oil, makeup, bacteria, and product that we leave behind on our pillows after a solid night of sleep.
#4 - 'Sleep, Where art thou?'
Speaking of restless nights…Welcome to unexpected skin stressor #4! Getting enough sleep is one of the most important factors in maintaining healthy and glowing skin. Not getting enough sleep robs your skin of its time to repair and regenerate, leaving a duller and more congested complexion. Of course, we know that getting more sleep is more easily said than done. Our best tip for trying to get enough sleep is relaxing with a sheet mask immediately before bedtime to pamper and calm yourself into a deep slumber.
#5 - Dirty Makeup Brushes
It can be difficult to find the time and energy to clean our makeup brushes. According to dermatologists, that tiny bit of effort goes a long way for our skin. Because our brushes come into contact with our face nearly every day, not cleaning them frequently enough can lead to dirt, bacteria, and oils from your skin staying on these items and contributing to the clogging and enlargement of pores. This can lead to the development/irritation of acne. Natural oils are an effective and gentle method of removing the gunk buildup on cosmetic brushes. For a gentle cleanse, massage sweet almond oil through your brush bristles and run them under warm water. For an antibacterial cleanse, fill a bowl with water, white vinegar, and several drops of tea tree oil, and swirl your brushes along the bottom of the bowl. Run brushes under warm water when done.
