Have you spent thousands of bucks on skincare products already but are still unable to achieve perfect, clear skin? Before you begin to blame the skincare products, do take a look at your lifestyle as well! No skincare product can do wonders for you in isolation. They may provide some visible results, but for the sustainable health of the skin your entire lifestyle should be skin-friendly. This includes your diet, sleep-pattern, as well as your internal physical health. In today’s post I will be talking about 5 habits for clearer skin that will push you closer to your target. Don’t worry, I am not going to tell you to give up junk food, because I know you won’t listen 😛 Instead, today I will tell you about 5 very simple and easy to follow habits which do not require much time, effort or investment but can still make your skin visibly clearer. Do keep reading to know how and why these habits have helped me!
Wash Your Makeup Brushes Every Week
Anything that touches your face can transfer bacteria to your skin, which in turn will lead to breakouts. One of the prime culprits when it comes to harboring bacteria are makeup brushes. We use them and forget about them, but when we leave them with makeup product on the bristles, we are offering bacteria a nice, damp climate to thrive in. The bacteria from your face could transfer to the brush, multiply there and then repopulate your face once you reuse the same brush. Sounds gross, right? The best way to end this vicious cycle is to wash your brushes regularly, at least once a week if not after every use.
Designate Separate Towels For Your Face
One habit that has truly improved the state of my skin is using a designated face towel. I have separate towels in my washroom for the hands and the face. This way, any residual bacteria that my hands transfer to the towel do not touch my face. Also, I usually change my face towels daily, which further prevents any bacterial contamination. This may sound like too much effort, but trust me, I can see that my acne have visibly reduced ever since I switched to separate face towels!
Do Not Touch Your Face
Please, please, please, stop touching your face all the time! It was good advice in the pre-corona times and is even better advice now! Your fingers touch a thousand surfaces every day and you can’t be sure that they are perfectly clean every time you touch your face. Most of us get maximum breakouts in the areas of our face that we touch the most throughout the day. I know it is hard, especially when you are nervous or fidgety, but please make a conscious effort to stop touching your face unnecessarily. Picking on your pimples is, of course, absolutely out of the question too!
Wash Your Pillow Covers Weekly!
Every night, you transfer the sebum from your face to your pillow cover. Also, bacterial colonies thrive on pillow covers, making pillow cases one of the leading causes of cheek acne. The solution is to wash your pillow covers as often as possible – once a week seems like a practical frequency. Also, silk tends to harbour less bacteria than other materials, so maybe consider switching to silk pillow cases. They will make your bedroom look fancier too!
Don’t Over-Cleanse Your Face
People with oily skin often feel the urge to constantly keep washing their face. However, washing your face too often can make your skin produce more oil. Our skin’s natural oil not only moisturizes the face but also creates a protective layer on the skin. When you strip away all the oil from your face then your skin tries to compensate for it by producing more oil, leading to a Catch-22 situation. I recommend only using a face wash twice a day, in the morning and at night. Use a gel-based moisturizer to keep your skin hydrated without feeling oily. If you do feel the urge for a mid-day cleanse then use a very mild cleanser, such as the Vaunt Daisy Extract + Vit B Face Wash.
Another excellent way to control the oiliness and to get clearer skin is to drink lots and lots of water throughout the day. I may sound like a broken record when I say it, but trust me, drinking enough water is the best thing you can do for your skin.
So these were my lazy-girl habits for clearer skin which do not require any money or effort. They have truly worked for my oily, acne-prone skin and I am sure that they will help your skin too. How many of these do you already follow? Let me know in the comments below!