Random spot triggers
Saturday, April 16, 2016There's many things that can cause you to break out, and it's not always due to your hormones, diet, or using the wrong products.
I wanted to share some other things you can do to help if you suffer with recurring spots, and if you always tend to get them in the same area.
1. Your make up brushes
This is one of the most important things that nearly everyone doesn't do. If you wear make-up, it's important to keep your tools clean, not only for your complexion, but also so your brushes last you for years. Your brushes feel soo much softer afterwards, and your make-up applies much more smoothly. If you use a mineral powder type of foundation that you buff into the skin to apply, keeping your brush clean will help keep the bristles soft and prevent irritation and redness.
You can get 'spot' cleaners, which are usually in a spray form, that you spray onto the bristles and wipe on a tissue, they are good for a quick fix.
Then there's also the deeper clean, where you actually shampoo and wash them. I prefer to do this than a spot clean. I use baby shampoo, create a lather and swirl the bristles around, and rinse until the water runs clear, and leave them to dry flat on a towel. I usually do this every couple of weeks.
Why would you want to spread bacteria all over your face, every day? It's like a vicious cycle, you spread bacteria on your skin, come out in spots, and try to cover them by applying more make-up over the area, putting more bacteria onto your face! Seriously, clean those brushes, your skin will thank you for it.
2. Your bedding
Your bed is a place of tranquillity that we all love, but do you know what's actually in your bed? Studies have shown that beds harbour dust mites (their droppings can cause eczema, asthma and allergies) oils, sweat, food crumbs and bodily fluids.
All of this can make you break out, if you are constantly sleeping in all the dirt and bacteria. So wash your sheets regularly, once a week is best, and make sure the temperature of the wash is at 60°C to kill bacteria and dust mites.
You can get 'spot' cleaners, which are usually in a spray form, that you spray onto the bristles and wipe on a tissue, they are good for a quick fix.
Then there's also the deeper clean, where you actually shampoo and wash them. I prefer to do this than a spot clean. I use baby shampoo, create a lather and swirl the bristles around, and rinse until the water runs clear, and leave them to dry flat on a towel. I usually do this every couple of weeks.
Why would you want to spread bacteria all over your face, every day? It's like a vicious cycle, you spread bacteria on your skin, come out in spots, and try to cover them by applying more make-up over the area, putting more bacteria onto your face! Seriously, clean those brushes, your skin will thank you for it.
2. Your bedding
Your bed is a place of tranquillity that we all love, but do you know what's actually in your bed? Studies have shown that beds harbour dust mites (their droppings can cause eczema, asthma and allergies) oils, sweat, food crumbs and bodily fluids.
All of this can make you break out, if you are constantly sleeping in all the dirt and bacteria. So wash your sheets regularly, once a week is best, and make sure the temperature of the wash is at 60°C to kill bacteria and dust mites.
3. Your phone
It seems common for us to 'squat' in public toilets, and to not want to touch the flusher handles, in fear of the germs they harbour (ok, just me?)... but we don't think twice about constantly using our phones all day with filthy hands, and pressing it against our skin when we talk on the phone. Our phones are hotspots for germs, they are warm which helps any bacteria to breed. According to recent studies, your phone is 10 times dirtier than the average toilet seat, but we wouldn't sit and press that against our faces would we? There has also been faecal matter found on 1 in 6 phones.
4. Touching your face
It's very common for us to constantly touch our faces, leaning on our hands, picking at spots, etc. Our hands can also harbour lots of bacteria, so try to wash your hands often, and stop touching your face so much.
5. Washing your hair
Is your shampoo full of sulphates? Are you letting it run down your face when you shower? See my cleansing post here for more information on sulphates, they basically strip your skin, resulting in either tight, dry skin, and oily, spot prone skin. Most conditioners also contain silicone, to make your hair appear shiny and smooth, but it creates a coating on the hair, and does the same on your skin, see my moisturisers post here for more info.
Tilt your head back whilst rinsing product out of your hair, to avoid it running down your face.
6. Towels
Same as your bedding, towels need to be cleaned regularly, to keep bacteria at bay, also when you dry your face, pat it dry, don't vigorously rub it to death. Flannels, muslin cloths (any type of face cloths really) used for cleansing, should be changed every time you use them.
Hopefully this will help if you are prone to spots, now I'm off to clean my brushes, change my bedding, and clean my phone...!
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