Preventing break outs by staying clean

Break outs are caused by bacteria or an excess of oil in your skin. You can avoid most break outs by keeping your face as clean as possible. Here are a few tips to help you.

Your hands probably have a lot of bacteria on them, especially after a day at work, school or in any public places. If you touch your face with your hands, you are going to transmit these bacterias to your face. Even if your hands are clean, you might spread bacterias from one part of your face to the other. Avoid touching your face with your hands as much as possible and wash your hands regularly.

Items of clothing might not be clean or might contain acid laundry detergent residues. Clothing can even disturb the balance of your skin by simply rubbing against it and irritating it, which leads to an excessive production of oil and to break outs. Wear comfortable clothes that do not rub against your skin and avoid wearing scarves or hats. If you do, keep these items as clean as possible and wear them only when you really need to.

Your hair might help spread more bacteria on your face or might irritate your skin, especially if your hair is oily. Keep your hair away from your face: style it backward or up if you can. You should also keep your hair clean: wash it one day out of two with a quality shampoo. If you have oily hair, use a specific product to regulate the chemical balance of your hair. Avoid using hair styling products such as gels or sprays: there products will clog your pores if they get in contact with your skin.

Do not wear the same clothes all the time. Wash your clothes regularly and do not wear an item of clothing that covers your face more than two days in a row. In case an item of clothing is rubbing against your skin, wearing something different the next day allows your skin to regenerate instead of staying irritated. Keeping your clothes clean is also a good way to prevent bacterias from spreading and eventually getting in contact with your face.

Your bed linens, especially your pillow case, retain oil from your skin and hair. You need to keep these items as clean as possible. If you can, change your pillow case every day. Keeping an old pillow case means the oil it retains will clog your pores again the following night. You can also replace your cotton bed linen with silk: this fabric does not retain oil or bacterias like cotton does. And do not let anyone else use or touch your pillow.

A damp towel is ideal for bacterias to spread. Keep your towels dry and change them regularly. After you are done washing your face, you should dry it by gently patting: rubbing it will cause more oil to be produced. Your towel is going to retain oil or bacterias regardless of how careful you are: make sure you do not use the same towel more than two or three days in a row, and change it immediately if it has been damp for hours.

Following these simple tips should help you keep your face clean and avoid break outs. Changing towels or pillow cases so often means you will have a lot of laundry to do, but remember that this is the best way to prevent acne.