Skincare goes beyond using products and eating healthy. Our environment is also a major factor on why we suffer breakouts, dryness, and irritations. Hence, if your skin still hasn’t gotten much better even after using the most famed products, it could be the things around your home that you should blame.
That’s right, even if we stay indoors most of the time, that doesn’t mean that the air quality we’re exposed to is clean. Similarly, our freshly-laundered sheets, filtered water, and soap aren’t always friendly with your skins.
That said, here are the skin issue culprits that can be found around your abode:
1. Heated Water
If you enjoy long, hot showers often, your skin may not be having fun, because heated water can strip off your skin’s outermost epidermis, ridding it of moisture. So once your skin starts to redden and itch in the shower, that’s the time to step out. Prolonging you hot showers may result in dry and scaly skin.
2. Your Makeup Collection
While it’s fun to collect makeup like your favorite beauty guru, testing so many makeup and cosmetic products may irritate your skin and cause or worsen your breakouts. So instead of wearing a full-face to test each product, just swab a small amount on a patch of your skin, and see if it won’t cause problems before applying it fully.
3. Your Phone
Do you frequently make calls? If your breakouts are often along your jawline and cheek, chances are they’re caused by your phone’s screen. Always clean your phone with an anti-bacterial wipe!
4. Hair Products
Hairspray, mousse, and any leave-on hair-care products aren’t also friendly with your skin. So always cover your face with a towel or any proper tool before applying a leave-on product. Wear a sweatband as well when you work out, so that no hair product drips on your face when you perspire.
5. Your Bed Sheets
If your sheets are made of synthetic fibers, there’s a chance that they’re irritating your skin. They may also cause loss of hydration and inflammation.
Moreover, the dirt and oil absorbed by synthetic-fiber sheets may worsen your breakouts. While bed sheets in itself cannot cause breakouts, they may aggravate it when you’re already prone.
Skin experts recommend using silk sheets, which are gentler on sensitive or acne-prone skin because they don’t absorb oil and debris as easily as other fabrics. Other natural fibers, such as cotton and flannel, are also better for the skin.
And to minimize your risks even more, wash your pillowcases every few days with hypoallergenic detergent.
6. Your Soap
Scented soaps and those formulated with sulfates can also strip off your skin’s moisture and cause dryness. So choose a non-soap facial cleanser without surfactants or additives. Surfactants are chemical agents that dissolve dirt and oil and aid in the skin’s natural exfoliation process. But despite that, some surfactants can have adverse effects on the skin’s outermost layer. Aside from dryness, it may also cause redness, irritation, and the undermining of the skin’s natural barrier function.
7. Your Air Conditioner
Air conditioners release dry air, which can — again — disrupt the outermost layer of your skin and reduce its moisture. But you don’t have to get rid of your A/C nor minimize your use of it to save your skin. Simply run a humidifier to counteract the lack of humidity air conditioners cause. Leave the humidifier on as you sleep, because it will help your skin’s barrier stay hydrated throughout the night.
8. Your Carpets or Rugs
Carpets and rugs collect dust, which may be contaminated by dust mite and cockroach debris. A recent study revealed that this dirt can make damaged skin harder to heal. And needless to stay, having cockroach debris anywhere near your face is never good news.
So now that you’re probably filling your home with rugs for the winter, hire rug cleaning services first. It will save you from bad breakouts and endless bouts of sneezing!
And of course, make it a habit to use these household items with care and mindfulness. The last thing you want this Christmas and NYE is to have bad skin.
