Sneaky Habits

This is no secret…you, my readers, are my inspiration. Your beauty qualms, questions and insider tips are the source of each post. Each entry carries a piece of you, so today I want to tackle a common skin care problem that plagues many of us but in particular my special “cookie dough” partner. She is the light of my eyes and her battle with acne has been a source of great discomfort for her, but I know there is a way to cure this and like all things the best way to treat something is right at it’s source.

What a lot of people may not realize is that there are some pesky culprits in your day to day activities that cause this continual facial eruption. From small mundane things you never thought twice about to more “duh, I know” aggravators these sneaky habits can be the root of the pimple.

The Sneaky Things that Cause Breakouts:

1. Your phone: I know, I know living without your blackberry or iPhone is like living without air. God forbid you miss a Facebook status post of a pseudo friend from your highschool days. But your phone is a breeding ground for bacteria. Just think of all the places it is and each time you hold it to your ear all that gunk ends up on your face….ever notice breakouts around the chin or ear area? So clean your phone on a daily basis with a natural bacterial wipe, read no Clorox (this may be a no brainer but bleach won’t be good for the pores either).

2. Your man: Did your heart just skip a beat or did this solidify the reason you should dump that dead beat? Here’s the thing, all the snuggling, cuddling and spooning means your face is all over his body. True fact: men’s skin produces more oils so all that skin time equals oil and sweat transfer from his body to your face. Now before you quit this blog cold turkey because of my “unconventional advice” just take a moment to think about this. I’m not preaching abstinence but just make sure you wash your face properly in the AM or after your cuddle time.

3. Your food: Yes chocolate can cause breakouts….same goes for fries, mac & cheese and pizza. Refined carbs and sugary foods spike insulin levels resulting in increased oil production which translates to more clogged pores.

4. Your workout: We already covered this one but it is a good reminder.

5. Your smoking habit: Seriously you should just know better but in case you need another friendly reminder here it is. With each smoke-filled inhale you release millions of toxins into your body and skin. This wrecks havoc on your natural defense system, good bacteria is replaced by bad, acne causing ones all. So if you haven’t been inspired enough for all the other legitimate reasons then perhaps this will be it!

6. Your hands: I often find myself holding my head up during a boring meeting or just simply resting it on my fingers but each time you touch your face, the oils from your hand do what? Do you see the theme yet? Yes, they transfer to your face and clog the pores. So consciously remind yourself to leave your face alone you have a neck for a reason.

Usage tip: To treat existing breakouts look for treatments with 1-2% salicylic acid (it will be listed on the back of the package) and make sure to thoroughly clean every AM and PM and follow with a bacteria fighting toner.

The result: No breakouts. No pimples. No stress.