8 Bad Acne Causing Habits + ways to overcome them.

So this past year I focused more on the DIY and home decorating side of my blog more so than the beauty and fashion side. I hope to be a little more balanced in 2014 and throw more beauty posts up as well. I will admit though, now that I’m over 30 I have been more focused on better skincare than trying out all the latest beauty products.I turn 32 this year and sadly I still breakout with acne. That is some downright bull hockey!!! Am I right? I mean I thought I gave up breaking out with acne in my teenage years. What is growing old good for if you can’t get rid of annoying things like acne? Bah!

Here are a few bad habits that I have worked hard at trying to break over the past couple of years and a few tips to get great skin by creating some good habits.

Drying out your skin. I have dry skin to begin with which could be a big cause of why I still get acne into my 30s. If you have naturally oily skin and tend to use cleansers and alcohol based products to get rid of excess oils your skin is going to try and correct itself by making more oil. More oil production means more breakouts. A good habit would be to limit your facial washings to just a couple times per day and say no to the high concentrated alcohol products.

Talking on your cell phone!!  Haha… OK, not really the act of talking but the pressure you put on your face by constantly holding your cell phone or any object for that matter, like your hands, to your face. Touching your face exposes your skin to bacteria. Ewww! It is gross to think about but these bad habits just come natural. This is going to be a harder one to break as we won’t stop talking on our phones. You could purchase a Bluetooth headset but I’ll just say you won’t see me walking around looking like I’m talking to myself. The best solution is to start having better cleaning practices. Wipe down your phone with a wet wipe fairly often to keep yucky germs away and washing your hands too.

Washing your hair with products that contain oils, silicone’s and plasticizers. These ingredients cause your pores to get clogged. If you have long hair or bangs that touch your face then you will want to keep an eye on what’s in your hair care products. Discontinue use if these are causing your breakout problems.

Not washing your sheets enough! Your nice just cleaned face is now resting on your 3 week old dirty sheets. Those same sheets that have all kinds of dead skin cells and bacteria all over them. So if you haven’t changed your sheets in awhile I’m sure after reading that you just put it on your to do list. I know I did. The best habit you can create to break this one is changing your sheets out at least once a week. I know it’s a pain in the butt but your face will thank you.

Back to the good ole makeup, using dirty makeup brushes is a bad habit. I raise my hand for this one all day. Yes, I’m a bad makeup brush cleaner. I just do not take the time to do it enough unfortunately. The sad part is that this little dirty, bad and nasty habit is probably one of the biggest culprits to bad skin. Makeup brushes are run a muck with bacteria and dead skin. If you are amongst the hand raisers for this one then just go here and get to cleaning.

Eating unhealthy! There aren’t really any specific foods that will cause your skin to break out. Yes, the old rumor that chocolate causes your skin to break out is just that, a rumor. What really causes your skin problems when it comes to food is having foods that are high in glycemic, such as refined sugars, white bread, pasta, etc. It doesn’t take me telling you to stick to moderation when it comes to these types of foods. Not only will it be good for your skin but your body and health as well.

Having a lazy skincare routine. It is too easy to just crash without cleaning your face and taking off your makeup. Just having a daily skincare routine will help improve your skin tremendously. Find out what works best for your skin and stick with it.