I am sort of a germaphobe when it comes to my face. I will 5-second-rule an apple slice that just fell on the floor, but when it comes to my face, I get a little OCD. There are little things a lot of us don’t even think about when it comes to our face that might actually be causing breakouts.
Today, I am sharing 6 neat freak rituals I do to maintain clean skin and fight against acne. When you think about it, a lot of these aren’t even super OCD, they are just little habits some of us rarely ever pay attention to.
Sanitize your phone.
This one is major, and sadly one a lot of us forget about. Imagine all the things we touch throughout and pick up our phones later to tap all over the screen. Then we get a phone call, and slap it right on our face! Yikes! I think about this so much that now it feels weird when I put my phone on my cheeks to answer a call. I use headphones when I can because of all the germs I transfer onto the screen of my phone. Now, I’m not asking you to have hand sanitizer next to you every time you touch your phone, but for me, I try to remember every night to wipe the screen down with a cotton pad and a little drop of rubbing alcohol or hand sanitizer.
Change out your pillowcases.
Speaking of night-time, don’t forget to change your pillowcases often. We transfer a lot of dirt and germs from our hair and face onto our pillowcases and put it right back on our clean faces when it’s time for bed. I try to change my sheets every laundry cycle, but I change my pillowcases more often. Also, if you have tons of pillows on your bed, you can switch it around every now and then. Unless you are a weirdo like me and have a favorite pillow.
Pro-tip: For added freshness and to help me sleep well, I use this from the body shop or spritz some lavender water on my pillowcase right before bed.
Take your makeup off before bed.
You already know this one! But it would be remiss of me if I left it out! Take your make up off at night, people! Because I am OCD I don’t even wait till bedtime to take my makeup off—I do it right when I get home (and don’t have plans to go anywhere later). I don’t like the idea of the oils in my skin mixing and clogging with makeup for too long, so whenever it is unneeded, it comes right off!
But even with this routine, I sometimes forget to take my make up before bed, so I keep a pack of makeup wipes right next to my bedside just in case. I also keep one in my car because I will do anything to get one less step off my nighttime routine!
Keep it clean.
Apply products with clean hands and on a clean face. This feels like a no brainer! But, before I touch my face whether it is to moisturize or apply makeup I make sure both my hands and face are clean. I think about this when it comes to reapplying sunscreen throughout the day. I keep makeup wipes in my car and clean my face before I reapply any sunscreen throughout the day, so I don’t mix the dirt and oil that have formed on my face with more creams.
Pro-tip: Stop picking at your skin! stop touching your face! I’m not yelling. I promise. Love you!
Switch out your towel.
Okay, here’s another important one. Do not use the same towel you use to wipe your body on your face. This one is a major game changer! But, if you want to take it to the next level, wash your face towel in the shower after each use and leave it out to dry, so it is always clean for the next use. I try not to use the same face towel more than twice, and when I don’t have a clean face towel, I use a paper towel.
Clean your makeup brushes.
Finally, remember to clean your makeup brushes and applicators often. This is one I get really lazy about, because : ugh! it is so much work, but it is super important.
Bonus
One more tip because I love you guys! This is one of my favorite tricks for fighting breakouts. Whenever I feel like I’m starting to breakout, I mix one drop of tea tree oil in with my favorite face oil and massage my face with it in the shower. I then leave it on for a good minute and allow the steam of the shower to clean out my pores, and rinse. This one works for me big time! Please don’t use too much tea tree oil because it burns and might scar your face. I go with just a drop and dilute it properly. I also only do it at night, so it gets to work while I sleep.
There you have it! Some things to think about that might actually help reduce your chances of getting breakouts even if you don’t really have sensitive skin.
Do you have any crazy rituals when it comes to your face? Share your tips with me in the comments below!! And let me know if there’s any up here you are going to add to your routine. The phone sanitizing was a big one for me.