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13 Everyday Habits That Are Giving You Acne

Your hormones aren't always to blame -- turns out some of these unconscious habits might be causing your acne

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Habit No. 1: Using makeup with ingredients that can cause irritation

There are certain ingredients lurking in the makeup and sunscreen you're slathering on that are causing you to break out. Now this doesn't mean you have to forgo your foundation (scary, we know) or stop applying SPF (please, don't), but you do need to keep a watchful eye on product labels. King and Nakhla say to avoid these known acne offenders:

• Artificial Color -- Look for FD&C in the ingredients list, which means the product has artificial color. This can irritate the skin and if it's in your lipstick or blush, it can cause breakouts around your mouth or on your cheeks.
• Lanolin -- This is basically the fancy term for sheep sebum (sebum = oil) and while it can be good for dry skin, it's not right for acne-prone skin.
• Mineral Oil -- This forms a film on your skin, trapping dead skin cells and bacteria (prime causes of acne) and it can also give you milia, those tiny white bumps on your skin.
• Petroleum -- This is oil, and as you may have guessed, you don't really need to be putting more oil on your face.
• Isopropyl Myristate -- This can actually make your skin feel less greasy, but it also clogs pores and causes skin irritation.
• Artificial Fragrance -- This can irritate your skin and cause breakouts. Try to use as many fragrance free products as possible.

See Next Page: Habit No. 2: Over-drying your face

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My acne got so much better after cleaning my brushed with The Brush Guard Cleaning Kit. I'll have to try some of these other tips.

by cf521 Wednesday, May 23, 2012 at 03:21PM Report as inappropriate

You just convinced me to buy some very nice organic bamboo/cotton Satsuma Designs wash cloths (for babies) to dry my face with (Made in the USA!)! I just realized even the littlest things can be great for your skin. I'm also buying a trial size of natural and USDA organic Naturoli laundry detergent (Soap nuts) to wash all my stuff with. Thanks for this article

by Santuary Friday, May 4, 2012 at 12:16AM Report as inappropriate