You take off your makeup, cleanse, exfoliate, tone and moisturize your face every night. You stick to this skincare routine religiously, yet still wake up with breakouts. While stress and diet have a strong correlation to the condition of your skin, there is another possible culprit for your less-than-perfect complexion—your pillowcase. Dirt, skin cells, oil and hair products collect on the surface of your pillowcase and can lead to acne mechanica. This type of acne is brought on by the friction of your face rubbing on your pillowcase while sleeping at night. There have been a few articles that claim satin pillowcases cause breakouts, but this is not necessarily true.
Whether your case is made of cotton, satin or silk, not changing or cleaning it regularly will lead to an inevitable buildup of dirt, oil and sweat. Because we don’t plan on foregoing sleep any time soon, VALLEY follows these preventative steps to ensure our best beauty sleep:
Wash your pillowcases every three days.
Washing your pillowcases often will ensure that you’re sleeping on a clean surface, free from makeup and oil. You may also want to rethink using fabric softener while cleaning your pillowcase, as it leaves behind a waxy coating that can clog your pores.
Wash your face every night.
Make sure to wash every trace of makeup off of your face at the end of the day to lessen the amount of your skin’s oil production. In addition to cleansing your face, you may also want to incorporate an exfoliant as well to get rid of any dead skin cells. If you plan on using a heavy moisturizer or an oil-based face mask, consider applying it well before you go to bed so that your skin has time to absorb more of the product.
Sleep with a shower cap.
OK this sounds ridiculous, but hear us out. If you use deep conditioning products that are supposed to be washed out the following day, wearing a shower cap while sleeping will prevent the product from seeping into your pillowcase.
While your pillowcase may not be the only factor contributing to your acne, taking the time to incorporate these tips could prevent you from aggravating any pre-existing irritation.
