08 Everyday Habits That Are Giving You Acne

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.

Habit No. 2: Over-drying your face Sucking all the oil and moisture out of your face is a sure-fire way to irritate your skin, says Nakhla. While it might seem like a good idea to dry out oily skin with harsh cleansers, soap, and alcohol-based toners -- and skimp on the moisturizer -- your skin is more complicated than that. 

Drying out your skin will actually cause it to produce more oil, says King. She explains that the skin naturally tries to correct itself, therefore if it feels dry it will try to balance the situation by producing more oil, continuing the vicious cycle. 

Habit No. 3: Pressure (literally) So what is pressure-induced acne exactly? acne caused by physical pressure on your face, be it from the cell phone you are constantly on, an instrument (like the violin), or simply a hand resting on your face as you glare into the TV or computer screen. This pressure not only exposes your skin to loads of bacteria, but the actual force of this bacteria against your face can cause you to break out. 

Habit No. 4: Pressure (figuratively) So, you're already aware that stress gets your heart racing, your stomach churning, and causes wrinkles -- but did you know that it also increases the hormones that can cause acne? So sad, so true. So what are we saying -- magically chill out just because we told you to (yeah, wouldn't that just be dandy)? No, but you can do things to relax and minimize the drama.

Reason No. 5: Your laundry schedule As if your dirty laundry isn't annoying enough to deal with, it could also be causing your acne. Think about it: Your face lies on your pillowcase for hours at a time, and if it's not clean, you're basically rolling around in a bunch of dead skin cells and bacteria. As for that towel of yours? If it's not fresh from the dryer, you could be wiping germs all over your newly-cleansed skin. 

Habit No. 6: The hair products you use Many people don't think about how their hair products can cause acne, says Nakhla, but think about how often your hair touches your face. And remember that unless you are washing your hair every night before bed, all that product is transferring onto your pillow.  

Habit No. 7: Using dirty makeup applicators Alright, so now that you are diligently checking the labels on all your makeup products for known acne instigators, you need to think about the actual brushes, sponges, and other applicators you use to apply your non-comedogenic makeup.

Habit No. 8: Your diet OK, so you've heard rumors that foods like chocolate and French fries are practically guaranteed to give you zits, but the good news (kinda) is that's not totally true.

It's really an overall unhealthy diet that effects your skin. Shamban says that having a high glycemic index, which is caused by frequently eating foods known to spike your blood sugar levels (like refined sugar, white bread, pastas, and fried foods), will mess with your body and can cause acne. So if you are eating these foods only on occasion, it's not likely the cause for your breakouts. 

Also, some people, though they might not know it, have actual allergies to foods like chocolate, wheat, or dairy that cause them to break out. So if you notice your skin goes nuts after a bagel binge or cookie dough ice cream social, take a break from these foods and see what happens.