5 Reasons Why Your Beauty Routine is Causing Breakouts

Breakouts. Aren’t they fun? They spring up at the WORST possible times, don’t they? While there are SO many causes of acne out there including hormones, stress, your diet, etc., some of the reasons can be shocking. You might be the very cause of your own breakout in 2 ways: 1.) The way you apply your makeup. 2.)Your skincare routine.

Say what?! “How can my skincare or makeup routine be causing me to break out?” I’m about to tell you.

*This post is not sponsored. However, it does contain affiliate links where, if clicked (and you make a purchase), I will make a very tiny commission to keep this site up and running. See more details below.

Luckily, the following 5 causes of breakouts are things that you can change! Implement these fixes for your best glowing skin right away. So what are you doing wrong?

1. You aren’t cleaning your brushes often enough. I’m sure everyone is guilty of this – you go a little too long in between cleaning your makeup brushes. But do you know the damage that’s being done when you aren’t washing them? Brushes are fluffy and fun, but they are good at harboring bacteria. So when you use it day after day without washing, then it adds another layer of potential nastiness to the mix. Then you swoop it all across your face and blend it in really good…ew. This is the perfect way to give yourself a breakout.

Solution: Wash your brushes! Not sure what to use? Luckily, you don’t need some fancy makeup brush cleanser. In fact, you may already own one of the best solutions. Baby shampoo is a great brush cleanser. Not only is it gentle, but it usually isn’t loaded with harmful chemicals and stuff that will break you out further. The one that I use most often is Shea Moisture Raw Shea Butter Chamomile & Argan Oil Baby Head-to-Toe Wash & Shampoo. Not only is it wonderful for my kiddos, but it smells divine and is made with all certified organic ingredients.

How often should you wash them? Ideally, it should be every day. But we all know that isn’t always practical. Once every few days or even once a week is pretty good. But there are certain brushes that I use that I’d clean way more often  – like my foundation brush – because it gets caked up with product very quickly!

Tip: In between weekly cleanings, you can use a gentle facial cleansing wipe to clean the main surface area of your brush if you need to. This will NOT remove all of the product and bacteria from a brush, but it certainly helps! I like the Simple Kind to Skin Facial Wipes. They are gentle and effective!

2. You are using an old sponge. Whether you’re using a sponge that came with your foundation, abeauty blender, or one of my favorite Real Techniques Miracle Complexion Sponge, those suckers will inhabit more than just product – dirt, buildup and bacteria will also appear here. You have to treat your blenders the same as your brushes by washing often. And you can use the same baby shampoo to clean these with, so clean them all together!

Note: Make sure that after you clean your blenders and sponges that you are letting them air dry. Do not seal them inside anything – they need to breathe. I like to put mine in a little glass dish on my makeup table out in the open so that they can plenty of breathing space! If you don’t do this then you’re just asking for bacteria to take their shoes off and stay awhile – and your face will pay for it!

Tip: You should throw away your blending sponge at least every three months.

3. You’re using too much foundation.

I am so guilty of this. Especially because I try new products all the time. I just happen to like a lot of coverage in a foundation, so if it doesn’t have it, then I tend to layer it on! It is good to have buildable coverage, but make sure you aren’t going overboard. It’s okay to wear full-coverage products, but you also need to give your skin some breathing room. Too much all the time can disrupt your skin’s natural ph and the makeup acts as a barrier and blocks off your skin from being able to breathe.

Tip: On days where you aren’t going out, switch up your thicker formulas for something much lighter, like a BB cream. I’m so in love with NYX Cosmetics BB Cream. It covers very well, yet it feels so light and does not get cakey! And since it’s a beauty balm, it has moisturizer and acts more as a skincare product than a makeup product. That’s definitely a win. And if you’re just hanging out at home, then let your face get naked! Lay off the foundation all together to give your skin a break.

4. You are not cleaning your face thoroughly enough. You use a cleanser, isn’t that good enough? It depends. Sometimes, it’s not! If you usually wear a lot of makeup including eye products, foundations, blushes, etc., then you need more than just cleanser. First you should remove your eye makeup with eye makeup remover or something similar. Then you can use your cleanser. Then, I’d follow with a toner or micellar water that will remove anything that you didn’t get with the cleanser. You’ll be surprised by what you’ll miss – and this stuff that you miss will definitely break you out!

Tip: For a good skincare routine, start with eye makeup remover. I actually currently use Simple Kind to Skin Micellar Cleansing Water and a cotton pad to remove my eye makeup – it works wonders! Then I use a gentle cleanser, like Simple Kind to Skin Facial Wash. It’s gentle (and crazy affordable)! Then I use another cotton pad with the micellar water again to pick up anything I missed while cleansing. Then you can follow up with your moisturizer and any serums that you use.

5. You aren’t careful about your hair products.

So why are we talking about hair all of a sudden? Because sometimes people don’t realize that that’s why their skin is breaking out! If you like to use hair products (particularly hairspray), then you need to be careful about the application. Regardless of whether it’s a pump or a spray, if the product gets on your face, then it will likely cause it to go into freak out mode.

But the actual application isn’t the only issue! If you are using styling creams and other hair products, make sure you wash it off of your fingers before you touch your face or your makeup applicators because otherwise, there’s more product buildup that can be damaging as soon as you touch your skin. This means don’t place with your hair and keep touching your face!

I hope that these 5 points have opened your eyes a bit! A great regimen is the true foundation to keeping better skin that’s acne-free. A few other quick tips that might help:

1. Get off your phone! haha. Seriously though, watch how you talk on the phone. Don’t rest your face on it, and definitely don’t talk with your phone on your shoulder. This will cause jawline and chin breakouts!
2. Change your pillowcases! If you aren’t changing these often enough and you sleep on your face like I do half of the time, then your skin can “smother” and any oils or reside from your face and hair can build up and cause you to break out – so change these often!
3. NEVER sleep in your makeup. If you’re getting tired and not sure if you can stay awake, then just go wash your face before you decide you’re too tired. PLEASE. Leaving your makeup on all night is like torture for your skin – it needs to breathe. If you don’t then you’re begging for a breakout.

Thanks for reading, friends! If you have any skincare tips and tricks or just products that you love to use in your skincare routine, then comment below – Id love to hear about them!

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