You may be battling with acne, using a variety of skincare treatments and products but just can’t seem to shake the acne on your hairline, forehead and the back of your neck. If you aren’t taking a closer look at the hair sprays and other hair care products you’re using then you may just be practising skincare in vain. Can hairspray cause acne? This article looks into it
With all the products we use to make our hair more full, more bouncy, curly then straight it’s no wonder why we’re getting more acne than we bargained for. Hair can be the cause of your acne problems and this article will show you how.
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What ingredients in hair products cause acne?
Hair products have a variety of ingredients that can be very pore-clogging. The heavy creams, hair butters, hairsprays and pomades you use can all give you acne, especially if you let it build up for days or weeks or only use dry shampoo instead of a clarifying shampoo (which has its own set of negatives). Here are some culprits that cause acne:
Hairspray: This is a common culprit that leads to your skin getting clogged up and pimples developing on your skin. The formula of hairsprays have repellents which will irritate the skin.
Allergies to ingredients: You might find that you are allergic to some ingredients in products. When you use them the reaction can be acne or simply a rash
Sulphates: These are drying agents found in hair care products. When they get onto your skin the sulphates can dry the skin out causing acne.
Too many oils and conditioners: The hair on your head needs oils and conditioners to keep it healthy and happy. Unfortunately, when you wash the product out it rinses over your skin and if you don’t scrub properly then you can get acne
Alcohol in products: You might also find that your hairspray contains alcohol which is known to be very drying. Dry skin can result in acne, the skin will try to overcompensate for the lack of moisture on the skin by producing more oil.
Bangs: These are a problem because they are always very close to your face. You need to keep your bangs clean at all times or else they will transfer the product onto your skin causing breakouts.
Pillowcase: You might be transferring your hair product residue onto your pillowcase every time your sleep. If you never wash your pillowcase you expose your skin to this build-up for 8 hours a night.
Accessories: Hair accessories, if not washed, will collect product build up over time making you break out. These include headbands, caps, scarfs, hats, and sun visors.
What can you do about the situation?
- Use less of the product that causes your acne. Every one of your products isn’t necessarily the reason for the acne. Cut out one product at a time, for example, your hairspray from your routine to see if there is any difference.
- Use hair oils sparingly, these can easily clog your pores especially if they are comedogenic. If you want a non-comedogenic oil this argan oil will be a great fit.
- When you do apply hairspray copy what stylists do at salons and use your hand to protect your skin from getting spray on it.
- Ensure that you have a good skincare routine in place to counteract the product build-up that can happen on your face. All the products in the skincare routing need to be used together to be effective.
- Exfoliate your scalp, this is just as necessary as exfoliating the skin on your body. You can learn more about exfoliating your scalp here. This is a great scalp exfoliator you can use.
- If you are outside, and you realize that you’ve developed oily skin from products, you can use blotting paper to get rid of the excess oils on your skin.
- Take better care of your hair overall. This is a great routine that will help you keep your hair clean and healthy.
- You can see a dermatologist who will prescribe treatments that will help you clear your acne faster.
There are many reasons why you might be breaking out. This is an article looking at how long hair can cause acne. I have an article looking at how you can determine what is causing your acne based on the pimple location.
Will the pimples go away on their own?
Yes, they can. To help them along stop using the products that clog your pores and cause you breakouts. I know, it might be tough to have to give up the products that make your hair oh so luscious but this is the only way the pimples will disappear by themselves quickly.
Can shampoo make you break out?
Yes, shampoo can make your break out, not ever shampoo will make you break out, you’ll have to go through the ingredient list to see if it will. There are a couple of comedogenic (potentially pore-clogging) ingredients used in shampoos that can cause acne.
These include shea butter, petroleum and silicones to mention a few. If your products contain these ingredients and they get on your skin they can clog your pores and cause acne. If you know your skin breaks out when using comedogenic ingredients you need to find a non-comedogenic shampoo. This is a great non-comedogenic shampoo
Does coconut oil on hair cause acne?
Yes using coconut oil on the hair can cause acne if the hair touches the skin. Coconut oil is an oil that is both loved and hated. It can help moisturise and smooth some peoples skin and hair and for others. It can invite a whole lot of acne, it all depends on your skin type.
The type that is generally pore clogging is called unfractionated coconut oil. You can tell it’s this type of coconut oil if it turns sold at room temperature. The other type, fractioned coconut oil, does not turn solid at room temperature. The oil is distilled and the long-chain fatty acids are removed making it non-comedogenic. This is a favourite one
Does drinking water help acne?
Yes, drinking water will help with acne. Your skin has a natural mechanism that prevents it from becoming dry and cracking. The skin produces an oil called sebum.
When your skin gets dry it produces sebum. If the sebum is overproduced excess sebum mixes in with acne-causing bacteria as well as any dead skin cells of your skin, clogs up your pore and cause acne
When you drink water the water hydrates and moisturises the skin. The water also has the ability to balance the moisture on your skin. When water does this you develop less acne and your acne is less severe. In addition, water gives your skin a lovely supple and soft texture.
How do you treat head/scalp acne?
There are a variety of products specially designed to help treat your scalp acne. You can use a medicated shampoo and scalp treatment specially designed to treat acne on your scalp.
These do the job of regular shampoos but also have the added benefit of regulating the sebum on your scalp and killing off any acne-causing bacteria on your scalp. Products that are designed to help fight scalp acne can contain tea tree oil, Salicylic acid, Benzoyl peroxide or glycolic acid
Glycolic acid is great at exfoliating the scalp preventing dead skin cells from mixing with excess sebum and acne-causing bacteria which would otherwise cause pimples. Salicylic acid also helps to remove your excess dead skin cells. Tea tree oil and benzoyl peroxide will be instrumental in killing off the cane causing bacteria on your scalp. This is a great solution for scalp acne
Cannot washing hair cause hair loss?
If you’ve decided to cleanse your hair less often or have been using dry shampoo a little often you may have a problem on your hands. The longer you don’t wash your hair the longer your products will sit on your hair, weigh it down and congest your scalp.
All this weighing down will weaken your hair and cause it to become brittle, dry and eventually it will make the hair fall out. It may seem like a couple of strands in the beginning but this can lead to clumps of hair falling out.
Why is coconut oil bad for your skin?
Coconut oil can be bad for your skin if it’s unfractionated. This means that it has not been distilled and the long-chain fatty acids are still present in the oil. You can easily tell its unfractionated if it’s solid at room temperature.
Fractioned coconut oil does not contain long-chain fatty acids and is liquid at room temperature. This characteristic of coconut oil makes it non-comedogenic.
Unfortunately, we generally use unfractionated coconut oil which clogs our pores and gives us pimples and other clogged pore blemishes making it bad for our skin. This is a good fractionated coconut oil
Which oils do not clog pores?
If you’re looking for a non-comedogenic alternative to coconut oil to us on your hair and skin that won’t clog your pores there are a couple of oils available to you. These oils are non-comedogenic, so they won’t aggravate your current acne or cause more acne from forming on your scalp and your pores.
Hemp seed oil is high in vitamin D as well as omega 6 and 3. Aragan oil has been used in skincare and haircare produces for ages and it contains vitamin E and essential fatty acids as well. Jojoba oil is an oil that is very similar to the sebum we already have on our skin, your skin won’t be triggered to produce sebum as the jojoba oil takes its place. It is also antibacterial and antiinflammatory.
Why is ice good for acne?
If you have the occasional zit or pimple then you can use ice as an affordable and easy way to help reduce the severity of the pimple. You can wrap the ice in a cloth and apply it on your face in short increments.
The ice will help reduce the redness and pain of the pimple. It will also calm it and reduce the size of the pimple thus shortening its life and helping it heal faster. Ice works well on any type of inflammatory blemishes. This includes pimples, pustules, cysts and papules
Ice won’t work on blemishes that aren’t inflammatory. These include blemishes caused by only sebum and dead skin cells clogging the pore. Non-inflamitory blemishes don’t contain acne-causing bacteria which causes inflammation and infection. These include blackheads and whiteheads. You can use a blackhead extractor on these types of blemishes.
I hope you enjoyed this article looking closer into if hairspray and other hair products are causing your acne. If you found the article interesting or helpful please share it.
