Can long hair cause acne? and the solution

I’ve been asked the question “can long hair cause acne” a couple of times and I looked it up. Acne is not great and your long hair can have something to do with it. I wrote this article to explain how this can happen, why this happens and what you can do to avoid getting acne with long hair.

Can long hair cause acne?

Many people start developing acne in their teen years. This is because the hormones that case oil production on the skin start to accelerate oil production. When more oil is produced it combines with dead skin cells on the top of your skin to clog the pores and cause blemishes. We can see this on the skin in the form of a white head. Whiteheads turn black from being in contact with oxygen. When the pore gets infected with bacteria this can be seen as a pimple.

Long hair and acne

The short answer to the question is yes, sort of. Hair, depending on your genetics and hair type, can be coated with a thick or thin layer of oil, this oil keeps your hair healthy. On straight hair, oil falls down the hair shaft easier making it greaser and oilier. With curlier hair types the oil finds it more difficult to run down the hair follicle thus making the hair drier than straight hair. But all in all oil on your face is possible.

There might be a variety of products on your hair and when it touches your face it can cause clogging of the pores.  These products can include gel, hairsprays, pomade or any other comedogenic hair products. In addition, all the air pollution of the world is collected on your hair as you go about your day, this will sit on your hair mixing with everything else and touch your skin.

In addition, if your hair is longer, then you might be prone to being warmer and this will cause you to sweat more. This sweat will increase the chances of you developing acne or pimples.

Short hair and acne

Yes you can develop acne in other places when you have short hair. Acne can happen on any area of the body that has sebaceous glands ie: face, shoulders, back and chest. You will notice that these areas will get acne even if untouched by the hair on your head.

What do I need to do about it?

Don’t worry it’s not necessary to cut your hair to prevent your hair from causing acne, there are some simple steps to combatting this problem.

Prevention

If you find that your hair gets greasy often then I suggest washing your hair regularly. It might be necessary for you to wash it every day.

In addition to washing your hair every day be sure to wash it right after you perform any physical activity. If not the mix of sweat, hair and bacteria will not be good for your clear skin goals.

To make sure that you are generally keeping your face acne free you need a great overall skincare routine for you to keep your face oil free. This article will help you find a great face wash to start off with. This article will walk you step by step through a great skincare routine.

Ensure that you change your pillowcase on a regular basis, once a week or more often. If you wash your hair every morning but sleep with hair that’s been exposed to the pollution of the world then you’re collecting all that pollution on your pillowcase and putting your face on it for 8 hours.

If for some reason you cannot change your pillowcases often then I suggest wearing your hair up in a bun when you go to bed or wearing a bonnet to prevent the transfer of anything from your hair to the pillowcase.

Make sure that you keep your hair off your face as much as possible, this will prevent any oils moving from your hair to your skin. People with fringes need to make sure their bangs are clean at all times to prevent causing ace on the face

If you so desire you can cut your hair in a style that doesn’t allow it to touch your face.

Treatment:

If you want to get products to clean your face then you need to pick products that contain benzoyl peroxide and or salicylic acid. These two products are present in many acne-remedy products. You can find products that contain these ingredients both at the dermatologist and over the counter.

The salicylic acid is good at slowing down dead skin cell production on the skin by reducing skin shedding. It’s also a great ingredient that helps with unclogging of pores thus preventing new breakouts and combating current breakouts. The benzoyl peroxide in products will make sure to combat the bacteria on the skin. It also prevents dead skin cells from clogging up your pores. This article has a list of products that will get rid of a pimple quick.

And that’s the answer to the question of “can long hair cause acne”. I hope you enjoyed the article and found it helpful. If you did or know someone who might enjoy it then please share so everyone can be safe from acne.

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