Is Your Hat Causing Acne?

Hats can sometimes come with a catch 22. They’re quick remedies for unruly hair, necessary for certain sports and sometimes they just make us look awesome, but they can also cause unnecessary acne.

If you are an avid hat wearer, or play a sport that requires a helmet, chances are you’ve experienced a breakout or two on the forehead, around the hairline or on the temples. If you’re not willing to part ways with your hat you might consider integrating a few skin care tricks into your daily routine to stop potential breakouts in their tracks.

What Causes the Breakout

The primary culprit when it comes to breakouts around the hat line is trapped oil. When oil is trapped in the cells it acts as a clogging agent, essentially binding with dead skin cells to form a zit.

We are continually producing oil and when you throw in other elements such as sweat, oil from our hair, and residual oil on the hat or helmet from the last time you wore it, then trap it all against the skin, it forms the perfect storm for acne.

How to Remedy the Situation

One of the best tricks to preventing acne is cleansing. Clean your face and your hat regularly, especially after workouts.

Most of us don’t do the greatest job washing our faces, because we either just don’t do it or we leave behind dead skin, oil and other debris in the cells. Be sure you:

• Cleanse daily – A good cleanser with salicylic acid will help keep oil in check and keep acne-prone skin clear. It will also rid the skin of any other impurities from the sweat. For quick clean-up jobs after sweating turn to cleansing pads. These are super convenient, and for the guys who wear hats or helmets, they’re great for cleaning up the forehead to prevent breakouts.
• Eliminate the build-up – Use alpha hydroxy acids (AHAs), retinol, and salicylic acid to exfoliate the skin and prevent dead cells from building up. ReZone will keep skin in check.
• Clean up the oil – But don’t go overboard with this. Remember some oil is good and excess dryness can actually increase oil production. Bentonite clay and kaolin (China) clay are part of the RA for Men's Cacti Mud Mask, an enriched purifying and detoxifying mask.
• Wash your hat – toss it in the washing machine or if you’re concerned about it maintaining its shape use the dishwasher (just remove the dishes first).

Acne shouldn’t mean the end of your hat-wearing days. Just be sure to step up your game when it comes to caring for your skin, and this process need not take hours. Remember oil plus sweat create the ideal breeding ground for breakouts, but proper cleaning will help eliminate that.