Your toilet seat may appear to be the most germ-infested thing in your house, but it isn’t. In reality, your towels are the source of the most bacteria, so if you’re wiping your face with them, you may be doing your skin a disservice. And, while it might seem like the most sensible thing to do, drying your face with a towel will potentially cause more harm than good.
1. It may give you acne.
Using the same towel to dry your face as you do your body might be more damaging to your skin than you think. Towels are excellent bacteria reservoirs, and keeping them in the shower, where the air is moist, provides the optimal atmosphere for bacteria to flourish. When you rub your face with the towel, all of these bacteria are passed directly to your skin. This can lead to breakouts and clogged pores in the long run. Even if you use a different towel for your face than the one you use to dry your body, you’re still not washing it on a regular basis, allowing bacteria to enter your skin.
2. Your skin may age more quickly.
Terry cloth bath towels are too rough on your hands, and using them will cause tiny tears in your skin, exposing it to infections and wrinkles. The fabric becomes more fragile the more you wash the towels, and the friction they produce acts as an exfoliant that can be too harsh for your skin.
3. It decreases the efficacy of skincare products.
While it will seem normal to dry your face after washing it, doing so will prevent your skin from getting the best out of the products you’re using. Before any of the water evaporates from the skin’s surface, the moisturiser would have a greater chance of penetrating it. By foregoing towel drying, your skincare products would be able to lock in the moisture your skin needs to look youthful and radiant.
4. It can irritate your skin.
Towels aren’t the best way to dry your face if you have sensitive skin. Wiping your face with a towel can cause skin irritation and redness because most towel fabrics are too rough on the skin.
5. It can make your skin oily.
Although it may seem counterintuitive, drying your skin will actually make it more greasy. Since rough towels will strip the skin of the natural oils it requires to remain healthy, sebaceous glands underneath the skin’s surface will have to create more oil to compensate for the dryness, resulting in extremely greasy skin.
How to dry your face without a towel
Allow the air to dry your face instead of patting it dry with a towel. Air drying your face is more hygienic and gentle on your skin, and although it takes longer than rubbing your face with a towel, your skin will thank you
