Oftentimes, our pillow is the dearest thing in our lives, especially on the early Monday mornings, but is it actually friendly to us? Well, it turns out, you might love your pillow with your whole heart, but it might not love you back, especially your skin and your hair. Here are all the ways your pillowcase could be affecting your complexion and your luscious curls.
It can clog your pores
Your pillow is great at one thing: absorbing all the oils, sweat, bacteria, makeup and hair products as you sleep. Night after night, you deposit the organic and non-organic gunk on your pillowcase, and even if it looks clean, in reality, it might not be clean. Technically, if you get 7 or 8 hours of sleep per night, you’re exposing your face and hair to all sorts of dirt for more than 200 hours per month. As your face comes in contact with bacteria and other gross things, your pores clog and you end up with inflammations and breakouts. In order to reduce the risk of these nasty surprises, you can change your pillowcase regularly (once a week) and flip your pillow every night. You can also turn your pillowcase inside out so that you can sleep on the clean side. Taking showers before bed instead of in the morning can also help keep the dirt away from your bedding.
It can cause irritation
If you’re often waking up with itchy, red and irritated skin, your pillowcase might be to blame. Both the dirt from your bedding and the material of the linen can be affecting your skin and causing irritation. In order to reduce your risk of redness and inflammation, change your pillowcase regularly, wash your face and use gentle laundry products without fragrances and chemicals. What you can also pay attention to is the fabric. Think natural like silk, buckwheat, kapok or millet.
It can ruin your skincare routine
Do you perform your nighttime skincare routine and hit the hay right away? If yes, then you might be rendering your products useless and wasting your money. When you go to sleep right away, some of the products will be absorbed by your pillowcase. What you can do to prevent this is applying your products an hour before bed and use a pillowcase that won’t absorb your products (silk is usually a good solution).
It can kill your hair
Are you waking up with a wacky new hairstyle every morning and it’s just not what you ask at your hear dressers? Well, you can easily blame your pillowcase. All the pulling and pressing can not only ruin your flawless hairstyle but also cause breakage and split ends. Most pillows also soak up all the oils from your hair, causing your hair to look dirty. What you can do to improve your hair in the morning is investing in a silk or satin bedding that will allow your hair to slide across it more easily. You can also find a better shampoo and conditioner for oily hair that will remove the oils and dirt from your hair and prevent them from ending up on your pillowcase and back on your hair and face. Plus, with a good shampoo, you can also reduce other hair-related issues, so it’s always a good idea.
It can speed up aging
This item on the list can’t be put any simpler — your pillow can be making you older! When you sleep on your side or on your stomach, the force of gravity and the weight of your face on the pillow apply a lot of pressure on your skin which can result in more visible wrinkles. And this problem only gets bigger with age. Older people don’t shift in bed that much, so they apply more pressure on a certain part of the face all through the night. And, as the skin ages, it loses the ability to resist all those forces due to the lack of elasticity and thickness. What you can do to reduce premature aging is investing in a pillow that encourages back sleeping (those with raised sides). You also want to try materials like satin or silk that won’t pull on your skin as you toss and turn. Sleep wrinkle pillows with a hole for your cheek and ear might also be a good solution for you if you’re a side or stomach sleeper.
All in all, you’ve been sort of betrayed by your pillow, but don’t fret. If you apply all the tips stated above, you will be able to sleep soundly and wake up feeling rested and looking fresh, youthful and flawless!
Written by Fiona Wood
About the Author
Fiona Wood is a lifestyle blogger based in Melbourne, Australia. She is in love with good coffee, croissants and fashion magazines. In spare time she plays tennis and traveling around the world.
You may also like
6 Ways Protein Powder Can Improve Your Appearance
6 Benefits of CBD Oil for Your Health and Well-Being
A Complete Guide to Kratom (Mitragyna Speciosa)
6 Tips for Beating Sleep Problem
6 Ways to Improve Your Sleep Habits