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View Full Version : Extending Shampoos and Acne?



nicolezoie
September 10th, 2008, 07:50 PM
Husband and I got to talking about my persistant adult acne. He's known me since my hair was about hip length, and noticed an increase in acne the longer my hair has become. One thing that came up is the fact that I only scalp wash a few times a week, and sometimes go a whole month or longer between length washing. He's convinced that the minimal scalp washing is part of the cause. At first I was reluctant to agree, because my hair was up all the time, and thought that since my scalp was clean-ish, that the oils wouldn't clog my pores. But then it occurred to me that my scalp hair may not directly be the issue. The REST of my hair may be at issue. See, I don't think about washing my hands between manipulating my length then scratching an itch on my face. Or scratching my scalp on wash day, then later on scratching my face. In a nutshell, what I think may be happening is that the oils that I either put in my length like jojoba or my natural sebum may be getting on my face indirectly, and its causing blocked pores and subsequent stubborn acne.

And for me, this has ONLY been an issue since I've stretched out/minimized shampoos on both my scalp AND my length.

Has anyone else noticed this pattern?

Morag
September 10th, 2008, 07:59 PM
That's very interesting. I didn't have exactly the same thing, but I did notice that after I changed the contents of my mister I had a prolonged period of itchy breakouts on my upper chest and neck. I eventually realized that my hair was brushing the skin and leaving misting solution on it. The breakouts stopped when I started using a different combination of oils, etc. in my mister.

So, now I know that my hair loves VO5 Kiwi Lime conditioner, but some parts of my skin (not my scalp) just hate it.

I hope you will find your answer soon.

ETA: Forgot to mention, I clean my hair with conditioner only every week to ten days, sometimes longer. I even experimented with sebum only for a couple of months without any skin problems. It was just that one particular combination of oils and conditioner in my mister that caused the problem for me.

RavenDream
September 10th, 2008, 08:07 PM
I have stretched my washings to every 3 days and have noticed an increase in break outs on my forehead. It's annoying but with a salycilic acid cleanser it's under control.

longhairedfairy
September 10th, 2008, 08:16 PM
Heck, yeah, that'll do it! Btw, I don't think it's the oil/sebum itself, but a buildup of bacteria.

Unnamed
September 10th, 2008, 08:36 PM
Sorta, although, not really. I'm not a scalp washer (hair won't let me, meh), but I know the longer between washes I go the worse acne can get, especially on my scalp/hairline. At the same time, that might not quite be the issue/solution (ie, needing to wash it more often).

But, as far as the rest--yes, I could definitely see that oil could 'move', and that the oil from your hair could be creating problems with your skin. Honestly, the first thought that came to mind is how are you wearing your hair at night? Is it contained so that your hair doesn't touch either you or your pillowcases/sheets?

I've yet to found a way rid of mine (the acne that is!), but washing about every 3 days and BOTH bunning *and* covering my hair cut down on it, especially on my shoulders, back of neck, and cheeks/chin, and also hairline in front and in front of my ears. Also having a fresh thing to contain hair and a fresh pillow case every time (or second time) I wash hair...but it's not as vast a difference as the bunning and covering part.

Even just bunning keeps my back/etc. better off (compared to when I just braided), but just bunning doesn't help face one bit. Covering it keeps scalp and skin oils where they belong, which seems to really help. Both my scalp and skin make a LOT of oil, but my scalp makes far more...and it seems to cause issues on my skin.

FWIW, I to touch my face after touching my hair, and for me that doesn't seem to make a difference. I hope you get it sorted out/find out what's causing the increase.

nicolezoie
September 10th, 2008, 09:00 PM
Usually when I sleep it's up: in a bun, over the headboard, behind a pillow, over the side of the bed.. but now that you mention it, the less I slept with my scalp covered (contained in some kind of grannycap or snood) I DID start getting more acne. Hm. Maybe I'll have to figure out how to sleep with it contained AND up... I'm visualizing some sort of beanie type thing - a long, hair bag that contains a bun perched on high so I can roll around, with an elastic keeping said bun up, with another portion of the bag coming down and covering the rest of my scalp with a light elastic to keep it from sliding up... Hm. I need a sewing machine!!

I've noticed that even if I wash my pillow cases weekly, the acne doesn't let up. I stopped using satin pillow cases because I thought that was making things worse.

Husband just thinks I need to length wash more often. :confused:

spidermom
September 10th, 2008, 09:14 PM
I don't think so. I got my hair cut very short in the past because somebody convinced me that it was my hair and the products that I used in it touching my face that was causing/exacerbating my acne. Nope. Didn't make one bit of difference, except that my face was right out there for all to see clearly all the time. Not fun with flaming acne.

talullah
September 10th, 2008, 09:20 PM
The reason I wear a sleeping cap or bonnet? It's not to protect my hair, it's to protect my skin from my hair. :lol: I change pillowcases every two or three nights, and that still doesn't seem to be enough. My hair is in a bun at night, but still needs to be "covered" with a bonnet so that the oils don't get on my pillowcase and then on my face. I stopped wearing a bonnet this past summer (just too hot) and now I'm wondering if that's to blame for the bad skin I've had all summer.

If I wear a braid pulled to the front over my shoulder, I get acne on my neck.

I'm not sure if my issues have to do with extending washes, though. I use sweet almond oil as a leave-in after every wash, and I'm pretty certain that stuff gives me acne. So it might just be that, and not my own sebum. Either way, the more I keep my hair away from my skin, the better.

manderly
September 10th, 2008, 09:39 PM
Well, I can tell you that on days where my scalp is nice and greasy (bun time!) my face gets very oily very quickly! It's as if the oils from my scalp actually start migrating down my face. Ew.

I can tell you it's not from touching my hair and then my face, because it's usually up during these times and I don't touch it.

I break out on my cheek bone/temples near my eyes and small plugs along my hairline. I also break out along my jaw, actually my neck, not really my face anymore also back near my ears. I also break out around my lips. You can see from my avatar where my hair likes to touch these places.

All my standard break-out areas seem to correlate with areas of my face my hair or my hands are in constant contact with.

I'm a mindless face toucher. I rub my face when I'm tired or frustrated. I rest my head on my hand (jawline!) I wipe sweat off my upper lip and wipe along the bottom of my lipline to check for stray lipgloss or ookies. My temples are in contact with my hair when it's down (most of the time).

My skin gets very nice when I purposefully wear my hair up and make an effort to keep my hands off my face. This is really hard to do, therefore I still struggle with it!

ClareDee
September 11th, 2008, 05:13 AM
Well, I can tell you that on days where my scalp is nice and greasy (bun time!) my face gets very oily very quickly! It's as if the oils from my scalp actually start migrating down my face. Ew.

I can tell you it's not from touching my hair and then my face, because it's usually up during these times and I don't touch it.


I've come to the same conclusion about my oily scalp. Since I've been stretching washes, I've been getting more spots on the upper part of my forehead. Since I have no bangs, and the hair so rarely actually touches my forehead, I'm figuring the oil is seeping down onto my face. Ew, indeed!

My skin is a moisture minefield anyway, because I have extremely dry patches on either side of my nose, and extremely oily areas on my forehead and chin. I also had a bout of eczema around my ears a couple of years ago, which is now gone but it left some minor scarring.

Truly, one of the reasons I now have big ambitions for my hair is because my skin has failed! Despite various creams, anti-biotics, and 3 different types of birth-control to control it, it won't behave. My hair at least responds well to my care for it. :cool:

Nightshade
September 11th, 2008, 12:48 PM
Truly, one of the reasons I now have big ambitions for my hair is because my skin has failed! Despite various creams, anti-biotics, and 3 different types of birth-control to control it, it won't behave. My hair at least responds well to my care for it. :cool:

Off topic, but have you tried adjusting your diet? I had read that a lot of acne can be caused by food allergies to either dairy, gluten, or lectin (in that order of commonality).

When I cut out dairy *POOF* :magic: my face cleared straight up and my cystic acne went away. We've got a thread on it over here if you're interested (http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/showthread.php?t=9485):)

oodlesofnoodles
September 11th, 2008, 01:01 PM
I have to say that although my hair likes not being shampooed often, when I wash my hair at least three times a week, I don't break out. If I stretch longer than that, I get pimples on my cheeks and foreheads. However, I think it also has something to do with the steaming I get from being in the shower, and having the shampoo run over my face since I normally never use soap or any type of cleanser on my skin. Maybe I should try washing my face with diluted soap.

ClareDee
September 11th, 2008, 01:12 PM
Thanks for that link, Nightshade :)
A food allergy/intolerance is not something I've ever considered... If it's down to dairy I think I'd find it rather traumatic to give up cheese... :(

I heart:cheese:

Still, I'll read through that thread and have a ponder ;) Thanks.

Lady Godiva
September 11th, 2008, 01:28 PM
Extending shampooings really sucked for me. This is why I scalp wash with good ol' detergent-based shampoos 2-3 times per week. The only difference is that I get pimples on the hair side of the hairline; it's no more or less on my face or below. My hair is pulled off my face 98% of the time, so I can't comment on the effect of my hair on my skin.

I tried dairy elimination for a month, and it made no difference. I've tried a lot of products, including AcneFree (like Proactiv) for eight weeks, and my skin became far worse. What's working now is Noxema Triple Clean Anti-Bacterial Cleanser. That stuff is great!

Nightshade
September 11th, 2008, 01:32 PM
Thanks for that link, Nightshade :)
A food allergy/intolerance is not something I've ever considered... If it's down to dairy I think I'd find it rather traumatic to give up cheese... :(

I heart:cheese:

Still, I'll read through that thread and have a ponder ;) Thanks.

There is much wailing at the loss of cheese over there. You'll be in good company ;)

chrissy-b
September 11th, 2008, 01:38 PM
I have noticed an increase in break outs since I started to stretch out my washings. It is contained mostly to the scalp, but my hairline on my neck and forehead have the occasional pimple.

I'm sorry, I have no advice for you on how to correct this problem beyond more frequent washings. I've been trying to deal with mine and the only thing that keeps it from getting worse is to scalp wash and to try and keep my hair off my face when I sleep.

longhairedfairy
September 11th, 2008, 05:17 PM
If you have problems with acne it's a good idea to use a different pillow cover every night (or use the same one for two nights and just turn the pillow over on the second night). Avoid touching your face at all without washing your hands, even if they are clean.

Kirin
September 11th, 2008, 07:48 PM
Do you use coconut oil at all? Using coconut oil in our hair made me and DD14 break out like CRAZY wherever our hair touched our faces, on our foreheads, necks, by the ears. If we slept with hair down and it got on our faces, those would break out too.

Neither of us are allergic to coconut, we can eat it just fine, but the oil made our skin go mental.

mooglewoo
September 12th, 2008, 09:44 AM
but I did notice that after I changed the contents of my mister I had a prolonged period of itchy breakouts on my upper chest and neck.

I also used to use a mister and no longer do so. I also have to be careful what leave-ins I use because I sleep with my hair down and whatever I put in my hair, ends up on my pillowcase, which ends up on my face. I have persistent adult acne, on top of sensitive skin, so I change my pillowcase every few days as it is. Are you using oils that are known to clog pores? (like coconut for example?)

MyFireElf
September 12th, 2008, 09:49 AM
I've noticed an increase in breakouts since I started stretching out my wash days. I'm convinced it's directly related to my hair, sinch the breakouts follow my hemline. They were on my cheeks when I started out short and over the past year have travelled down to my jawline and neck, and are now on my shoulders and back - right where the ends of my hair land.