Never Use a Towel to Dry Your Face. Here’s Why

Your toilet seat might seem like the most germ-filled item in your home, but it isn’t. Your towels are packed with the most bacteria, so if you use them to wipe your face, you might be doing your skin an injustice. Although drying your face with a towel may seem logical, it can actually do more harm than good.

Here’ư why you shouldn’t use a towel to dry your face.

1. Your skin may age more quickly.

The use of terry cloth bath towels can create tiny tears in your skin, making it vulnerable to infections and wrinkles. The more towels you wash, the more brittle the fabric becomes, and the friction they create acts as an exfoliant that can be too harsh for your skin.

2. It may give you acne.

You may be damaging your skin more than you think when you dry your face with the same towel you use to dry your body. As towels are good bacteria traps, and we usually store them in the bathroom, where the air is damp, it creates the perfect environment for them to grow. By rubbing the towel on your face, you’re transmitting all of these bacteria directly to your skin, which can eventually lead to breakouts and clogged pores. Even if you dry your body with a different towel than that which you use to dry your face, you probably do not wash it daily, so unwanted bacteria can still enter your skin.

3. It decreases the efficacy of skincare products.

Despite the fact that it seems natural to dry your face after washing, it won’t allow your skin to benefit from the products you apply. The moisturizer will better penetrate the skin before all the water evaporates from its surface. If you skip towel drying, your skincare products will lock in the moisture your skin needs to look youthful and radiant.

4. It can make your skin oily.

Drying your skin can actually make it greasy. Because rough towels strip away your skin’s natural oils, sebaceous glands beneath the skin’s surface will have to produce more oil to balance out the dryness, which will result in greasy skin.

5. It can irritate your skin.

Using towels to dry your face isn’t the best option if you have sensitive skin. Because most towel fabrics are too harsh on the skin, wiping your face with them may cause redness and irritation.