When it comes to looking after your skin when working out, it’s important to get this one thing right.
We have all heard the horror stories of bacteria and germs at the gym. Even with the increased cleaning measures that gyms and fitness studios are taking to keep us safe, you can still be exposed to any number of germs including staph bacteria, viruses and fungal infections which can cause those dreaded skin breakouts.
Think about the last time you were at the gym, yoga or pilates studio. Where did you place your towel? Was it on the floor, a treadmill or other workout equipment? Did you then wipe your face or even just touch your face after holding the towel? You have potentially come into contact with someone else’s sweat and germs. Gross Right?
No wonder many people experience skin breakouts after working out. This is exactly what happened to fitness entrepreneur Kayla Itsnes, when she recently revealed to her 12.6 million Instagram followers that she suffered from acne after working out.
Source: instagram.com/kayla_itsines
Itsnes solution to her followers was to use two sweat towels, one for equipment and one for wiping off sweat. But if you want to go a step further to protect yourself and avoid skin breakouts, follow the below two simple rules.
- Always bring your own sweat towel (or 2 if you’re following Kayla’s advice) and absolutely avoid using the gym or fitness studio supplied towels. Do you really trust a towel that has been repeatedly used by others? In most cases these towels have also been sitting in a basket or hamper that itself could contain germs. More importantly you are at the mercy of how well these towels have been washed and whether harsh or cheap cleaning chemicals have been used which can also react with your skin.
- Make sure you use the RIGHT gym towel. Look for something that has antibacterial properties that kill bacteria and germs. This will ensure that your towel is doing some of the work for you in eliminating bacteria causing skin irritation and flare ups.
Another important factor is the material of your sweat towel. Cheaper towels will often be made with harsh fabrics and treated with chemicals that can react with your skin. If you want the gold standard in materials, then 100% organic cotton is the only way to go. Organic cotton is grown without harmful chemicals and toxins and is processed according to strict standards that limit the amount of harmful chemicals used in production, making them gentler on your skin and less likely to cause irritations.
You cant go past Aurora Athletica's line of silver infused antimicrobial sweat towels that are made from 100% organic cotton. The natural silver infused into the towels eliminate bacteria at the source, keeping the towels fresh and bacteria free.
Click here to find them on Amazon
