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---Transcript---So What Lives in Your Pillowcases and how does that affect your beautiful skin?The second you crawl into bed, you are littering the sheets with dead skin cells, sweat, makeup, hair, lotion, saliva and a ton of other gunk. All of these basically turn your pillow into a rent-free residence for dust mites, which are attracted by dead skin cells.Welcome to another episode of skincare secrets. After a tiring day at work, you can hardly wait to have a hot relaxing shower, a quick nighttime beauty routine and just snuggle up in your comfy bed, ready for some beauty sleep. However, it often happens that you wake up and your skin just feels off. But before questioning everything from your skin routine to your makeup products, think about your pillowcase and how often do you wash it. We tend to pay a lot of attention to skincare products, whereas we underestimate the little factors, the mundane things like our bedsheets and pillowcases. It turns out, your skin maybe acting out because of a dirty pillowcase. Prepare to be seriously grossed out. The second you crawl into bed, you are littering the sheets with dead skin cells, sweat, makeup, hair, lotion, saliva and anything else picked up throughout the day from pollen to fungal mold.All of these basically turn your pillow into a rent-free residence for dust mites, which are attracted by dead skin cells. A study published in the American Chemical Society’s journal says humans shed 500 million skin cells every day. Given that you spend at least 8 hours on your pillowcase, a lot of those skin flakes end up in your bed. What can a dirty pillowcase do to your skin?Dust mites, these eight-legged critters too small to be visible to the eye, don’t bite, but a lot of people are allergic to them and their feces, yes, your pillow is a dust mite’s bathroom.Dirty pillowcase and bed sheets may trigger eczema in people with the condition or contact dermatitis, which is a red, itchy rash you get when you touch stuff that doesn’t agree with your skin. According to The Center for Dermatology, Cosmetic a Laser Surgery by transferring dirt and oil to your skin, pillowcases can be the cause of acne mechanica. "Acne mechanica is any type of acne that is the result of material or objects touching your face. When your pillowcase isn't laundered or changed regularly, a build-up of dirt and oil from the environment as well as your skin and hair touching the pillow is transferred back to your skin. This can clog pores and cause blemishes." A 2017 study suggests that there is a possibility to transmit or contract all kinds of infections through soiled linens.How often should you wash your sheets?According to a 2015 poll by Women’s Health Magazine, 44% of women said they wash their sheets 1x a week, 31% said they wash them every two weeks, and 16% said they do so only once a month.So how often should you wash your sheets? - Well, it depends on the circumstances. If you're not a sweaty sleeper and you shower before bed and do a regular face wash, you can change your sheets every other week. However, the American Academy of Dermatology, strongly recommends changing your sheets at least once a week if you have asthma, sensitive skin, and allergies. And it goes without saying, that in case of illness, sheets, duvet, and the pillow should be washed and changed immediately.The 1x per week rule does not apply to pillowcases. As we already concluded, our pillowcases turn overnight into a cesspool of bacteria and dirt, experts recommend to wash and change your pillowcases 2-3x per week. What is the best way to wash your sheets and pillowcases? Here’s the easy part, there’s no need for a special detergent, but if you want to be super careful, you can try hypoallergenic one. If you have sensitive skin, laundry experts recommend adding ¼ cup of white vinegar to your detergent the first few times you wash a set of sheets.You should wash your sheets and pillowcases in the hottest water the material can stand. The hot water will increase the chances of killing any critters and pathogens. And if you want to go the extra mile, you can also iron your bed sheets to make sure there are as sanitized as possible.Do clean sheets improve the quality of the skin?Clean sheets and pillowcases can not improve your skin, per se, but can protect your skin from unwanted effects.The Dermatology Institute of Boston says "If someone is changing their sheets every other month, that’s a problem,"... "But can changing your sheets every day versus every week make your skin better? Probably not."Tricks to keep your sheets clean and your skin glowing Keeping your pillowcase and sheets as clean as possible is a matter of healthy and frequent routines that you can apply. Showering before bed is one of them, by cleaning out the body fluids and dead skin cells, the chances of littering your pillowcase are much lower.Also, It goes without saying that removing your makeup before you go to sleep is a must, because… it’s just not good to sleep with your makeup on.Try to do your nighttime beauty routine at least half an hour before you crawl into bed so products absorb and are not wiped on your pillowcase. Truth is there is a small chance you can have 100% clean pillowcase and sheets at all times, but at least  by changing them 1x a week, you’ll feel safer while you have your beautysleep.CONCLUSION: That’s all for today. Let me know in the comments what you think. Please subscribe to get the latest updates. If you enjoyed the episode, hit the like button. And I’ll see you in the next one.