Yikes, is your favorite hair product messing up your skin?

If you’ve got a complex beauty routine, you probably handle your hair and your makeup separately to create your finished look. But if you’ve ever accidentally flung powder into your hairline, giving yourself a distinctly George Washington look, you’ll know that it’s easy for hair care and skin care to blend into each other at the margins. According to experts, if you have skin issues, you might want to look to your hair care routine for a hidden culprit.

Skin Issue #1: Hairline Break-Outs

If you’ve got zits or whiteheads along the border between your hairline and your face, cosmetic researcher Joshua Zeichner, speaking to Allure magazine, says pomades might be the cause. “Hair pomades can block pores, causing breakouts,” Zeichner claims, though using the product on the ends of your hair should keep it away from delicate facial skin.

Skin Issue #2: Dry Skin

Sure, it might be caused by the weather or wind, but dry facial skin might also be due to everyone’s favorite helper: hairspray. “Sprays and gels can cause direct irritation to the scalp, resulting in redness and flaking,”according to Zeichner. In addition, products containing alcohol of any kind — dry shampoo, anyone? — Can be extremely drying to the skin.

Skin Issue #3: Irritation

Contact dermatitis, or skin irritation, is frequently caused by allergies or sensitivities to common hair products. Zeichner singles out hair dye in particular as a culprit. “Hair dyes can cause allergic reactions, which can be a problem if you have permanent hair dye,” he warns. In fact, even frequent users need to be aware of the potential for allergic reactions caused by hair dye, because allergies can develop at any time. Redness on the skin, ears and neck are symptoms that can appear up to a week after dyeing, say researchers at the Baylor College of Medicine. Be on the particular lookout for an ingredient called p-phenylenediamine or PPDA, which research suggests is the main villain in dye-related skin problems.

(Image via Shutterstock.)