When you want to clear your skin of acne and blemishes, not listening to your parents can make all the difference.

"What?" you say. "You want me to intentionally disobey them?" I'm sure every teenager is rubbing their hands together excitedly right about now. But really, I mean it, don't listen to them when it comes to your acne.

Now I know that they mean well and want to help clear your skin of acne, but some of the things that they've taught you over the years about hygiene are just flat out wrong. Not following their advice might be the best thing for you.

What Your Parents Told You To Do

When you were little and learning how to take care of your own basic hygiene, your parents likely told you to wash your face with a washcloth. They probably even had one of those cute kid-sized washcloths shaped like your favorite animal that you can slip your hand inside like a glove to get you to use it.

Then once you had your hand in the washcloth, you were told to use it to scrub all over, getting every inch of your face, neck, and behind the ears "really good". So you rubbed up and down really hard to make sure you were good and clean.

As you got older, you continued to try to get a "deep clean" by scrubbing hard with a washcloth. And when your face started to break out, you tried to clean harder to get all that dirt and grim out of your pores.

After all, you were only doing what your parents told you to do, right? So why then does your skin continue to be plagued by acne? How can you clear your skin?

What You Should Do To Clear Your Skin

If you were like me, you thought that "what" you used to wash your face with would heal your acne. But in actuality, "how" you wash your face makes a big difference. When I learned the truth about the proper technique to washing my face, it was like a light bulb went on in my head. Wow, I could have saved myself years of frustration and loads of money.

You too can have the power to clear your skin by following these facial cleansing steps.

Never use a washcloth. Yup, you heard me right – the very first thing your parents told you to do was dead wrong. Washcloths are too abrasive and can actually stimulate your pores to produce more sebum, which in turn can cause more acne.

Use lukewarm water to wet your face and to get the soap to foam. Then wash your face with your fingertips in gentle circular motions. Don't go up and down, but in circles. And don't press hard – that can make acne worse. Gentle circular motions allow you to get that deep clean you are looking for without irritating your skin.

Thoroughly rinse all the soap off your face by splashing lukewarm water onto it. Then with a fresh, clean, cotton towel gently pat your face dry. Do not rub it with the towel, just pat. Make sure you use a freshly laundered towel every time you dry your face.

Don't get me wrong, your parents know a lot of things and you should listen to them when it comes to "eating your vegetables", "doing your homework", and other valuable life lessons. But in order to clear your skin, I'm giving you permission to intentionally disobey them. They've got it wrong and you now know better.