Battling With Breakouts? Part Two
The struggle with breakouts can be a real confidence-knocker, carrying over to other areas of your life. It may seem silly but doing something as simple as clearing up your skin can make such a positive impact. Achieving blemish-free skin is made up of many different factors, in part one of this guide, Eating for Clear Skin, we dive into which foods help/hinder you on clearing up those pesky spots. Your skincare routine is another cornerstone to clear skin, let’s cover some acne-fighting basics and take your results up a level.
Before starting a new routine or revamping your current one, take selfies. Don’t stress, you’re not uploading them to Instagram, they’re just for you. Photos are a great motivational tool and measure of what’s working and what’s not. Snap a weekly shot of your face from the front and a profile pic of each side. Like any good science experiment, controlling the variables allows you to tweak your approach and remove the guesswork, be sure to use the same location and time each week. Make the routine a no-brainer, the simpler the better:
- Monday morning
- Bathroom mirror
- Before your shower\skincare routine
- Snap those pics
Consistency is Key
There’s always going to be a newer, shinier, more exciting product out there, but by frequently hopping from one product to the next, you’re doing your skin no favours. Just like working out, chop and change your routine too often and you risk missing out on a bunch of benefits. Your skin needs time to adjust to a new product, commonly getting a little worse before getting a lot better. It’s not always easy but give your skin time to improve and cut yourself some slack.
How long should you stick with a product? This comes down to personal preference, but 6-8 weeks is usually enough time to see if a product is worth both your time and money.
Don’t Over-Wash and Over-Dry Your Skin
I know when battling with oily, breakout prone skin, the natural response is to wash your face any chance you get, preferably with something to dry out all the oil. While logical, you’re doing more harm than good. The skin, just like the rest of the body works best when optimally balanced, staying within a certain range means all is hunky-dory and you’re spot-free. But tip that balance through a harsh skincare routine that dries your skin out and breakouts are just around the corner.
How Often Should You Wash Your Face?
You want to establish a twice-a-day habit, once in the morning with another round before bed. If you work up a sweat in training, don’t sit around all day in your workout clothes, wash off all that pore-clogging-grime asap. Hit the showers and have fresh clothes at the ready if you struggle with body acne.
Should You Avoid Oil-Based Products?
While this again makes sense, doing so can backfire. The body hates change and will actively try counterbalance whatever we chuck its way. Eat too little while dieting and the body fights back, sending us impossible-to-ignore-hunger-cues until we crack and eat everything in sight. Your skin is no different, dry out your skin’s natural oil level too much (through harsh products /over-washing) and your body rebels, sending your natural oil production into overdrive, leaving you oilier than before.
Our Anti-Acne Star Players
Banish and Repair Cleanser – This daily cleanser gently purifies and cleanses your skin, naturally, whilst reducing the appearance of breakouts and blemishes, and helps prevent future breakouts. Wash away acne-causing bacteria, excess oil and impurities without over-drying and irritating your skin.
Goji Berry Facial Scrub – Goji berries aren’t just good for eating, they provide your skin with anti-inflammatory and anti-bacterial benefits that leave you feeling radiant, refreshed and healthy. Be gentle when you apply! It’s tempting to go overboard but polish lightly into your skin using small circular motions, let it sit for a minute before rinsing with warm water and pat your face dry.
Banish and Repair Serum – Stabilise your skin’s oil production by feeding it the correct balance of essential amino acids and a potent mix of antioxidants. Packed with anti-microbial properties to effectively clear up breakouts, leaving your skin clear, smooth and flawless.
We have a whole array of anti-acne products, there’s something in there to help everyone so be sure to go check it out.
