Acne, blemishes, & breakouts have been a big problem for me my entire life. I remember the first breakouts I had (on my forehead) in 5th Grade! I remember telling someone it was a bug bite because what the heck is a fifth grader doing with horrible breakouts on her face? But that moment began my journey dealing with breakouts. What I know now is that it had a lot to do with hormones/bad skin/genes but also a lot to do with skin care routine & foods.
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While in high school I tried drugstore cleansers/spot treatments, tried proactive, even went to the dermatologist & nothing seemed to work. Now, I know that these things didn't work because I didn't have the discipline to keep up with the routine. I didn't wash my face morning & night, I didn't keep my routine, I didn't take my pills - so it didn't work. I guess I had better things to do! I'm not saying that you need to take medication or put products you don't feel comfortable with on to your skin - I want to advocate routine! Whatever works for you, you have to keep it up or it won't work!
Now that I'm older I think my skin has naturally gotten better - less changing hormones, etc - but I try keep up a better skincare routine & choose products that fight oil. I have incredibly oily skin so it's particularly tricky somedays & perfectly fine other days. I thought I'd share with you some tips on how I keep the breakouts under control on my oily skin:
Find a routine & stick to it - I don't care what you use, but find something (experiment, there's no right or wrong!) that works for you & keep it up. Don't skip a day! I think my time working for the Massage & Esthetics school really helped me realize the importance of a skin care routine.
My Routine - Olay Fresh Effects Shine Shine Go Away Cleanser (controls shine, I love it!) + spray astringent (Clean & Clear in a spray bottle) + Neutrogena Alcohol-Free Toner to restore PH + Neutrogena Fight & Fade gel for breakouts/fading scars + light, oil free SPF moisturizer --- I (try to) do this morning & night with a bit of exfoliation thrown in
Wash your hands before touching your face - Avoid touching your face at all during the day but most importantly, before you apply make up, wash your hands. Keep a pocket-bac on your dressing table if you need to but keeping your hands off your face & clean if you need to touch it, won't transfer bacteria. This is a little tip that I know has helped me!
Clean your phone (your cell, home, & work) - along the same lines of wash your hands, clean your phones. I'm bad with this & I've noticed quite a few breakouts on my phone holding area. I constantly put the phone on my shoulder & lean it to my face at work. It's soooo bad! Luckily there are clorox wipes all over the place (but a little travel cleaner kit would be great for on the go!) because my boss is a germophobe to clean it off! But do this with your cell phone too. Seriously, another simple tip that I know makes a difference!
Don't skip the moisture - if you have oily skin like me you may think that skipping the moisturizer might help fight the oil but it's not true! Find a light moisturizer (one with SPF!) & apply it regularly. I've read that if you keep your skin hydrated it won't produce as much oils to hydrate itself - I believe this is true in theory but personally I still get oily through the day. I also found that I try (try!) to let my moisturizer absorb completely before applying my primer to start my make up. I feel like it just works better this way!
Choose oil fighting products - Not everyone has the same skin type, I know, but sometimes oil fighting products are just worth it. I swear by Rimmel's Mattifying Primer, Neutrogena's Shine Control Primer, & the Olay Fresh Effects Shine Shine Go Away Cleanser. Also pick oil-free & non-comedogenic products. You can also use an oil-free/non-comedogenic primer as well.
Learn to wash your face - I highly recommend finding a good Esthetician (if you're lucky, find a way to be the client they work on when they are learning - like at a school!) seriously they can tell you the best way to wash your face. Mimic their motions, ask questions, they can recommend products, etc. Another thing I learned in my previous job at the Esthetics school was that a lot of people go to the dermatologist, get prescription cleansers, but aren't told how to properly wash their face. Don't do it quickly! Focus on your problem areas, add more water if you need to, spend time washing your face & neck - I spend a good chunk of time cleansing my face, honestly!
Try something natural - When you're at your wits end or just want to try something new give a few natural products a shot. I've recently been trying coconut oil as a moisturizer & witch hazel as an astringent and it hasn't hurt (though I don't have a solid opinion about it yet!). Some people are all about natural & sometimes it's worth it. Also, you know you aren't putting some crazy stuff on your face if you're going organic. It's worth a shot, you know.
Try something natural - When you're at your wits end or just want to try something new give a few natural products a shot. I've recently been trying coconut oil as a moisturizer & witch hazel as an astringent and it hasn't hurt (though I don't have a solid opinion about it yet!). Some people are all about natural & sometimes it's worth it. Also, you know you aren't putting some crazy stuff on your face if you're going organic. It's worth a shot, you know.
These tips above have totally been the little things that I know keep my skin looking great! Bonus tips: change your pillowcases/sheets regularly (every day on the pillowcases if you can - I don't lol), drink a lot of water, limit the crap eating (soda, etc - I don't do it often and can so tell!)
What are your tips? I wanna know!
xoxo, Moe
I was lucky to have pretty good skin up until my early 20s. From age 22 to early 24 or so I had a break-out I thought would NEVER go away. Facials, good skin care, sleep, lots of water and green tea, NONE of that made a dent. Now I'm glad it happened, it was my body's way of telling me I hadn't been feeding it right for years and the toxicity had reached its threshold! I read about anti-inflammatory diet and tried that (here: http://www.thriftcore.com/2011/10/healthy-skin-diet-100-natural-way-to.html) and the break-out cleared up immediately. I feel like good skin is 99% diet. I know plenty of people that just rinse their face and have flawless complexions. I go back and forth myself with just rinsing, washing with a tiny bit of baking soda and/or theraneem body/face wash and sometimes finishing with theraneem skin balancing oil serum.
ReplyDeleteAs a fellow oily skin sufferer, too true, keep moisturized and your skin will produce less oil. Using my balancing oil gives me skin what it wants so my skin looks dewey and not-oily slicky every morning. I don't even wash my face in the morning, just at night. I apply the moisturizer, it does its work overnight and I wake up with ready-to-go skin that needs no foundation. When you over-wash and tone to reduce oil your skin will only make more. Oh and finally, highly recommend using only 100% natural and/or homemade products.
Passionate about this topic because I know how it can change people's lives :) Thanks for letting me rant here.
Oh and here's some natural stuff I love using: http://www.thriftcore.com/2013/04/thrifty-easy-100-natural-cleaning.html
Might have to do a follow-up post on this. Glad you're seeing results these days :D