Acne.
Almost everyone struggles with acne sometime in their life whether it is in their teens years or in their adult years (and if you don’t, well then…you are the luckiest person in the world and I want to know your secret). As I have explained in my Current Skincare Routine post, I have dealt with acne since I was about 15 and I am now 21.
Acne is something that can harm a persons self-confidence mentally and physically. I would become depressed and any bit of self-confidence I had diminished. There were days, during my high school experience, when I would be so depressed and embarrassed about my acne that I would pretend to be sick so that I could stay home from school and other events. I had the thought in my head that people would judge me with craters (as I called them) on my face.
After the long journey of struggling with acne, I have found multiple ways to keep my acne at bay and my skin clear (at least most of the time…except for those times of the month of course… You know what I’m talking about ladies!) Now, I am not a dermatologist or specialist in skincare so I cannot guarantee these tips will work for you. These are just things that work for me and my skin, but… If you struggled with acne like I did… You will probably try anything to help clear up your skin so I hope these tips help you like they did for me!
1. Remove All Makeup Before Bed Every Night!
I know we all get lazy and tend to skip taking our makeup off each night…Guilty as charged…but we all need to get up off our lazy butt and remember to remove our makeup at night. By not removing all traces of makeup at night, it sits on our skin and clogs our pores causing sebum to become trapped and cause an infection… HENCE the result of acne. Trust me, we all dread coming home and taking out makeup off every night but, if you are guilty of doing this, your skin will thank you later if you just take those couple minute to remove your makeup each night. Right now I think I am using the Mary Kay oil-free makeup remover (which I forgot to take a picture of… sorry), but I love using the Neutrogena Makeup Remover Cleansing Towelettes* because they really remove all my makeup but are not harsh on my skin!
2. Cleanse Twice a Day
This tip goes hand-in-hand with #1 as you should always cleanse your face once in the morning and once at night, even if you did not wear makeup that day and especially if you wore makeup that day. Pores naturally secrete oils called sebum that can build-up and clog pores, which is why it is always important to remember to cleanse your face twice a day in order to break down all the build-up caused by dirt, sweat, and sebum. Do not cleanse more than twice though because it can dry out your face and cause your pores to secrete more oils causing the pores to become clogged easier. I use two different cleansers — one in the morning and a different one in the evening. In the morning I cleanse with the Rodan & Fields Unblemish Acne Treatment Sulfur Wash (that I will be doing a review on in a couple weeks) and in the evening I cleanse with my– holy grail of acne products– Tea Tree Skin Clearing Foaming Cleanser from The Body Shop Tea Tree skincare line that I raved about in my Current Skincare Routine. This stuff really controls my oils, helps diminish acne, and even smells good (at least to me).
3. Use a Cleansing Brush
Using a cleansing brush is another tip I like to use because it helps make sure your pores get a deep clean, instead of using your hands that only cleanses the top layer of your skin. By using a cleansing brush, you get into the deeper into your skin by breaking up all the build-up in your pores. Not everyone likes to use a cleansing brush everyday though because it can be very exfoliating so doing it a couple times a week is preferred than not at all. I just like to do it everyday because I get a lot of build-up from having oily skin. Now, we all know they are some pricey cleansing brushes out there, but they do not have to be to get the job done. I use one from Mary Kay but I believe it is a little more expensive…not like the Clarisonic brushes, but still expensive. There are plenty of cleansing brushes out there that will get the job done but are on the cheaper side. I used to use the Olay ProX Advanced Cleansing System Facial Brush* that you can purchase on Amazon that works and looks like the one from Mary Kay but is cheaper.
4. Always Moisturize After Cleansing
Moisturizing is one of the most important steps to maintain clear skin. After you cleanse your face, you need to put the moisture back into your skin so that your skin does not become dry and cause your pores to produce more oils leading to acne. My absolute favorite moisturizer is the Olay Complete All Day Moisturizer* as I have been using it for years and years. It is oil free, which is what you should look for in a moisturizer if you are acne prone or have oily skin, and it does not feel greasy when you apply it. I have used other moisturizers but always come back to this one.
5. Use a Mask Once A Week
This is just preference… because some people do not like to use masks… but I use a mask once a week to get a deep clean. Masks can be very deep cleaning so it is recommended not to do them every night if you cleanse regularly, like you should, but if you do use masks more than once a week and it works for you then all power to you… keep doing it girl! I like to use the Queen Helene Mint Julep Masque* because it is for oily and acne prone skin. It is so refreshing too because the mint gives a cooling feeling to your skin when you first put it on and then makes your skin feel as soft as a babies butt after you rinse it off. I also have been using the Shills Deep Cleansing Black Mask Purifying Peel-off Mask that makes your skin so soft… like a baby’s bum! It is really cleansing and removes all your dead skin cells. I actually did a review on this product and you can check it out here!
All these tips and tricks have helped me over the years really clear up my acne and control my breakouts so I hope they do the same for all you lovely people too!
Do you use any of these tips or products? If so, which ones and have they helped you with achieving clear skin? Let me know in the comments below!
Let me know if you liked this post because I would like to do more of these clear skin tips for you lovely people!♥
Love always,
*Disclaimer: Some links in this post are affiliate.*
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Danielle Ruppert 