Acne can often feel like the downfall of your confidence. This feeling is never fun and sometimes pimples are a pain in the a** to get rid of or conceal. Luckily, there are some tips and tricks out there that help to keep acne at bay. I’ve compiled a list of my favorite ways of preventing and reducing my acne. Of course, everybody’s skin is different so some of this information may be applicable to you and some of it may not. You know your body and skin type better than anyone so use this advice according to what you think will work best for you and make your skin a happy camper!
Change Your Pillowcases Often
When I was in high school, I noticed that my face was on a nonstop cycle of having acne to having a lot of acne. I was sick of breakouts making me feel self-conscious, so I began to track down what I was doing in my life that involved touching my face and spreading oils and dirt to my skin. The first thing I thought of was my pillowcase. The natural oil from your hair spreads onto the fabric of your pillow and when you rest your face against it, you’re essentially rubbing your skin with that oil, sweat, and whatever products you put in your hair (conditioner, detangler, etc.) all night long. Change out or wash your pillowcases every week to help reduce the amount of buildup they collect and transfer to your face. Your skin will thank you.
Wash Your Makeup Brushes
This one is definitely a pain to do but it helps a staggering amount. Like a lot of people, I have a tough time motivating myself to spend 15 minutes rinsing out my makeup brushes and sponges to the point where I end up forgetting what color my brushes are supposed to be instead of the color of foundation. Y’all, this is SO bad. The old, leftover product on the brush is smeared across your face everytime you apply fresh makeup and all of this debris can cause a riot on your face. Cleaning your makeup brushes after every couple of uses (because let’s be real—no one washes their brushes after every single application) will also help to soften the bristles and make application less abrasive.
Reduce the Amount of Face Makeup You Wear
On days where your skin is already speckled with pimples, try to cut down on the amount of product you use on your face. It’s tempting to want to layer on the foundation and concealer when you’re struggling with a bad bout of acne but this may only make it worse. Makeup can contain some fairly irritating ingredients so when you apply that to already-sensitive areas of skin like pimples, it only agitates them further. A trick I used to do in high school was I used to have a small tube of a light BB cream in my makeup bag that I used on days where I really felt I needed to cover up my blemishes. BB creams have a lighter formula than foundation and still provide a little coverage so it can help to reduce any redness your acne is causing.
Drink Lots of Water
The human body builds up a lot of toxins and this can be a big cause for acne. The easiest and most effective way of expelling these toxins is by drinking lots of water to help flush out your system which will in turn help your skin fight off acne.
Don’t Over-Wash Your Face
Washing your face is definitely one of — if not the — the most effective way of preventing and reducing acne, however, it’s definitely possible to overdo it which can lead to more breakouts. It’s recommended by the American Academy of Dermatology to wash your face twice a day and if you’ve done any sweat-producing activities like going to the gym. Washing any more than this can dry out and irritate your skin which will in turn cause more pimples to form.
Stress is known to be a huge cause for acne. If you have a free half hour in your day, you may want to try meditating or squeezing in a quick nap. Going to sleep super late can actually cause your skin to produce more sebum which, according to the Cambridge Dictionary, is “an oil-like substance produced by the sebaceous glands in the skin that makes hair shiny and prevents skin from becoming dry”. Too much sebum can cause skin to become super oily, therefore causing breakouts.
Don’t Rest Your Head/Face in Your Hands
Continuing with the theme of oil and dirt, resting your face in your hands is an easy way to transfer all the nasty stuff you’ve touched throughout the day onto your face. Try to get in the habit of sitting up straight to resist the temptation of using your hands to support your head while slouching forward. Even if you’re at school and the lecture is putting you to sleep, don’t give in and lean on your hands!
Acne is never fun and it can negatively alter the way you see yourself. Try to give your skin a little help by following some of these tips to help reduce or prevent pimples from taking a pitstop on your face.
Photos/Gifs: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8
Resources:
https://www.aad.org/public/diseases/acne-and-rosacea/skin-care-habits-that-worsen-acne
https://dictionary.cambridge.org/us/dictionary/english/sebum
https://porcelainfacespa.com/prologue/sleep-deprivation-acne/
https://www.livestrong.com/article/73613-water-acne/