Zit Fit!

Breakouts can be nastier than breakups, but I have tips to help you prevent those nasty suckers from showing up and what to do if they eventually do invade you face. 

*disclaimer: everyone’s skin is different. Products and ingredients (such as salicylic acid) that work on one person may not work on you. So try out products and find out which products are right for YOU. 

Preventing Pimples

Wash Your Face

I feel like this is just a given. However, there is a little confusion when it comes to using cleansers. You don’t need to scrub your face every day - I find that washing your face every day with a cleanser can be rough on the skin and you don’t want strip your face of your natural oils. 

What I like to do is when I brush my teeth in the morning, I simply rinse my face with water rather than cleansing every day and pat (not rub) my face about 75% dry then put on moisturizer (the reason I do this is because I have typically dry skin especially in the winter so the moisture from the left over water will hydrate my face). I’m current testing out a moisturizer for dry skin (that I will be doing a review on soon) but other times as a daily moisturizer, I like to use Clean & Clear’s Essentials Dual Action Moisturizer. I love using this as a daily moisturizer because it not only is an oil-free moisturizer soft enough for everyday use, but has the ingredient salicylic acid (an acne fighting ingredient) that keeps your pores clean. 

Throughout the week I like to wash my face with a regular cleanser (currently I use the Estee Lauder Soft Clean Moisture Rich Foaming Cleanser for dry skin) at least every two days (however depending on if I am wearing makeup I do like to wash my face with the cleanser after removing my makeup). Then, once a week, I like to really deep clean with the Derma e Microdermabrasion Scrub (which I received a sample tub of in my July Ipsy Glam Bag and have had since cause a little goes a long way).

Don't Forget To Remove Your Makeup

You don’t know how many times I’ve fell asleep with makeup on and it’s just a horror show the next morning. Besides waking up looking like a clown did your makeup, you have just developed a breeding ground for new bound pimples. Makeup DOES clog your pores so if you don’t remove it before you go to bed, pimples are bound to form. I typically like using makeup wipes then follow it up by cleaning my face to remove any left over makeup. My favourite makeup removing wipes are the Neutrogena All-in-One Make-Up Removing Cleansing Wipes and the Pond’s Cleansing and Makeup Removing Towelettes. 

Deal With Oil The Right Way

This is a major issue, especially for summertime. The problem with my skin along with being dry is that I also get super oily around my t-zone (I guess that means I have dry to combination skin). Now not doing anything about that oil when you sweat is a problem because again you guessed it - it clogs your pores. My favourite item for dealing with an oily face are the Clean & Clear Oil Absorbing Sheets (I swear I’m not being sponsored by Clean & Clear I just really love their products). I actually love using this all year around because it’s an easy way for you to get rid of oil. I also love using this when I wear makeup because instead of caking on powder to remove shine, the blot papers will help remove oil without clogging up your face with more product. 

Another all time favourite of mine is the OXY Daily Defense Cleansing Pads (OXY also has Medicated Acne Pads to help clear breakouts). The earliest I can remember using them is in 2005 when I went on a trip to Sri Lanka (my home country). Now the weather there is a ridiculous dry heat so naturally we were always sweating. So every time we came inside, we would use these cleansing pads and it would remove all the oil and dirt that had accumulated on our face. Since then I have always remembered to pack these on any trip. Of course however, I don’t recommend using them with a face full of makeup. This is best to use after you’ve removed your makeup but just before you wash your face. You can even use it on your bare face after you've come in from the scorching heat to cool down your face and remove any oil. 

Dealing With Pimples

Acne Products

There are hundreds of acne products out there but when looking for a product, look for the words salicylic acid, benzoyl peroxide or retinol on the front or in the ingredients because these are the top acne fighting chemicals. Again however, each person’s skin is different and reacts differently to each chemical (such as being irritated by salicylic acid but not benzoyl peroxide) so be aware of what works for YOUR face (if your acne is severe or constant, I advise seeing a dermatologist for a personal recommendation for your skin). My all time favourite acne product is the Clean & Clear Advantage Acne Spot Treatment (surprise surprise). I discovered this a years ago at my local Walmart and it has since then been mine and my sister’s favourite acne treatment. You just dab a little wherever a pimple is and just let it dry. Now although it advertises that it reduces pimples in 4 hours, I can’t say that has happened for me or my sister. It does however eventually get the job done (sometimes within 24 hours). So don't fret if your pimple doesn’t disappear right away, these things take time. You can also swap out your regular cleanser that you use for one with salicylic acid or benzoyl peroxide when you’re dealing with a pimple (my favourites are the Clean & Clear Continuous Control Acne Cleanser and the OXY Triple Action Daily Facial Cleanser).

Try Not To Wear Makeup

I know I know, the one thing literally every girl (and some guys) do when they have a pimple but I can delay the healing process of your pimple. Pimples need to breathe and if you’re covering it up with makeup, it further clogs your pores and slows down the healing process. If you just HAVE to wear makeup (I’m guilty of doing this from time to time) I recommend washing your face as soon as possible to allow your skin to breathe.

DON'T POP YOUR PIMPLE

Sigh, story of my life.

Of course more than wearing makeup to cover up pimples, one of the biggest beauty crimes us ladies commit is popping our pimples. Believe me, I’ve done it too many times to count and I have the scars to prove it. Overall, it’s not good for your skin. Typically you can develop scars from where you popped your pimples. Even worse, when popping the pimple, you are introducing dirt from your fingers into the pimple causing it to possibly get infected and worsen your acne by spreading the infection around your skin. You can even cause a more serious and painful blemish by popping it. It all sounds horrible doesn't it? So just stop popping pimples, for your skins sake. 

So there you have it beauties, make sure to keep your skin clean and and let it breathe one in a while to help prevent pimples! It will thank you later.

If you’re interested in purchasing any of the items mentioned above, you can head over to my Luvocracy page to check them out.

Don't forget to check our previous post: Oh Heel No!

Stay beautiful and stay fabulous! xoxo