Some people spend a lot of time and money to keep pimples at bay, but it doesn’t always work as breakouts can be caused by several reasons and this includes some of the bad habits we practice in our daily lives. Although it’s difficult to control hormone imbalances, we can still control the external factors that affect these breakouts and take charge of what goes into our bodies. To help you, here are 10 simple tips to keep your face pimple-free.
1. Avoid touching your face – Anything that comes in contact with your face potentially transfers bacteria, oil and dirt onto your skin. Although it’s difficult, urge yourself to stop touching your face. If you must, wash your hands with some antibacterial soap first.
2. Use a facial mask once a week – Whether it is a clarifying, hydrating or calming mask, your skin will need the extra nourishment to strengthen and to protect itself from breakouts. On a tight budget? Try these DIY face masks.
3. Use only oil-free skincare products – Everything you use on your face like cleansers, cosmetics, serums and creams should be water-based, non-comedogenic and oil-free. The oil content in these products can clog your pores and cause skin irritations. Besides that, avoid covering your pimples with makeup as the chemicals in the products may cause more inflammation.
4. Change your pillow cases and bed sheets often – Again, you do not want to keep your skin in contact with anything that’s bacteria infested. For the reason that your bed is where you lay your head daily, it should be kept clean and sanitized at all times.
5. Eat a healthy and balanced diet – This includes your daily dose of fruits and vegetables that are loaded with vitamins and minerals. Also, reduce your intake of caffeine, sugar and refined carbohydrates as this will increase the oil production on your skin, thus increasing the chances for pimples to surface.
6. Remove your makeup before bed – We know how tempting it is to just plonk yourselves on your beds after a long night of partying. But the makeup and gunk left on your face will cause you plenty of breakouts. Your skin sucks in nutrients and repairs itself when you’re sleeping, so the oil, dirt and buildup left on your skin will be absorbed.
7. Clean your makeup brushes – Although it’s a little time consuming, spot clean your brushes daily before each use and once every two weeks, wash them with some baby shampoo. Your brushes are very prone to dust and bacteria floating around in the air, so you really don’t want to apply that onto your skin.
8. Drink plenty of water – As cliche as it sounds, you should drink lots of water to keep your skin hydrated from the inside out. When your face feels dehydrated, the skin would be aggravated and bacteria will retain on the skin. Water also helps to maintain the elasticity of the skin, which aids cellular growth and repair.
9. Get enough sleep – The words ‘beauty sleep’ exist for a reason and sufficient amount of sleep will keep your immune system going strong to fight any bacteria, inflammation or infections. Sleeping will also help to maintain your bodily functions, making your skin look healthy from the inside out.
10. Drink less alcohol – Alcohol can dry out the skin instantaneously and this will disrupt the skin’s natural system and function. If you’re partying the night away, make sure to gulp down loads of water to restore the water content in your body and also to restore the moisture in your skin.