3 Things I've Done To Clear My Skin

 

Over the last few months my skin has been a fickle thing. One moment it'll be at it's clearest, meaning I can go make up free and feel confident about myself but then in the next moment, I've got mini mountains popping up all over my face. Now I like to think that I take good care of my skin but over the last couple of months, I've been making sure to take that bit more care of it. So today I'm sharing with you three things that I've been doing to help clear my skin up and get it to a place where I'm happy with it again.

1- Acid And Oil
Now this may seem like two steps but is in fact a combination. And it's come in specially handy when I've been battling breakouts. I've been going between using AHA based products and BHA based products. When the blemish first appears I go in with an BHA based product, usually something containing Salicylic Acid and concentrate on applying it over the blemish and the surrounding area. This works to bring the blemish to a head which means you can then pop it (yes I'm a popper) and then go in with your other products to help clear your skin. Then when the blemish is healing, I go in with an AHA based product, something mainly Glycolic based to get rid of any dry skin around it, therefore making it less likely for me to pick and essentially scar my face.

And to stop my them from leaving a scar, I've been going in with a facial oil. Facial oils used to scare the shite out of me but recently I've been obsessed with them and can't get over the wonders they've done for my skin. Because oils penetrate deeper into the skin than a moisturiser does it gives cells a boost during their renewal which reduces the appearance of dark marks and helps reduce the likeliness of scarring from blemishes. A few drops applied after cleansing and a AHA based toner is enough to reduce the likeliness of blemish scarring as well as nourish skin for a longer period of time and renewing skin's natural radiance.

2- Drink More Water
This is something I still need to work on but I can clearly see the difference when I actually manage to drink more water than coffee. Water is the best way to hydrate skin and hydrated skin means that skin will look more plump, softer to the touch and problems such as redness and dark circles will look reduced. Not eradicated but lessened enough to boost your confidence. And whilst it does sound easy to do, I always find myself wishing I'd drunk more water because it really does show on my skin. So for the last week I've been trying my best to get more water in my system and I've managed it. And do you know what, my skin looks better for it. Except for a hormonal breakout on my chin, my skin looks the clearest it has in a while.

 3-Detoxify Skin
And the final thing I've been doing is detoxifying my skin. Once a week, I've been using a deep cleansing charcoal based face mask alongside my routine of cleansing and exfoliating. And whilst I occasionally have to deal with breakouts caused by them, I don't mind because my skin always looks clearer once they've gone. I like charcoal based masks as they work deeper into the pores and draw out any excess leftover make up, dirt or daily grime that can block pores and lead to blemishes. Some are definitely stronger than others and if you have particularly sensitive or reactive skin, I'd say stay away from them as they'll not only draw out impurities but irritate and dry skin out. A good deep pore cleansing mask perfect for those with sensitive skins comes from Loreal. It's more clay based than charcoal but still works deeper into pores and doesn't cause irritation if you have a more sensitive skin. And whilst some of you may ask why a deep cleaning mask is important, a lot of you already know that whilst cleansing keeps skin looking and feeling clean, it doesn't always work at removing everything. That means dirt can still accumulate in pores and cause issues but a deep cleansing mask once a week helps remove that build up and can prevent blemishes appearing or help reduce existing blemishes. It's the one trick that I know works wonders for my skin and I'm sure it'll work the same for your skin as well.