There’s nothing more frustrating than finding yet another red, painful flaw on your face that is just days away from turning into a full-blown pimple. And as far as you’re concerned, if you notice it — so will everybody else!
You’ll probably spend the next ten minutes covering it up using a thick foundation and concealer to help your skin look smoother. It may help temporarily, but the problem is your quick-fix makeup solution to covering up any blemishes you see is likely making things worse in the long term.
Is Your Makeup Routine Making Your Acne Worse?
Many things can trigger facial acne, including fluctuating hormones, stress, diet, and even digestion. But you may not realize that some of your makeup products could be causing your skin to break out.
As such, your attempts to cover up the acne could be making it worse. Fortunately, this doesn’t mean that you should forgo makeup altogether. Instead, you must be more mindful of your overall skincare routine.
How To Prevent Your Makeup Routine From Causing Acne
Understanding what skincare and makeup habits can contribute to acne breakouts will help you adjust your routine to make it more suitable for your skin type. Here are seven tips that can help you get started:
1. Use The Right Skin Cleansers
You must remove your makeup before bed to ensure your skin can properly breathe and heal overnight. But many people should realize that using the wrong cleanser can worsen matters. If you have acne-prone skin, it’s best to opt for oil-free, non-comedogenic products that won’t clog your pores.
Additionally, a good cleanser can help remove dirt, sweat, and makeup from your skin, all of which can clog your pores and result in acne. If you have oily skin, use a cleanser containing salicylic acid, which targets dead skin cells and helps reduce oil production and unclog pores, thereby preventing black and whiteheads.
Cleansers with benzoyl peroxide are often recommended for those with acne-prone skin because they can also help dry up excess oil.
2. Take Advantage of Toners
People often overlook toners, but they can benefit those with acne-prone skin. Toners help remove any residue left after cleansing, kill bacteria, unclog your pores, and help soothe your skin. The most effective toners contain salicylic or Mandelic acid, which helps to gently exfoliate dead skin cells, keep shine at bay without drying out your skin, and lighten any discoloration.
3. Use Moisturizers
Moisturizers are essential to the health of your skin. So even if you have oily or acne-prone skin, it’s important not to skip this step in your skincare routine. You should moisturize your skin every night and every morning.
Doing so can help prevent dryness and irritation, which could lead to breakouts. This is especially important if you’re using acne treatments, which can often dry your skin out.
However, you must choose the right moisturizer. Some moisturizers contain ingredients that can block your pores, even if companies advertise them as “non-comedogenic” or “oil-free.” Look for a moisturizer that is lightweight and alcohol-free.
For example, Clove Hill Balancing Lotion is perfect for acne-prone skin. It’s an all-natural moisturizer that contains skin-loving botanicals and is genuinely non-comedogenic. By applying Clove Hill Balancing Lotion, which is exclusive to Natural Skincare Clinic, you’ll help give your skin a healthy glow, and you’ll also help relieve redness and reduce shine.
4. Apply Sunscreen
Sunscreen helps protect your skin against sun damage and should be applied all year round. Even in winter, you should use a broad-spectrum sunscreen with a Sun Protection Factor (SPF) of 40 or higher.
Although sunscreen is vital to protecting your skin against damage caused by the exposure (such as dryness, brown spots, and premature skin aging), it’s also essential because some acne treatments can make your skin more sensitive to the sun.
Of course, this doesn’t mean you have to slather thick sunscreen all over your face daily if you plan to go outside. There are more lightweight sunscreens that are less greasy or heavy, such as Clove Hill Mineral Sunscreen, which is more like a BB (Blemish Balm) cream than a traditional sunscreen. It’s an SPF 40 sunscreen available in tinted and non-tinted options and will protect your skin without making you feel greasy.
5. Avoid Primers
Primers are popular because they blur fine lines and wrinkles but can also clog your pores and contribute to acne breakouts. Primers are typically made of silicones, which can trap dirt and oil in your pores and make it harder for your skin to breathe.
In addition, most primers are simply too thick, so you should avoid them altogether. However, if you want to use a primer, we recommend Pria Acne-Safe Foundation Primer, which is 100 percent acne-safe. Not only will it give your skin a beautiful matte finish while increasing the longevity of your foundation, but it will also reduce the appearance of enlarged pores.
6. Don’t Use Liquid Foundations
All liquid foundations aggravate acne — even if they don’t contain any of the pore-clogging ingredients on our list. You should opt for loose powder or mineral makeup when it comes to no-breakout makeup. However, even then, you have to be careful about the products you use.
For example, you should avoid Bare Minerals Matte, which contains ActiveSoil Complex in its formula — an ingredient that triggers breakouts.
Although their Bare Minerals Original Formula is a safe choice, we don’t recommend using any of their pressed blushes, bronzers, or veils. Instead, we recommend using GloMinerals and Priia powders and concealers, which provide a gorgeous satin matte medium to full coverage finish.
It’s also important to note that you should clean your makeup brushes regularly. If you don’t, they can collect bacteria, oil, and other debris from your skin that could lead to clogged pores and breakouts. On top of that, always use a new cosmetic sponge every day.
7. Avoid Lip Balms
Many lip balms contain cocoa butter, coconut oil, lanolin, or glycerin, which clog pores and can cause small bumps around your lips. In addition, both tinted and ultra-moisturizing lip balms are known to cause outbreaks, and even vaseline petroleum jelly can cause issues despite being considered safe.
Finally, you should avoid using a lip balm that comes in pots and requires you to apply it with your fingers — unless you’re disciplined enough to wash your hands before and after use every single time.
If you need a lip balm, turn to Priia Acne-Safe Lip Care, a lip balm infused with linoleic acid-rich botanicals that prevent lip dryness while keeping your skin clear.
Clear Your Skin For Good!
These are a few makeup and skincare tips that can help prevent makeup-related breakouts. However, ideally, you want to make your skin look so clear and smooth that you won’t need makeup.
Here at Natural Skincare & Acne Clinic, we implement a unique, whole-body approach to clear skin using our personalized Online Acne Program. As part of our program, our Acne Specialists will design a skincare and makeup regimen tailored to your specific skin needs while providing encouragement and support throughout the process.
With a 95 percent success rate, we’ve helped thousands of people get clear!