Clear Skin Hacks
At a point in my life, I started being intentional about my skincare and even with that, it took a while for me to realize that a skincare regimen alone wasn’t enough to keep my skin clear and healthy. (sigh)
Yes to building a skincare routine to suit your skin needs (especially if you’re doing it right) but understand that it takes more to clear your skin than just sticking to a skincare regimen.
Now, of course, I won’t say all this just to leave you hanging, let’s discuss some of the other things you need to do to help!
The first on my list is your diet (yes! We need to watch what we eat…)
It is normal that we lean towards focusing on what goes on to the surface of our skin rather than what we ingest. It is important to understand how your diet affects your skin.
Experience has taught me that I need to drink enough water to keep me hydrated throughout the day and not only does this provide other parts of my body with water but it also maintains a good moisture level on my skin, which is awesome if your aim is to get clear skin. (I mean who doesn’t?)Mind you your daily activities may cause you to lose moisture through sweating and other natural processes.
Staying away from dairy and fatty foods (yes even ice cream…cues tears) could also be an escape route to getting clear skin.
I noticed when I cut out dairy from my diet I hardly broke out. You should give it a shot too! It’s hard, I know but we want clear skin so….
Second, on my list is that you deserve at least 8 hours of sleep.
Not only does a good night’s rest help with stress relief but it may also be your way out to avoid that dull look on your skin we all dread.
With the way our body works while we are asleep, giving yourself the chance to enjoy at least 8 hours of sleep graces your beautiful self with amazingly clear, fresh and glowing skin.
The levels of cortisol which is a stress hormone decreases while we are in dreamland and what this does are to repair daytime damage to the skin. So, in essence, depriving yourself of sleep will not only leave you looking exhausted but give you dull skin as well because more stress hormone cortisol is produced while you’re awake. So go get that beauty sleep, girl!
Wear Sunscreen Every day. Yes every day, even when you have nowhere to go.
I have become so used to carrying my sunscreen around lately and forgetting to reapply within the day has never skipped me whether the sun is up or the clouds are formed.
Want to know why? Well, I am terrified about what the UVA and UVB rays are capable of doing to my skin.
As a dark-skinned girl, hyperpigmentation is definitely an issue I am bound to deal with but I am also grateful that I have discovered ways to get hyperpigmentation to stay far far away from me and constantly wearing sunscreen is one of my tricks.
It is the last thing I wear after my routine on a no-makeup day and I go through a couple of reapplications within the day. Sunscreen is a step you cannot miss on any day whether you’re staying indoors all day or you’re going to be wearing makeup.
The only time you shouldn’t wear sunscreen is when night falls.
Next is changing your pillow and sheet cases.
Yes, even what you sleep on can affect your skin.
A lot of us have been guilty of this. The spots on your bed you should pay extra attention to would be your sheet and pillows. This is the easiest place to have a buildup of dirt from the daily use of the pillows and sheets. It’s an easy way to harbor bacteria which may cause your skin to break out or experience some allergies. Changing and washing your sheets and pillowcase regularly, at least once in a week will reduce the pore-clogging oil on the pillows or sheets which have direct contact on your skin.
Next, clean your makeup tools.
Undeniably this is a breeding ground for bacteria and dirt if the necessary precautions are not taken to clean your makeup tools.
Whether you are using your brushes alone which is the best thing to do, or you are sharing with your friend or sister (think of the bacteria transfer) now is the time to go clean your makeup tools! After doing this try to keep your tools as clean as you can.
Try using disposable applicators and mascara wands if possible while applying lip gloss, lipstick or mascara. These are just a few out of the lot which tends to be a breeding ground for bacteria. Using bacteria-infested tools on your skin will only expose you to infections, skin irritations, and breakouts which we are all trying to avoid.
Keep your beauty tools clean and they will work together to keep you clean and fresh 😉
Try to stay as updated as possible.
Getting to understand your skin and how to deal with it is definitely not a 9-day wonder. It takes time to figure out. My advice will be never to stop discovering your skin. Give yourself the chance to learn more about your skin and different skincare formulations, by following @barethecommunity on Instagram or Facebook.
Skincare keeps evolving every day. There is always some new research and your skin also changes.
I learn something new every day.
A couple of months ago witch hazel was the trendsetter in the skincare industry but rose water is making all the waves now.
Being conscious about the things that will affect your skin and your health has always been interesting for me. It informs some of the decisions I make, it makes it easier to figure out if a product or habit is not working well for me.
While on this topic, not only is Bare the Community keeping you up to date on all things skincare but we are also creating a platform that will help keep track of how your skin is doing overtime. So anticipate! You can also subscribe to our newsletter here for more details.
Hacks and tips are my favorite thing to catch up on, what do you do differently from your skincare regimen to keep your skin clean and fresh?
Josephine Kalira Tanlongo for Adi and Bolga.
