Your Best Ever Workout Skincare Routine
Building up a sweat is awesome. But sticky skin, blocked pores and post-workout breakouts? Not so much. Here’s how to get ahead of that…
Working out can sometimes feel like a real chore but the benefits far outweigh any downsides like feeling totally beat, sweaty and out of breath. In fact, according to the World Health Organization, regular physical activity not only improves your bones and muscles, but may help reduce your risks of all types of health-related problems such as depression, cancer, diabetes and coronary heart disease.
Exercise has also been proven to be pretty darn great for your skin. We’re talking improved sleep, less emotional anxiety and way better skin thanks to those feel-good endorphins you get during and after exercise. And of course, there’s that immediate post-workout glow we all know and love which is all down to increased blood flow to your skin and the complexion-loving oxygen and nutrients that come with it.
Exercise, however, can also have its downsides when it comes to the look, feel and health of your skin. Which is why, as always, preparation is key! Read on for our top dos and don’ts for staying ahead of the game…
BEFORE WORKING OUT...
1. DON’T Worry About Having Super Clean Skin
Most people think you should only ever exercise with squeaky clean, makeup-free skin, but that’s not strictly true. In fact, cleansing your skin too often can compromise your barrier function, causing dryness, dehydration and maybe even a little irritation if you're not super careful. This means it’s no biggie if you want to work out straight after work but can’t be bothered to cleanse your face first.
However, if you’re a heavy makeup wearer, you might want to rethink this rule. A face full of heavy makeup – especially oil-based products that aren’t non-comedogenic – could clog your pores and cause sweat, oil and bacteria to build. up. Not ideal. Especially if you’re prone to breakouts. For you, we recommend removing your makeup first with an oil-based remover.
2. DO Avoid Heavy Moisturizers
Tempted to moisturize before building up a sweat? Yeah... about that. Heavy moisturizers usually contain occlusive ingredients like cocoa butter and coconut oil which are awesome at trapping in essential moisture for softer, more hydrated skin. When it comes to exercising, however, they’re majorly bad news.
How so? Well, anything that creates a barrier on the skin’s surface prevents you from sweating – an essential bodily function that helps cool you down and balance your internal body temperature. Not only that, but occlusive moisturizers work hard to trap everything but the kitchen sink in those precious pores of yours. Avoid them like the plague before any gym or training sesh.
3. Do Apply Sunscreen If You’re Working Out Outside
The one thing you really DO want on your skin if you’re exercising outside? Sunscreen. Preferably one that’s at least SPF 30, recommends the American Academy of Dermatology.
Sure, the sun makes us all feel happier and healthier but it’s hella bad for your precious skin, creating an abundance of collagen-damaging free radicals and being the number one cause of premature aging.
Also: skin cancer. Very serious business.
Always apply a good layer of broad-spectrum sunscreen (this means it protects you from both UVA and UVB radiation) before working out. Our SPF 30 Mineral Sunscreen is perfect because it combines free radical-busting vitamin C with zinc oxide to further protect your skin from harm.
AFTER WORKING OUT...
1. DO Ditch Your Workout Clothes ASAP
Tight clothing is great for working out, but it’s not particularly ‘breathable’ and can trap sweat, oils and bacteria next to your skin. Couple this will all that friction that’s caused by tight clothes rubbing against your skin and you could have a real problem on your hands in the form of irritation and body breakouts.
Remove your sweaty, workout gear straight away and you’ll be fine.
2. DO Cleanse Straight Away
Cleansing your skin before working out might not be imperative, but doing it afterwards is a whole different story. After building up a sweat you absolutely must thoroughly cleanse your skin to do away with all that oil, grime and debris. Otherwise they’ll rest in your pores and cause absolute mayhem.
Wash your face immediately after working out with a gentle but effective cleanser that helps balance your skin and detox your pores. We love Charcoal Clarifying Cleanser which contains activated coconut charcoal to mop up excess oils and sweat, plus anti-bacterial ylang ylang oil to purify your post-workout skin.
And don’t forget your body, either. In fact, to hell with it – jump in that shower and give yourself some major cleansing love from head to toe.
3. DON’T Go Big On Exfoliation
Sure, it’s tempting to have a good old exfoliation sesh after exercising to scrub away all that dirt and grime, but you’re better off leaving this for another time. And the reason is simple. Post-workout skin is especially delicate so it needs to be dealt with carefully.
You could try Ocean Minerals Super Toner for a gentle, exfoliating freshen up, though. This toning spray contains glycolic acid, a chemical exfoliator that helps dissolve the glue between dead skin cells, encouraging them to slough off. It’ll also help cool and hydrate your skin as an extra side benefit.
4. DO Try A Refreshing Cool Rinse
Speaking of cooling down, a quick blast of cool (although not too chilly!) water at the end of your cleanse or shower is an awesome way to counteract all that heat energy caused by physical exercise. This will help calm your skin, reduce redness and decrease any chances of inflammation.
Love that for you.
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![The Easiest (But Most Effective!) New Year Skin Goals]()
Incoming... skincare goals that truly make a difference. Count us in.
We don’t know about you, but years of making pointless new year’s resolutions ‘just for the sake of it’ have made us somewhat over them. Sure, it’s great to have ambitions and personal goals to strive for, but forcing yourself to come up with something, just because it’s the start of a new year? That’s a hard pass from us.
Making skincare goals, however, is something we can totally get on board with. And if you’re reading this you’re probably in complete agreement. Because knowing you’re doing your best for your skin – even if you change only one habit or add just one extra product to your routine – is worth a thousand ‘I shall spend less at Starbucks’ false promises.
So, on that note, to follow are some very doable skincare goals for you to totally crush this year.
DO Reassess Your Skin
Your skin is not the same as it was ten years ago. Heck, it’s not even the same as it was this time last year. So, spend a few minutes taking a good, long look in the mirror to see what’s going on. Are you noticing some redness? Maybe a few extra dark spots have appeared? Perhaps your skin is feeling more dehydrated than it used to? Or, wait, is it weirdly oilier?
You can only deal with skin concerns if you actually know what they are, so make sure you’re totally on the ball with where your skin is at right now. Then you’ll be able to act accordingly with targeted skincare and better lifestyle habits.
DON’T Use Cleansing Wipes On The Reg
Face wipes are fine in a pinch but most of them are doused in drying chemicals that do your skin zero good. Granted, they might be called ‘cleansing wipes,’ but rarely do they actually cleanse your skin thoroughly – instead they simply move surface debris around a bit. Then there’s the fact that they’re mostly made from synthetic, non-biodegradable materials which end up hanging around in landfills for up to 100 (no joke!) years.
You might be tired, but make it a priority to cleanse your skin with a decent face wash morning and night. Try Vitamin C Brightening Cleanser which is so delightful, you’ll actually enjoy using it.
DO Moisturize Skin When Damp
You’ll have had undoubtedly heard this trick before, but we bet you don’t actually put it into practice, right? Well, try it. You see, applying moisturizing while your skin is still slightly damp from cleansing helps to seal in those tiny droplets of water that are left hanging around at the surface. It’s basically free moisture your skin will really benefit from – especially during winter when the air is extremely drying on your poor skin. C’mon, when we put it like that, it seems insane not to.
DON’T Give Up On Retinol
Retinol is one of the most effective topical ingredients for the skin. It deals with premature aging, it helps keep acne under control, it protects your skin from environmental damage, it does your laundry. OK, so that last one is a bare-faced lie, but you get where we’re coming from.
The problem with retinol is that its potency can be hard to deal with – especially during the first few weeks when it can make your skin especially dry, red, flaky and even a little itchy. As long as it’s not causing discomfort, however, a little initial irritation is OK, it’s just your skin adjusting, so don’t give up. Simply reduce your frequency of use as your skin acclimates, then build back up again. Easy.
DO Give Your Neck Some Love
You may be meticulous with your facial skincare routine but if your habits stop at your chin, you’re doing yourself a real disservice. How so? Because your neck is one of the first places to show signs of aging.
The skin on your neck has fewer sebaceous glands than your face, you see, which means it can’t produce as much oil to keep it soft and moisturized. This is seriously bad news in the fight against dry skin, fine lines, wrinkles and sagging because moisture is essential for the firmness and elasticity of your skin.
Whatever you do to your face, continue down to your neck and décolletage area. Cleanse it, tone it, treat it with serum, moisturize it (we love Renewing Longevity Moisturizing Cream for the neck area) and protect it from the elements. It’s the least you can do.
DON’T Fret About Your Imperfections
If we asked you to name something you hate about your skin we bet you could reel off a few without taking a breath. Well, do you know what, those crow’s feet you hate or monthly breakouts that drive you crazy are not worth crying over. You’re not perfect. But big deal, who is? So instead of sweating over the bad stuff, do the best you can for your complexion with a consistent skincare and good lifestyle habits. And, instead of feeling all the skin self-hate, try to focus on the good. Sure, you have fine lines around your mouth, but hey, isn’t your forehead looking pretty fabulous?
DO Trash Old Products That Rarely See The Light Of Day
Skincare products do not last forever. In general, they’re usually good for around one year if previously opened or two years if unopened. Unless it says otherwise on the label, of course.
Go through your vanity and trash anything that’s older than two years. Allowing your products to collect dust in the vain hope you might go back to them one day? Not gonna happen.
DON’T Underestimate Your Bedtime Skincare Routine
Sleep time is crucial for your skin. As your brain goes into rest mode, your skin gets super busy. Blood flow increases to nourish it with valuable nutrients; cell turnover accelerates to bring fresh, healthy skin cells to the surface; collagen production revs up big time and your natural antioxidant system kicks it to help nix any free radicals which may have built up during the day.
If you go to bed with unclean, unmoisturized skin, this whole rejuvenation process becomes compromised. So don’t do that. Make sure you’re doing everything you can to ensure your skin is thoroughly cleansed before bed, then apply your favorite serum and moisturize with Vitamin C Deep Hydration Night Cream.
DO Exfoliate More
As you get older, your skin doesn’t turn over as quickly. What does this mean? Well, when you’re in your 20s the life cycle of a skin cell is around 28 days during which time it’s created, moves up to the surface, then dies and sloughs away. Great. As you age, however, this process slows down and dead skin cells get ‘stuck’ at the surface where they cause uneven texture, blocked pores and dull-looking skin.
The good news is that exfoliation helps keep things moving at a more favorable rate, so how about increasing the frequency of your exfoliation game going forward? This can mean anything from once a week to three or four times a week but it depends on your skin so play around to find what works.
Our Vitamin C Gentle Face Scrub is fantastic for gently brightening and exfoliating your skin without drying it out making it ideal for regular use. You could also try our 6% AHA, BHA + PHA Liquid Exfoliant which does without scrubbing particles and instead uses gentle skin acids to slough away dead cells. Neither are a bad choice. Far from it.
DON’T Ignore Sketchy-Looking Moles
Noticed a change in a mole? Get. It. Checked. Out. Moles that change in color, shape, texture or just start to feel or look wrong should always be immediately looked at by a qualified expert to rule out serious concerns such as melanoma. The chances are your mole is totally fine or, at least, can be treated quickly and painlessly, but it’s better to be on top of them.
The Easiest (But Most Effective!) New Year Skin Goals
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