♡ How to get rid of Acne ♡

♡ Aloha Lovelies! ♡

I'm a teenager with oily skin and living in a highly polluted city... not a great mix when it comes to dealing with acne. I've picked up a bit of tricks here and there on keeping your skin clear, but never have I had a completely acne-free canvas. I caved in and decided to see my doctor about my acne, and she reccomended some products and prescribed some things for me, those items and products will be displayed and talked about below.

I also had a chat with my aunt about skin and easy every day things you can do to prevent acne. It really was surprising to hear all the things I've been doing wrong. 

So today's post will go through the best routine (And my current routine) you can have for your skin, and some sneaky tips and tricks to help keep that gorgeous face of yours CLEAR! 

(NOTE: As I said before, I have teenage, combination skin and live in a polluted city, so those are factors I need to be taking in to my every day skin routine. You, too, should do this)

If you want clear skin, it is M-A-N-D-A-T-O-R-Y to be cleansing your skin twice a day. Keep in mind, however, that over cleansing your skin will result in dryness, so it's all about finding the balance.

Why?

Morning: Many people will skip morning cleansing as they think it's pointless, as they have cleansed it the night before. This is very much incorrect. When you sleep, your pores open, which allows grease, oil and dust to fill into your pores, and clog them. If you wash your face in the morning, you are ridding your face of the grime, and therefore creating a fresh canvas to apply your day's makeup. Even try giving your face a little massage as you cleanse your skin. This will help improve blood circulation, and make your face look healthier and brighter.

Night: It's pretty self-explanatory here. Cleansing your skin at night is super important as throughout the day your skin has been subjected to weather, dust, oil, grease, makeup, etc. If you are removing your makeup with a cleanser, cleanse your face twice. Avoid using cleansers with harsh chemicals around your eye area, and be exceptionally gentle. Again, a face massage as you cleanse your face is a good idea to help settle down your skin and improve your blood flow.

Also when cleansing, make sure you are cleaning your face thoroughly. Clean around your hair line, behind your ears, your ears, and down your neck also. Makeup will sneak into these areas, and cause breakouts to form there, and then spread across your face.

When you are looking for a cleanser, go for one with the least or less-scary amount of chemicals. The main product line my doctor ALWAYS recommends to me is Cetaphil. Their line is great for people with all kinds of skin, and their products are specially formulated so they aren't acnegenic or allergenic, they are non-comedogenic, oil-free, soap free and suitable for sensitive skin. 

Another line that I am quite fond of is Clean&Clear. I was, however, told by my doctor that lines like this have too many harsh ingredients, but I like to use these every now and then because they are fun. 

This particular one hasn't made me breakout, however it is a tad drying, so after use, you need to moisturise, and you should be doing that anyway. It's also readily available in all drugstores and super markets, as well as being affordable. 

Scrubs are controversial, but I believe it all comes down to personal preference. For me, I like coarser scrubs once to twice a week to get rid of all my dead skin. gentler scrubs I like to use every other day to help my makeup glide on easily. 

Just like cleansers, scrubs need to have as less ingredients as possible. I'm being a little hypocritical here because the two scrubs shown above have quite the list of ingredients, but I have still found they have worked wonders. Naturally formulated scrubs are great for the skin, but can be a little expensive at times.

The scrubs from St. Ives are my all time favourite scrubs. Their line has extended even more, and I have discovered yet another favourite. So I've nailed it down to two: The gentle and the coarse. The gentler one is on the left: Green Tea scrub. This is perfect for those with sensitive skin, as it helps to soothe as you scrub away. It's hypoallergenic, oil-free, non-comedogenic and dermatologist tested, and is made with 100% natural soothing green tea, and 1% salicylic acid. I know many people aren't a fan of salicylic acid due to how dry it may leave your skin, but I really haven't felt any effect from it other than assisting with making my skin clearer.

The Blemish Control Apricot Scrub is the same, but I believe has a little more higher content of Salicylic Acid. 

So why is scrubbing the face good for acne-prone skin? Because over the days, the build up on your skin increases. That is the grime, dead skin cells, etc. This is why cleansing is so important. But to really get down into your skin and start fresh helps a lot. And that is where scrubs come in.

Like I said above, scrubs are all about personal preference. 

Toners aren't necessarily important, but certain toners can assist to certain needs. Again, you want to go with the least amount of ingredients (you will hear me saying this a lot, I apologise). I'm a sucker for toners, my routine doesn't feel right without it.
The two shown above are my personal favourites. Majority of the Lush's toners I have liked, but this one I have found to like the most.
The second is my favourite of the two, Clean&Clear's essential oil-control toner.
They are both quite refreshing, and help in creating a clear, fresh canvas for your face. The second toner also works to control your oil. I have found that it has done exactly that also. I have done an in-depth review here: http://daisylocks.blogspot.com/2013/07/clean-essentials-oil-control-toner.html

And if you want to go really simple, witch hazel is a natural toner. Witch Hazel can be drying, as it works by tightening your skin, and reducing swelling, therefore it's ideal that you put on moisturiser straight after application.

Moisturising is one of the key things you need to be doing for your skin. You can't afford to skip this, even if you have oily skin.
But....

I have oily skin already and it feels too greasy...
This excuse doesn't cut it. In fact, not moisturising even if your skin is overly oily, will do it a lot more worse than what you think.
If you don't apply a moisturiser to your face, you skin will feel the need to produce even MORE oil as it lacks moisture.

my skin feels fine without it....
Guess what? Moisturiser is a great base for makeup - however, wait at least five minutes after application of moisturiser until you apply your makeup otherwise you risk cakiness and possibly slipperiness.

Tip:
Day moisturisers
When on the hunt for a day moisturiser look for one with SPF in them. I'll mention why later. I like Cetaphil's derma control SPF30 oil-free facial lotion.
Night Moisturisers
Avoid moisturisers with SPF, as this will clog your pores. I like Cetaphil's moisturising lotion.

There are several different acne gels on the market nowadays all claiming to do these incredible things. So to make the while choosing experience easy, try to find the ingredient that works best on your skin.
For a cheaper alternative, I find salicylic acid works great, and for the more expensive option, I like benzoyl peroxide.
The two shown above I have been using for a while now.
The Clean&Clear acne gel has been part of my skincare collection ever since I was eleven. It contains salicylic acid, and I find works well overtime. This is available on nearly all supermarkets, chemists and drugstores.

The Epiduo gel has joined my skincare routine since the start of last year, and I've never looked back. It so far has been the most effective, and fasting working gel I have used. The only downside? It can be drying and irritating with first use, and a little more expensive. but I think it's worthwhile as a little does go a long way, and the results are amazing. Epiduo gel contains 1mg of adapalene and 25mg of benzoyl peroxide.  This is a prescription only acne gel, so check with your dermatologist or doctor before use. 

If you are really struggling with getting your skin under control, I reccommend going to your doctor or dermatologist and discuss ways to improve your skin. Prescription medication is usually something you will find leaving the office with. I have been using the acne medication above for nearly 3 weeks now and have seen a huge improvement. It is an anti-bacterial, and targets your skin. 

Believe it or not, you could be doing the wrong things when it comes to trying to rid your skin of acne, or maybe doing some terrible things you don't even realise. As well as taken the medication previously before, limiting the amount of products and ingredients in products I use, and using an acne gel, I have been wary of doing the following: 

It sounds disgusting, and it is disgusting. Do not, I repeat D-O N-O-T scratch or touch your face, and if you are popping your pimples, do it correctly and at the right time. Try to refrain from doing so, but if you believe it is ready and you want to, do the following:

- Wash your face and hands before and after popping your pimple

- Run a face cloth under warm water, wring the water out, and place the cloth over the pimple. Allow the steam to settle for a little, then...

-take two tissues, wrap them around the two fingers you are going to pop your pimple with, then...

-Instead of pushing the pimple inwards, pull it outwards. If it is ready, it will immediately pop. If not, leave it for a while longer.  Pushing the pimple inwards will cause the hair follicle that has been inflamed to go out of shape, therefore cause the pimple to become larger, more angrier and scar. 

-Once popped, if blood comes out hands off immediatly. Further irritation will most definitely cause scarring. 

If you have bangs, be careful with the products you are using in your hair. Try to avoid bangs all together if your skin is acne prone..

 Caps and hair bands are major sweat collectors, and sweat is a major cause of acne. 

This is key to have clear, fresh, bright and healthy skin. A healthy diet and exercise means a healthier face.  I'm considering doing a post on face mapping very shortly...

Washing your hair before you wash your face is another huge thing that helps prevent acne. As you wash your hair, you may not even be realising it, but the products you use in your hair are seeping down your face. So after washing your hair, you're able to wash your face and clean away the fallen product.

 You sleep on your pillow every night, and your face produces oil and collects grime every night, see a connection? So make sure you are frequently washing your pillows. Every other day or third day is best. 

Burnt skin/sun damaged = irritated skin & over production of oil.

Over production of oil = acne.

Acne = not nice (unless its the clothing brand because I'm all for that Acne.)

You should be doing this after a couple of uses of them. If you have the time, after every use. And your really don't even need to splurge on a brush cleaner. I use johnson&johnson baby conditioning shampoo. 

I would love to hear any acne-ridding tips and tricks you have so make sure to comment them below! 

Also, I would love to hear your future post recommendations.

Until next time, 

Lots of love,

♡♡♡