Acne may seem like a fickle thing – coming and going as it pleases with no rhyme or reason. But as we dig deeper, we realize that there are certain factors and daily choices we make toward our freedom from acne.
Choice…. Choice is a freedom that we have in the United States. Being clear from acne is a choice. It comes down to the foods we eat, the products we use on our hair, in our laundry and on our face. People with acne have allergies to foods and other environmental factors. We can choose to continue exposing ourselves to those triggers or we can choose to honor our body by making necessary changes to our lifestyles.
To ensure that your skin is able to optimally regulate itself, there are a few crucial choices that can help your skin achieve its natural radiance.
Diet
Probably the most important area to focus on for better skin is your diet. Everything your body digests influences your hormonal fluctuation. Some foods can cause inflammation, or influence sebum production that in turn leads to acne. That’s why what we choose to eat is so important for the health our skin.
Ditch the tinned can foods, the soda cans, frozen pizzas and fast-food chains and aim for healthier fresh alternatives. Not only will they taste better, it will be a lot easier for your body to digest giving you optimal results for glowing skin.
Fresh food (especially leafy vegetables and fruits) are high in beneficial vitamins and nutrients that support a healthy barrier. Whole foods are easier to digest and less likely to negatively impact your body’s natural state.
Remember, you can’t go wrong with incorporating more fruits and vegetables into your diet. One of the puzzle pieces to minimizing acne is consuming foods that naturally reduce inflammation, boost collagen formation, and block environmental toxins.
Is your diet supporting your natural glow? Find out here. Combine great eating with great skincare and reveal your best ever skin.
Hair Care Products
One of the most common causes of breakouts is actually hair products. Hair products can cause breakouts anywhere, but especially on your hairline, neck, and back. That’s right: Many of the ingredients your hair needs and loves aren’t so great for your skin, and can often lead to irritation and acne.
Just like removing your makeup, you should ideally wash your hair to remove product before going to bed to prevent hair product from transferring out of your hair and onto your face via your pillow. However, if you are not going to shower before bedtime and wash off hair care products, it’s important to at least keep your hair away from your face whenever you can, including when you sleep. Using a soft hair band to keep hair off our face and minimize the transfer of oil and products will also help to minimize acne breakouts.
If one of your hair products is causing this problem, the acne will clear in about six weeks when you stop using the product(s). Sometimes, it’s easy to figure out what product(s) is causing the breakouts. If you’re using a hair styling product that contains a lot of oil, such as pomade, that’s likely the culprit. The cause could also be something less obvious, as oils in shampoos & conditioners. Always check the ingredients in your hair care products against our pore clogging ingredient list.
Laundry Products
Ditch the dryer sheets ASAP! Dryer sheets are responsible for helping your laundry stay soft and static-free, but your skin is not a fan. Even dermatologists say they’re a trigger for people: They coat your linens and clothes with a layer of wax and grease, not to mention fragrance, which can be especially irritating to your skin.
When we share our laundry recipe secret for clear skin, many parents gasp in horror! What-oh-what are they going to do without their beloved fabric softener and dryer sheets?!
Commercial fabric softener and dryer sheets coat laundry in chemicals and pore clogging ingredients which are detrimental for someone suffering from acne.
Skincare Products
Never mistake a products claim to be good for “acne solutions,” “natural,” for “healthy skin,” and say they’re “oil free,” this doesn’t mean that they are a safe choice for acne-prone skin. Some of the worst offenders of clogging pores and irritating acne are those skin care, hair care and makeup products that contain offending ingredients.
Natural oils like cocoa butter and coconut oil which are found in many “organic” skin care lines will wreak havoc with acne-prone skin. In fact, many professional skin care products, natural skin care products, organic skin care products and even acne skin care products can have pore-clogging ingredients. Crazy to think that this is the case right? But it is!
So a word to the wise, don’t ever put anything on your skin or hair without checking the ingredients first! Remember even if it says “noncomedogenic”, “kills acne bacteria ” on the bottle that doesn’t mean it’s safe to use on your acne prone skin. Always check the product’s ingredient deck for pore cloggers before using any products on your face, body or in your hair.
Freedom to Choose
Your skin reacts to a ton of different environmental factors each day—most of which your daily regimen accounts for. But if you’ve noticed irritation, sudden breakouts, redness, or a generally lackluster complexion, the cause may be your food choices, hair care products, laundry detergent or fabric softeners and the products you’re using on your face.
Acne culprits lurk everywhere. Take the guesswork out of getting your skin clear. Click here for a list of pore-clogging ingredients and book an acne consultation and clinical treatment today.
You are free to make good choices, choose the option that gives you the life you envision for yourself, even if it means cutting out some of your most beloved products or foods. All in the name of clear skin!
Cheers to clear,
Rene