sovereignsdaughter

We’re edging toward the end of winter, and your workout resolution is well under way.   Or, your regular workout routine has been under way for a long time.   Either way, this is often the time I get asked about the best way to keep acne clear with a workout schedule that seems to interfere too often with keeping skin healthy.   How do you avoid over- or under-washing the skin with workouts, and how to keep skin hydrated   enough? Pre-Workout If your workout happens first thing in the morning before applying makeup, there’s no need to do your entire morning routine.   Simply use a third of the amount of cleanser   you normally use, rinse well, and spray on twice the usual amount of toner .    Sunscreen  should be applied while your skin is still wet, to take advantage of any water-binding ingredients (provided your sunscreen lotion is hydrating , which is best for acne clearing). What if your workout is at the end of the day?  Never wor...

Have you ever experienced breakouts along your cheekbones that just don’t go away no matter what you do?   While there are several possibilities that could explain this annoying problem, my first go-to in diagnosing the problem is to look at your blush and bronzer. You may have also come to a similar thought, but from a different angle.   After asking at Sephora, or perusing Pinterest , there's no doubt that you've come across the advice to wash your makeup brushes.    It only seems to make sense that your dirty makeup brushes would cause breakouts, right? No, actually.   As I always tell my clients, " It's not the brush, it's the blush ! " Consider this: The bacteria that fall on your brushes are the same bacteria that fall on your face all day.   The acidity level of the oil of our skin protects us from bacterial invasion, because so much of the bacteria that fall on our faces can’t survive the acidic environment.   If breakouts were associated with...

Working on my Adult Acne Online Coaching  program, helping people adjust their home routines to clear their breakout issues, coming across some kind of DIY facial oil, mask or cleansing oil is an almost daily occurrence.  Between Pinterest, beauty blogs and Facebook, the skincare consumer is bombarded with all sorts of advice on how best to deal with acne in general, but particularly on how to save money and health by making your own products right in your own kitchen.  I can’t blame anyone for trying these things.  Who can possibly object to saving money and guarding their health? There are three problems with the logic here. Depending on the ingredients, ounce for ounce you may not actually be saving that much money.   Take, let’s say, an oil cleanser containing coconut oil, jojoba oil and argan oil.   You could easily spend $20 to make a 4oz bottle of oil cleanser, and that’s just with these three oils alone - add up to $5 more for the essential oils oft...