I get so many compliments on my skin now, and I’m so thankful for its progress, but I swear I used to STRUGGLE with it severely. While I was in college I got such a bad breakout and I had no idea where it came from, but it never went away.

The worst of it was during college.

I saw doctors and dermatologists, but I had them all stumped. I tried every medication under the sun, but it just didn’t seem to get better. Finally after quite some time, it cleared up and I had just about perfect skin. Then of course, a year later, it flared up again out of the blue and I was so mad! This time I knew a bit more about how to treat it, so it wasn’t as bad.

I say all this to say I understand the struggle of having skin issues and I want to provide any tips that I can to help. By no means am I a dermatologist, I’ve just been through it so I’m sharing what I know for a fact to be effective.

Use separate rags.

Never use the same towel/ rag to wash your face that you use for your body. I recommend using two different colored towels so as to not get mixed up.

Wash face.

This one may seem obvious. I never use the popular face washes you see on commercials. I find them to be too harsh and it’s not necessary. I have very sensitive skin, so I just use a gentle foaming cleanser. You don’t need all that extra, just something gentle to get the job done. I recommend removing your makeup first separately before washing. I recently started using a tiny bit of rubbing alcohol to remove makeup – use sparingly because it’s very drying.

Cut out dairy products.

I was vegan for a while around the time was seeing the most improvement. Whenever I would slip up and have dairy, I would get a pimple without fail. Now I know that dairy causes these skin issues, so I cut it out of my diet. I don’t miss it, and you won’t either. There are so many alternatives – almond milk, coconut milk, etc.

Wear sunscreen.

It’s a common misconception that people with darker complexions don’t need to use sunscreen. False. No one is immune to the dangers of UV rays, so all skin should be protected. If you have dark spots, sun exposure will only darken them, making them worse. It’s easiest to just use a facial moisturizer with sunscreen in it.

Moisturize.

I use vitamin E oil in the morning and night as a moisturizer. I’ve also used coconut oil at night before bed as a facial moisturizer. I don’t recommend for daytime because it can make you oily. Coconut oil, in general has many other great uses as well. Use some type of moisturizer – especially during the colder months to prevent skin’s dryness and flaking.

Clean up after sweating.

Try not to let sweat dry up into your skin. This can cause face and body acne. Wash your face and shower soon after working out.

Exfoliate.

I keep a box of baking soda near my sink and every now and then, I mix it in with my face wash to make a scrub and exfoliate. This helps to remove dead skin. (P.S. I also use baking soda in with my toothpaste when brushing my teeth for extra whitening. 😉

More recently I’ve been using a natural, homemade sugar scrub in the shower.

Clean makeup brushes.

I’m guilty of going long periods of time without cleaning my brushes, but this can be bad as they can carry germs. Regular soap and water will do the trick. Also wiping them down with rubbing alcohol works well.

Keep hair out of face.

If your hair isn’t freshly washed, it most likely has lots of extra dirt and oil, so letting that hang in your face isn’t good. Unless your hair is clean, try to keep it away from your face.

Go bare.

This may be hard and will take a little confidence, but you can do it. When my breakouts got the worst, my first instinct was to cover it in makeup – then I realized that wasn’t helping so I went completely natural all together. The best thing you can do for your skin is to just let it breathe without all those extra products.

DON’T POP!

Everyone has told you this. You know this. But we still do it because we can’t help ourselves. Seriously DO. NOT. POP. your pimples. They leave behind red marks which lead to scarring and take much longer to fade away than it will if you just leave it alone. If you just can’t stand it, use toothpaste or alcohol to dry out the zit and an ice cube to reduce redness.

Healthy, balanced diet.

It goes without saying that eating well makes you look and feel better all around – skin included. I’m not here to tell you to cut out everything you love, because I’m addicted to sweets myself. However, don’t over-indulge in lots of greasy, fried foods because it’s so bad for you and your skin.

Drink water.

Every single time I’m out to eat, I order water with lemon to drink. It’s a habit now for me to drink water so I don’t even think twice about, but this can be a task for some. Try adding fruit to infuse your water and give it some taste if you don’t like drinking it plain.

Change bed linen.

Sleeping on the same sheets and pillowcases can carry germs and bacteria. Wash your pillowcases especially because it has the oils from your hair and will transfer to your face.

Try these tips out and let me know your results. Feel free to share them with me on instagram – @kaitlyn_amor