Exercising is such an important part of ones life. But if you’re anything like me and you love exercising AND have acne-prone skin at the same time, then you’ll want to keep reading and follow my guide to maintain flawless skin while still enjoying your HIIT workout!

Before Your Workout

  1. Before you head to your workout, always make sure you’ve removed any makeup from the day. Without having a clean face, old or stale makeup from the day can clog the pores and cause acne. if going makeup-free isn’t your thing, I recommend a tinted SPF such as The Purest Solutions https://www.thepurestsolutions.co.nz/collections/spf/products/blemish-defense-antioxidant-sunscreen-50-spf-50-ml. This SPF has a light tint to it, providing coverage to areas of your choice, helping with a smoother and evened-out tone to the skin.

During Your Workout

  1. Use a clean gym towel. You always want to make sure you have a towel in your workout. This is to wipe the sweat from your face, instead of using your fingers. Use a medium to soft thickness towel – anything hard will be too rough to use on the face. After each workout you must wash the towel. Not washing it can cause a growth of bacteria in the material fibers, which will transfer to your skin the next time you use it!
  2. Keep your hair off your face. This may sound silly, but I see a lot of woman workout with their hair untied. What a lot of people forget, is that oils from your hair can very easily clog the pores in our skin. For anyone who is acne-prone, you want as little oil on your skin as possible. So tying up your hair when you workout is not only more comfortable, but also the wisest choice when preventing the spread of acne and congestion on the skin.
  3. Don’t touch your face. Think about the equipment that you pick up during a workout, and how many people have touched that exact item in that week. Touching your skin after that will cause some serious damage in the future. So when you feel the urge to touch, itch or scratch…rather use your gym towel to do the honors!

After Your Workout

  1. Cleanse immediately. As soon as you are home, wash your face with a gentle, sulfate-free face wash. This will remove any sweat, oils and impurities from the skin.
  2. Tone the skin. Use a toner with calming ingredients like witch hazel or rose water to balance your skin’s pH and tighten pores.
  3. Hydrate and Moisturize: Replenish lost moisture with a hydrating serum followed by a lightweight moisturizer.
  4. Spot Treatment: If prone to breakouts, apply a spot treatment with salicylic acid or benzoyl peroxide to target problem areas.

Extra Tips

  1. Change out of workout clothes: Quickly change out of sweaty clothes to prevent body acne.
  2. Stay Hydrated: Drink plenty of water to maintain overall skin health and hydration.
  3. Exfoliate Weekly: Use a gentle exfoliant once or twice a week to remove dead skin cells and keep pores clear.
  4. Use Antioxidants: Incorporate products with antioxidants like vitamin C to protect skin from environmental stressors.

Follow these tips above to be able to enjoy your workout, without the added stress of worrying whether you’ll wake up with a spot or two the next morning!