You think this to yourself as you look in the mirror and poke at angry red bumps erupting on your skin.
We’ve all been there. Braving public spaces with breakouts. Trying the most robust skin products to ease tender skin and make acne vanish quickly.
For people with breakouts or acne prone skin, it’s an ongoing problem. And the skin care industry is cluttered with products and promises.
We’ll share with you three ingredients proven to work to fight acne gently, that are worth a try.
First, there are different types of acne:
- Whiteheads
- Blackheads
- Pustules
- Papules
- Nodules
- Cysts
The first thing you can do, you can start doing right now. And that's not touching your face. Your hands are oily and touching can cause irritation.
Up next is cleansing. Dirt and excess sweat build up on your skin each day, so cleanse at least twice daily with a gentle cleanser.
It’s good to remember that when you do any skin care to perform it gently. No hard scrubbing, pinching, poking or squeezing acne. This will irritate it more and can leave scars behind. Another irritant is UV exposure. Limit your time in the sun and use sunscreen.
Last is time. Give your skin time to heal and be patient with the process.
Now, the key ingredients that we love for their effectiveness and swiss army knife-like nature.
When looking for products to fight acne breakouts, one of the first to pop up is truly multifunctional; niacinamide.
Niacinamide is a type of vitamin B that regulates sebum production. This is a golden function for people with oily faces. Excess sebum, or oil production, leads to clogged pores and eventually breakouts.
Niacinamide is also anti-inflammatory which cools and soothes redness and tenderness. It moisturizes skin, is a UV protector and counteracts the effects of free radicals or skin damaging substances.
The next ingredient worth checking out is hyaluronic acid. Hyaluronic acid naturally exists within our bodies and is known as a humectant; it locks in moisture. This effective feature of hyaluronic works in two ways.
People with frequent breakouts have a damaged skin barrier. Hyaluronic acid repairs the skin barrier and eases irritation. And just like niacinamide, hyaluronic acid regulates sebum production, making it an attractive ingredient to have in your acne fighting arsenal.
Bakuchiol is another ingredient that makes our list. Bakuchiol is a plant-based ingredient that is naturally soothing. Since it’s all natural it’s a gentler alternative for sensitive skin. It also calms inflammation and evens out discoloration that results from a break out. Bakuchiol has been shown to help restore and repair effectively for all skin types.
These three products are great for nourishing, repairing, and reining in misbehaving skin.
One last critical step in winning the battle against acne is gentle exfoliation.
Our skin naturally exfoliates itself. This means it sheds off dead skin cells without any outside help. However, acne prone skin doesn’t work as it should. Gentle exfoliation with good quality products helps the process along by unclogging pores, removing pus and dead skin cells and getting your skin smooth and radiant.
Our 'Stay Balanced’ Enzyme hydrator contains all the good stuff including niacinamide, hyaluronic acid and bakuchiol. It is a gentle exfoliator and moisturizer all in one. Great for the skin routine minimalist or person struggling with acne looking for a simple effective solution to gentle exfoliation.