Skincare + Fresh Pores 101

1. CLEAN YOUR SKIN MORNING AND NIGHT EFFECTIVELY! Wash your face every day, at least once in the morning and once at night. This will keep your skin fresh and clean. Most importantly, don't overwash your skin! Overwashing your skin can cause skin irritation and redness. In the long run, overwashing causes your skin to lose its natural layer of oils which protects itself from the environment, causing your skin to become more sensitive and prone to irritation/breakouts. Every time you wash your skin with a cleanser, make sure you wash 1-3 minutes! It actually takes a minute for your cleanser to start working on your skin and the product to start sinking in your pores!

2. MOISTURIZE! Although you may have oily skin, STILL moisturize! There are many different types of moisturizers fit for different types of skin. Moisturizer is very important, as it allows your skin to retain its natural moisture and seals in your protective layer of oils. For the day time, try to commit to a moisturizer that contains sunscreen to protect your skin from harmful UV rays. No matter what skin tone you have, protecting your skin from the sun is essential.

3. EXFOLIATE + SKIN TREATMENTS (MASKS). You may think that cleansing your skin is enough. But to get a deep cleanse, exfoliate your skin 1-2 times a week. Exfoliating washes away the dead skin cells and reaches deeper into your pores. However, do not over exfoliate, as it also can cause skin irritation, sensitivity, and redness! Many people love to treat their skin to a "spa day," which includes using masks. Masks can have great benefits, as it also cleanses your skin on a deeper level, rejuvenates it, and helps with blood circulation. Many masks target different goals, such as tightening skin, balancing oils, reducing oiliness, reducing redness. Choose one that can target your skin needs! Just remember, masks should only be used about once a week. To get the most effective results, make sure you open up your pores before applying your mask! To open up your pores, you can use a steamer machine or shower. Opening the pores will allow your mask to do its job more effectively, as it reaches deeper in the pores.

4. INCLUDE SERUMS IN YOUR SKINCARE ROUTINE. After cleansing your face, apply serums to target the specific needs for your skin! Depending on your serum, it can have beneficial ingredients, such as anti-aging properties and effective acne treatments. For more info on the role of serums, check out this perfect IntoTheGloss post!

5. CLEAN YOUR BRUSHES AND SPONGES. Applying your makeup with dirty brushes can cause your makeup to seal in the bacteria on your face, causing more breakouts and clogging of the pores. Face brushes should be cleaned every week because they carry heavier makeup products. Since they're face brushes, they can easily carry bacteria across your face. Eye brushes should be deeply cleaned about 2-3 times a month. Since these brushes cover a smaller area of your face and usually carry lighter products than foundations/concealer brushes, these won't retain as much bacteria. However, it is also essential to maintain the cleanliness of eye brushes because dirty eye brushes can cause eye irritations and redness. A general rule for makeup brushes is that they should always be soft and should not leave any residue on your face. As for sponges, strictly speaking, they should be washed every 2-3 usages. Sponges can retain bacteria more easily by keeping the bacteria trapped within the sponge. Therefore, it's also essential to keep this makeup tool as clean as possible. 

6. CLEAN YOUR FACIAL BRUSH CLEANSERS. Similar to makeup brushes, cleansing brushes can catch bacteria easily! Clarisonic brushes often advise you to cleanse your brush once a week and deep cleanse it once per month if you use your brush every day. If you want your brush cleansers to commit to its duty of deep cleansing your pores, it's your job to keep it clean so it can function correctly!

7. WASH YOUR SKIN AFTER SHAMPOOING YOUR HAIR. The impact of hair products on your skin can have taunting effects, especially if your skin is very sensitive. Hair products are not formulated to keep your skin from clogging up. The best solution is to cleanse your skin after you shampoo your hair, so that you can wash away the residue with your cleanser! As for hairspray, try to keep it out of your face!

8. REMOVE YOUR MAKEUP BEFORE BED. The best hours for skin recovery are night hours. However, if you keep your skin clogged up with makeup, your skin will only soak up the nasty residue! Instead, keep your skin clean and healthy by cleansing it properly and sticking to a routine! Even on those days when you're tired from work, take a few minutes to get rid of all that makeup. Your skin needs its beauty rest too!

9. CHECK PRODUCT INGREDIENTS. Is your skin sensitive to a type of ingredient? Your skin type may not be sensitive skin, but it may be allergic to a specific ingredient! So pay attention to the general ingredients in your makeup/cleansers. For example, tea tree oil is famous for its anti-acne properties. However, it doesn't seem to work on me. So see what works for you!

10. DO NOT PILE ON LAYERS OF MAKEUP! Your skin needs to BREATHE! Instead of using layers and layers of foundation, invest in a full coverage foundation/concealer! Also remember that foundation isn't used to cover up those blemishes. Foundation is only the base layer. Use good coverage concealers to dot on those blemishes! For tips on finding a quality concealer, check out this awesome, thorough IntoTheGloss Post! They mention the best coverage concealers and it definitely has a few of my favorites on their list.

11. WIPE DOWN. This means disinfect the screen of your phone, wash your yoga mat and disinfect those headphones that stick to the sides of your face. Believe it or not, these places actually have layers and layers of bacteria! We never seem to think of this, but our skin contact these areas every day!

12. LET FRESH AIR CIRCULATE YOUR WORK SPACE. Having fresh air allows your pores to breathe. Declutter your work space if you have to. After every spring and summer clean, I always feel better when I get to work in my work space because the decluttering keeps my anxiety levels low and allows the fresh air to actually circulate my whole room! Circulating Fresh Air = Circulations of Good Energy.

13. DRINK LOTS OF WATER! Since June, I invested in a 24 oz Mira water bottle which keeps cold water cold and hot water warm. THIS HAS BEEN THE BEST INVESTMENT IN MY LIFE. Since it's such a large water bottle, I only need to refill it 2-3 times a day and I get to have a good amount of water intake! Some of the biggest reasons why I never stuck to drinking water were because my water bottles always leaked, were always too bulky for me to carry around, and always change the water temperature to room temperature water. I love chilled water! So to be able to transport this sleek water bottle without leakage, refill it as the day goes on, and maintain the water temperature is absolutely amazing. Most importantly, I've seen that my skin has reduced its breakouts (knock on wood!). 

14. WATCH YOUR DIET! It's not a good idea to eat greasy foods (pizza, cheeseburgers) every single day. What you eat is what you shine through! Excessive oils can cause an imbalanced digestion, which can reflect on your face. Breakouts around your eyebrows are signs of liver problems, which means you should improve your water intake. Breakouts around your forehead are signs of indigestion. Generally, consume enough veggies and fruits in your daily meals. If you don't like the taste of these, you can always blend it and add ice to make it into a good smoothie. Adding ice always makes a good smoothie. Adding fruits gives it some natural sweetness! Essentially, pay attention to what you eat. Each person is different, so what works for you may not work for her. For example, milk doesn't work well with my digestion in the morning! Sounds weird, but it's true! Milk also gives me more breakouts. Oddly, cheese doesn't have that effect on me. Ultimately, pay attention to what your skin is telling you! 

15. MEDITATE + DESTRESS. Personally, my key to destressing is designing, sketching, and watching Youtube Videos/Netflix. However, some days I don't have that time! So I would use 5 minutes to meditate and play a calming song in the background. Destressing is an important tip to living a healthy, happy life! Destressing also prevents excessive breakouts by limiting hormone imbalances.

16. SEE A DERMATOLOGIST. If you can't seem to figure out a way to unclog your pores, or if you have severe breakouts, contact a dermatologist! They're specialized in this department, they know what's going on :)

*Disclaimer: I am not a skin professional. These are only personal experiences that I've gained and decided to share with you!