You would’ve rather hit snooze than head to that AM pilates class but good work love, you made it! After an accomplishment like that the literal last thing you want to worry about is skincare, am I right? Sadly improper skincare pre and post workout can result in bummer breakouts an irritation from cheek to cheek if you feel me. Luckily your new favorite holistic skincare expert, hi hi that’s me Celeste Thomas, is here to break it down and make it easy for you!
Spilling the T on workout skincare: Our skin is our largest organ and it functions as a breathable barrier, essential to assisting your body in regulating heat. As you skin produces sweat to regulate heat during a workout, you create the perfect breeding ground for bacteria. Gym doors handles, booty bands, yoga mats, and yes even the reformer machine are coated in bacteria from previous patrons. That massive amount of environmental bacteria can easily take stong hold on your warm sweaty skin! Your first line of action to protecting your skin from bacteria is to avoid touching your skin and opt for a clean towel to wipe sweat or even scratch your nose.lol In addition to avoiding the bacteria in the gym environment here are some essential skincare rules to live by to keep your skin looking as fly as your bod!
Keep it clean: One of the biggest culprits when it comes to all skin blunders is improper cleansing. No matter what time of day you workout it’s really really important to have clean skin with no makeup residue! If you did a really through cleansing the night before a morning workout no need to cleanse again, but the truth is most of us don’t. The best way to make sure your skin is truly clean is to take a wet cotton pad and wipe your face, if you see any residue, wash again. Just to reiterate, only workout with clean skin, no makeup, no face oils, no sunscreen, no nada. If you’re headed to the gym from a day at the office I suggest packing a nontoxic makeup wipe and using that I addition to some healthy splashes of cool water to cleanse your skin. I personally amazon prime a few boxes of the Accure Wipes and keep packs in my car and gym bag just in case.
Post sweat: After your workout you want to rinse, wipe, use any means necessary to remove sweat. Like I said before sweat is a warm liquid bacterial breeding ground and you want to get it off your face and breakout prone areas of your bod before a dreaded pimple appears. In the post workout scenario I’ve discovered speed is very important, you wanna get the sweat off quickly. Depending on the situation you may have access to an immediate shower and that would be really lucky, I personally can’t even remember the last time I showered at a gym so let me share some more realistic alternatives. If you have time, bring your facewash in your bag and cleanse your skin in the bathroom with cool water. If you don’t have time, whip out one of your handy dandy face wipes! Don’t forget to cleanse or wipe your hairline, neck, chest, back, butt, or anywhere you tend to breakout.
Bonus points: After you clean off that sweat you want to nourish your skin to prevent inflammation, irritation, over drying, and imbalance. Your skin really is a needy bish isn’t she! The steps required to nourish your skin post workout is really dependent on what you’re doing after. If you’re just headed home and it’s a quick tip I suggest using a facial mist with antioxidants to sooth your skin, help balance the PH, and protect it from environmental free radicals. I love the January Labs Restorative Tonic Mist because it contains hydrating aloe and witch hazel to prevent my acne prone skin from breaking out. If you’ve got a full day ahead of you I suggest taking the time to do your full skincare routine before you apply any makeup. If you need skincare suggestions or have no idea what a full skincare routine is, I’ve got you love! Check out this post for the steps and correct order of operations for glowy healthy skin.
I hope these tips and tricks help you live your best skin life in addition to living your best beach body life loves! For more holistic skincare tips and glow hacks check out my blog The True Spoon and follow me on IG @thetruespoon
