Sweat & Stay Pretty: Keeping Clear Skin During Exercise

We all know that part of staying healthy is keeping active and exercising. Many people believe the myth that sweating "cleans the pores" and helps acne. While sweat and exercise seems gives some people a healthy glow, it gives others clogged pores and acne. When Accutane was still fresh in my system, sports and exercise always gave me a pretty glow and I barely ever sweat. Unfortunately, I am now a plain sweaty mess after exercise, and I often develop tiny pimples in the areas where I sweat the most. It took me a few trials to figure out how to keep my skin clear during exercise:

1. Wash your face BEFORE and AFTER exercise...
Whether you exercise bright and early in the morning or after school or work in the late afternoon or evening, your skin needs to be cleansed before exercise then shortly after. This ensures that you begin exercise with a "clean plate" and prevent mixing sweat with makeup, dirt and oil that is already sitting on your face. Afraid to exercise without makeup? My routine is to wash my face with a warm towel while avoiding my already applied eye makeup. That way I wouldn't have to spend the time to reapply eye shadow, eye liner and mascara. Dry your skin and dust on light mineral makeup. This is the heaviest I would go to exercise. I would avoid any sort of liquid foundation or concealer, especially for those with oily, acne prone skin. What about blush? Honestly, exercise itself should give you a nice, rosy glow! Finally, wash your face shortly after exercise, especially if you've exercised outdoors. The longer you let the mixture of sweat, dirt and oil sit on your face, the more likely it will lead to clogged pores and acne.

2. Keep dirty hair out of your face...
I personally have side-swept bangs that could be difficult to keep out of my face. Yet I've discovered that it's important to keep hair out of your face when you exercise because it could aggravate and cause acne. So put up those ponytails and secure bangs with bobby pins!

3. Bring clean towels and avoid rubbing off sweat with your hands...
If you're the type to sweat, definitely bring along clean towels from home or rent a few from your gym. I emphasize the word 'clean' because you should always wash your towels after each exercise session. Use clean towels in place of rubbing off sweat with your hands.
Ever since following these 3 simple steps, I have been able to zumba (my favorite sport) and exercise with clear skin! I hope these will also help you stay fit and pretty!