5 Ways to Get Blemish-free This Summer

My usual skin routine is geared toward finding ways to soothe and hydrate my persistently dry, sensitive skin, but every once in a while, I find that my skin can get, well, temperamental with breakouts and blemishes. They always seem to flare up at the most inopportune timing. (We’ve all been there!) Here are some of my go-to tips to keeping skin clear, calm and summer ready:

1. Try a gentle acid.

Acids can sound scary but can do wonders for blemish prone skin. (Check out this post if you need a guide on which acid is right for you.) BHAs are acids that can actually go deeply into the pore to declog and unglue dead skin cell build up. Having fairly sensitive skin, I’ve never really enjoyed grainy physical exfoliators, which can cause micro tears. Instead, I have been using a mix of acids as an alternative. With the right acid, you can easily incorporate this into your routine as not only a treatment but a preventative measure: daily for oilier or more break out prone types and 1-2x a week for more sensitive skin types. (a recent favorite is the LJH Tea Tree 70 BHA Toner).

2. Your environment is just as important as your skincare

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On my way home to see this little one. It's never easy being away from her and I'm super grateful to have a support system that makes it possible to be on the road when I need to for Glow. Special thanks to the hubs for wrapping 200 'homemade' Costco cookies that we are taking to the school bake sale 😂couldn't do this without you. 🍪🍪🍪

A post shared by Christine Chang (@christine_glow) on Nov 5, 2017 at 10:34pm PST

We touch our face inadvertently thousands of times a day. Our faces are sunk into our pillows for several hours every night. There’s a multitude of ways inflammation-causing bacteria can be transfer onto your face and also a few simple ways we can cut this down: Wash your pillow case at least 1-2 times a week. Clean your phone every night. Keep your hair off your face at night, as the natural oils may transfer onto skin. Wash your hands throughout the day. And try ditching the towel, a post cleansing technique to keep skin pristine.

3. Try Tea Tree

While there are tried and true acne ingredients, a natural alternative and personal favorite is Tea Tree. Tea tree is an anti-inflammatory, anti-bacterial ingredient that works effectively to soothe and calm breakout prone skin. While the term might remind us of pungent brown bottles filled with tingly tea tree extract, there are formulas in the market such as the Leegeehaam (formerly LJH) tea tree line that have managed to pack high concentrations of this ingredient in weightless, scentless formats. We were especially excited to work with the Leegeehaam team on a new spot treatment addition to the Tea Tree line up, the Leegeehaam Tea Tree 70 Spot Treatment. We’ve tried many a breakout treatment that leaves skin peeling, flaky and dried out. After testing it consistently on our most persistent breakouts, we’re happy to report that the final formula brings together the best of both worlds, a powerful 70% concentration of tea tree that works to minimize the signs of breakouts but also a gentle, hydrating treatment that soothes red, irritated skin post-break out. (Plus the mint green tinted formula is 100% free of synthetic dyes.)

4. Hydrate, hydrate, hydrate

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Meet the Jullai Super 7 Moisture Hydrating Gel ✨ It’s an ultra-lightweight gel and serum moisturizer packed with antioxidants, lactobacillus probiotics, and detoxifying ylang-ylang oil. It helps calm and nourish irritated, sensitive skin. #glowrecipe #kbeauty #ab #asianbeauty #koreanbeauty #skincare #beauty

A post shared by Glow Recipe (@glowrecipe) on Jul 29, 2018 at 6:09pm PDT

Don’t starve your skin! Whatever your skin type, sufficiently hydrating the skin helps to regulate natural sebum production (and this the skin won’t have to over produce oil to compensate) and maintain the skin’s moisture barrier. A healthy moisture barrier is key to keeping skin healthy and blemish causing bacteria and irritants out. If you have oilier skin, use an gel-type moisturizer that contains humectants like hyaluronic acid and sodium hyaluronate to draw moisture to the skin. If you are have dry skin, look for more emollient textures.

5. Be gentle.

We often come across customers and friends with blemish prone skin that also have taut, shiny, slightly red complexions—a sign of over exfoliation. When our skin ‘misbehaves’, we’re so used to deep cleansing, scrubbing, exfoliating, and using clay and peel off masks— anything to purge oils—that skin is often left bare and stripped. In addition to daily hydration, try treating your skin to hydrating masks or sheet masks once or twice a week to balance the skin. Another option is to use soothing products wih ingredients such as cica (the Yuripibu Cica Repair Cream is this month’s Glow Gamechanger) or aloe.

Hope these tips help and let us know if you have any questions in the comments.

Get your glow on,
Christine

P.S Check this post out for our recommended products for oily, acne prone skin.