How To Get Clear Skin: 6 Steps To Follow To Clear Skin
We all want clear skin. But some of us are a little less lucky when it comes to our natural skin types. We can try everything, from different skincare products to special treatments to washing our skin multiple times per day, and still have to deal with wrinkles, acne breakouts, and more.
So, how can you get clear skin consistently? There are six basic steps you can follow to get clear skin regularly, especially if you maintain a good skincare routine every day. Let’s take a look at each of those steps one by one.
#1: Wash Your Face Every Day
Your first step should be to wash your skin with a gentle facial cleanser. For the best results, try to wash your skin twice daily. This is enough to remove most excess oil, dirt, and debris from your skin without stripping away healthy, moisturizing oils such as sebum.
Most people also find it convenient to wash their faces once in the morning, usually after they wake up, and once in the evening after the day's activities have concluded. Washing your face in the morning gets rid of dirt and sweat that may have accumulated in your skin's pores while you slept.
Washing your face in the evening gets rid of dirt, makeup, and other compounds that can pack into the pores over the course of your day. A proper face washing routine can even help combat pimples and blackheads by eliminating the grime that is clogging your pores.
When washing your skin, do so with lukewarm water and avoid using soap. Standard soap can strip away oils on your skin, leaving it dry and irritated. This will impact the other steps of your skincare routine. Of course, if you wear makeup, you can also use makeup remover while washing your skin in the evening.
Optional: Exfoliate
At this stage, you may also choose to exfoliate your skin. Exfoliation is an important part of holistic skin care. It involves using chemical or physical exfoliating agents to primarily scrape away dead skin cells, which can build up over several days.
Because exfoliation is so intense for your skin, however, you should only exfoliate once or twice per week depending on your skin’s sensitivity level. If you exfoliate too much, you’ll just irritate your skin and could even cause it to produce more sebum. This, in turn, could lead to acne outbreaks. That’s the exact opposite of what you want when you are trying to get clear skin!
#2: Try a Toner
You may also choose to use a toner product. Toner may include ingredients such as glycolic acid, alpha hydroxy acid, and more. Other great antibacterial ingredients include salicylic acid, benzoyl peroxide, and retinoids.
Regardless, toner digs deep into the pores and brings out even more dirt and debris. Generally, toner is best for individuals who don’t have overly sensitive skin. If you have sensitive skin, you may need to try out a few different toners before settling on one that’s perfect for your skin.
Any type of cleansing products might leave your skin feeling tight or dry, but you’ll restore the lost hydration with a moisturizer at the end of your routine. Alternatively, some toner formulas are made to be hydrating, in which case you might not experience any side effects at all.
#3: Use a Serum
After your skin’s pores are opened up and cleared of debris and dead skin cells, you can now apply a nourishing, revitalizing serum. Serums are packed with nutrients to support cell health and support a healthy turnover rate.
Most serums come with ingredients including but not limited to:
- Vitamin A, sometimes listed as retinol
- Vitamin C
- CoQ10
- Glycolic acid
- Alpha and beta hydroxy acids
- Collagen
- Elastin
These ingredients can:
- Help minimize the appearance of fine lines and aging spots. These light anti-aging effects are great if you are starting to notice more wrinkles or hyperpigmentation on your skin.
- Promote younger-looking skin. Collagen and elastin specifically are vital compounds that affect your skin elasticity, and our skin cells naturally produce less of both as they get older.
Overall, serums can be thought of as revitalizing agents for your skin. You should apply serums at this stage of the skincare process to ensure that your skin cells get as much of their nutrients as possible and so that the other stages of your routine don’t wash away those important ingredients.
#4: Remember Moisturizer and SPF
To wrap up your routine, you should apply a moisturizer at the end. Moisturizers restore the hydration you may have lost through cleansing and/or exfoliating your skin. But they also help your skin retain moisture throughout the day, so they are great both in the morning and evening before you go to sleep.
Moisturizers include some of the same ingredients described above, including special moisturizers like hyaluronic acid. The right moisturizer will leave your skin feeling soothed and refreshed rather than tight or irritated. This is also an important part of your routine, so your skin doesn’t produce too much sebum as a side effect, leading to the above-mentioned acne outbreaks.
You should also always wear sunscreen when you plan to head outside. Some moisturizers double as sunscreen. These topical defensive products should be broad-spectrum and high SPF for maximum efficacy. Non-comedogenic formulas can also help if your skin is acne-prone, as these won’t clog your pores.
Look for an SPF of at least 30 to help protect your skin from sun damage and dark spots.
#5: Consider Your Diet and Supplements
There’s another step to getting clear skin, however, that lies outside the standard, twice a day skincare routine: your diet. You are what you eat, and this applies to your skin as it does to other aspects of your physical wellness.
What you eat affects the amount of sebum or natural oil that your skin produces. If your skin produces too much sebum, you could end up with acne outbreaks or oily skin/acne-prone skin, which can trap dirt and dead skin cells in your pores.
Note, however, that you can’t eliminate sebum entirely; it plays an important role in moisturizing your face throughout the day for glowing skin.
Furthermore, what you eat can impact how well your skin can synthesize new skin cells and compounds like collagen and elastin.
Therefore, you should focus on eating a healthy diet with lots of vitamins and minerals. Your diet should also avoid excess fatty oils and tons of extra sugar. Both of these can increase your skin’s oiliness and lead to other negative health effects later down the road.
Furthermore, certain supplements can positively impact your body, ranging from your skin health and your gut microbiome and more. A certified dermatologist can help you discover what foods you should eat to enjoy oil-free skin and fewer blemishes.
Or you can try Hope Health’s Organic Greens + Supplement. This healthy, organic superfood blend can bridge any nutritional gaps in your diet and promote detoxification in your skin and more.
#6: Consider Makeup Carefully
All makeup should be non-comedogenic to reduce clogged pores. If you still have skin problems, keep these tips in mind when using makeup products:
- Wash your face after applying makeup and before bed. This should reduce dryness and lead to healthy skin in the long run
- Clean your makeup brushes with hot water to enjoy clearer skin
- Try acne-fighting makeup, and always try new makeup when considering your skin needs. Some products will be better for certain skin conditions or concerns than others.
Summary
All in all, following the above six steps will go a long way toward helping you enjoy clearer, healthy skin for years to come. Plus, once you get in the habit of following these tips, maintaining a top-tier skincare routine will become second nature and easier than ever. Good luck — and don’t forget to check out our online store for healthy supplements for your skin and more.
Sources:
Cell turnover and adult tissue homeostasis: from humans to planarians | NCBI
Collagen and elastin fibres | NCBI
Diet and Skin Aging—From the Perspective of Food Nutrition - PMC | NCBI