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HOW TO: Get Clear Skin

I am almost guaranteed to receive a question or email from a reader on a weekly basis asking how to clear up skin. It seems that everyone is battling with breakouts that continue to rear their heads beyond the teenage years and well into the twenties and thirties. 

I have compiled this ‘how to’ based on my own experience with my skin - after a relatively clear run in my teens I struggled with pimples and blackheads throughout my twenties. Nothing major - at most I probably had three or four pimples at once, mainly on my chin and forehead, but enough to get me down.

The tips below have transformed my skin, and I hardly ever break out anymore (and when I do, it’s usually because I haven’t been following my own advice!). I hope that they work for you too, and please feel free to share your own experience and tips. 

Cleanse less: Yep, you heard me. I used to stock up on every anti-acne, blemish busting, salicylic acid based product on the planet. And yet I still broke out. Since going clean, I have switched to kinder, gentler cleansers, and I haven’t looked back. Although it seems counterintuitive, conventional, chemical heavy cleansers that are supposedly made to target oily and breakout prone skin are incredibly stripping, which in turn encourages skin to produce more oil, which then leads to more breakouts - which then leads to using more stripping products to try to get rid of them! It’s a vicious cycle. Break this cycle by using a gentle, pure cleanser - cleansing oils and balms are brilliant - which will get skin back on track to regulate its own oil production. It might take a few weeks for your skin to get used to this, but it will happen. Your skin is a very clever organ.(As a side note, I actually found that once my skin got back in balance, I had dry, not oily skin as I had always previously thought!). 

In a similar vein, I now only cleanse once a day, at night, and simply splash my face with water in the morning (unless I use a particularly heavy treatment the night before). This is for the same reason: to get skin regulating its own production and not disrupting its balance. 

Eat your way to good skin: Whether we like it or not, diet plays a HUGE role in skin. Since cutting back dramatically on sugar, my skin is clearer, brighter, and softer (not to mention the other benefits - less mood swings, a clearer head, and less tummy fat!). I also try to avoid soy and dairy, as in my experience if I eat too much of either they will also lead to breakouts. If I binge on junk food I will immediately see the effects on my skin over the next week - and it’s not pretty. I also add lots of chia seeds and coconut oil to my diet (I love to throw them into a hot bowl of porridge), as these supply the skin with good fats to keep it plump, glowing and hydrated. 

Get into clay: Clay based masks are brilliant at giving congested skin a little jump start to purge impurities and heal existing blemishes. I use one once a fortnight to keep skin in top condition - it’s a great Sunday night ritual. 

Don’t scare your skin: In addition to my former life as a Lover of Oil-Stripping Cleansers, I must also confess to trying just about every ‘overnight pimple zapper’ under the sun. At the merest hint of a pimple I would drop a dollop of (usually salicylic acid based) potion on it. Yet my skin didn’t get better - in fact, I found that these treatments usually left skin dried out, frazzled and red. So I stopped. And just ignored pimples, and let them do their own thing, and heal themselves. And again, my skin’s ability to help itself amazed me. Sure, pimples took a little longer to go away, but they never erupted into a sore, inflamed spot, which meant they were far less noticeable (and much easier to cover with a little dab of concealer), and just gradually disappeared without a fight. I’ve also noticed that my skin scars far less with this approach.  

Product recommendations: I’ve tried to keep this post general rather than list specific products, as it’s more of a guideline on how to care for skin rather than a hardwired regime. But sometimes you just want a recommendation, straight up, so here are the products that I have used and liked:

So, if I could summarise my clear skin regime in one sentence, it would simply be:

Be kind to your skin and to yourself. 

You will be amazed at what this will do. 

CLEAN REGIME: My Holiday Skincare

I have to admit that, with sun, sand & Singapore Slings at the front of my mind, skincare was somewhere around number 143 on my list of priorities whilst I was away. Nevertheless, as someone with skin that likes to surprise me (dry! no, sensitive! wait… oily! and here’s a pimple!), I took a few products with me to keep my skin in check and, most importantly, protected from the sun’s rays.

The one product that I used every day was the Invisible Zinc Environmental Skin Protector 30+. As a zinc based sunscreen it physically blocks the sun’s rays (rather than filtering them through chemicals), and this kept my face perfectly protected. It goes on a little white at first but quickly disappears into skin. The only quasi-downside is that it does such a good job that my face is now a shade lighter than the rest of my body, but this is easily resolved with a bit of liquid bronzer mixed in with my foundation. On the few days when I dragged myself from the pool or beach to do strenuous things like eat out or go shopping, I combined my sun protection with coverage by using the Invisible Zinc UV Silk Shield Foundation. I was a bit scared about using a stick foundation but it blended really easily, had excellent coverage (it doubles as a concealer). and had a nice natural finish. It says it is water resistant, and seems to hold up quite well, but it became a little more obvious after swimming and needed to be ‘re-blended’ into skin.

As I was using a fairly heavy duty sunscreen it was important to cleanse skin thoroughly at the end of the day, so I took along Planet Eve Organics Cleansing Oil. This was perfect for travel, as although it’s quite a tall bottle, it’s incredibly lightweight, and easily removes sunscreen & makeup. I also took MV Organics Gentle Cream Cleanser - one of my favourite cleansers- for when I wanted a deeper & more refreshing clean. 

At night I either used Pai Avocado & Jojoba Hydrating Day Cream, Tata Harper Replenishing Nutrient Complex, or a combination of both. The Pai day cream is fine to use at night as it doesn’t have SPF and is a good general purpose moisturiser. I used the Tata Harper serum when I wanted a little more hydration, and it was also great to apply on its own under makeup, as it kept skin looking fresh & glowy and didn’t melt off in the heat. The serum is fantastic for travel as it comes in a little tube with a rollerball applicator - so no risk of spillage! 

I must have been feeling a bit indulgent when I threw in a sample pack of the Dr. Alkaitis Organic Cellular Repair Mask, as I tend to be very lazy with my skincare when I’m away from home. I’m glad I did though - I was averaging about 3 cocktails a night, so I popped this on once or twice when I felt my skin needed a bit of a pep up. It’s another excellent travel product, as it is a powder that you add water to. You could easily fill a teeny container with some and pop it into your makeup bag when travelling. 

Moving on from the face, the rest of the so-called regime was fairly relaxed. I took a sample bottle of Bodhi Ylang Ylang Incensa Shower Gel with me, which is basically a sexy tropical holiday in a bottle. It’s a delicious smokey & spicy floral fragrance, and the scent lingers on skin. For hair I just used hotel shampoo & conditioner (as I was swimming each day I didn’t think there was much point in getting hair perfect), but I did take Evo Happy Campers Hard Working Moisturiser as a leave in treatment and all-round grooming product.     

And that’s it! I need another holiday after writing all that… Would love to hear about any of your holiday or travel skincare tips! 

REVIEW: Dr Alkaitis Organic Soothing Gel & Nourishing Treatment Oil

What: A skin calming gel and replenishing facial oil. 

For: Skin that is breaking out and/or generally awful. 

Review: I don’t usually review more than one product at once, but this little duo is what saves my skin when it has the nasty combination of both breaking out and feeling dry and undernourished. This usually happens when I’m burning the candle at both ends, and the endless cycle of Christmas parties and end of year festivities has certainly had an impact on my skin.

I use the gel & oil both in the morning and at night. The gel is deliciously soothing and calming, cool to touch and sinks into skin instantly. As it is antibacterial it works on clearing up blemishes and preventing new ones, but doesn’t leave skin feeling cracked and dry like many blemish creams can. I then apply the oil over the gel and it is lovely and hydrating: when I wake up in the morning my skin always looks much more refreshed and glowing, and plumps up fine lines. It works really nicely under makeup too - just leave about 15 minutes for it to absorb fully before applying any foundation. 

Clean creds: All ingredients used in Dr Alkaitis products are edible & 100% organic. That’s right, this stuff is so clean it’s literally good enough to eat! 

Verdict: My skin saviours that I have on hand when the silly season gets a bit too silly. They’ve reached ‘can’t live without them’ status. 

*These products were sent to me as PR samples. 

WISHLIST: Christmas Shopping (Part II)

Part II of The Clean Beauty Blog Christmas gift guide: 

  1. Spiezia Organics Facial Brilliance Gift Set: Spiezia Organics has one of my favourite cleansers in the whole world, and this gift set comes with other goodies to get your skin glowing. At a slightly lower price point there is also the Glow & Go Gift Set, which also features the cleanser. 
  2. Lotus Wei Mini Collection: Lotus Wei is a line of products that utilises flower essences to create and channel certain moods. The Mini Collection is a great way to sample to full range - Joy Juice & Pure Energy are my favourites (and yes, they really work)!
  3. Dr Alkaitis Organic Travel Kit: Another great little skincare set - Dr Alkaitis uses ingredients that are literally good enough to eat.  
  4. Ren Mini Rose Set: I’m a sucker for rose fragrance. This gift set comes with a mini Body Wash, Body Cream & Oil by luxury brand REN. A great stocking stuffer (currently on sale for $20!).
  5. Inika Face in a Box: Despite the slightly scary name, this looks like a great value gift set with a mineral foundation and bronzer, two brushes, and sample liquid foundation, concealer and primer. 
  6. Neom Organics Mini Bath Indulgence Bath Oils Set: I love Neom Organics’ candles, and these bath oils look equally yummy! 
  7. Clean Eating Magazine subscription: A gift that keeps on giving… every month! Clean Eating has just launched in Australia with Sarah Wilson as the editor-at-large, and focuses on simple recipes using good, fresh ingredients and minimal sugar. 

HOW TO: Make Up With Blemishes

I’ve had a fairly shocking week with my skin - a total of SIX pimples reared their ugly little heads - two on my forehead, and four on my chin. I was feeling absolutely horrendous, especially as my skin has been quite well behaved over the past few months, so I was caught by surprise by this bout of skincare rudeness. The silver lining to this dark & ugly cloud is that I have had the ideal canvas to experiment with makeup & skincare to calm & cover blemishes Here are my tips: 

  • Clay masks are great if you have a day to hibernate at home, as they are great at drawing pimples out & speeding up the process, but when you have to face the world I prefer using gentle masks that work to calm redness and ‘smooth’ over pimples, which makes them easier to cover when heading out. I’ve been testing the Dr. Alkaitis Organic Universal Mask which has done a nice job of quietening my skin and seems to have prevented the blemishes from becoming too inflamed. 
  • Don’t apply a drying pimple formula during the day - makeup will cake over any blemishes and make them look even more obvious. Another Dr. Alkaitis product I am loving is the Organic Soothing Gel, which is a soothing and hydrating antibacterial treatment, perfect for daytime use. I find that it’s not quite hydrating enough to use without a moisturiser or sunscreen on top, but it’s worth adding to your routine to soothe and treat blemishes. 
  • Makeup wise, it’s well-worth checking out Lisa Eldridge’s excellent video tutorial on acne covering makeup. Whilst Lisa doesn’t use clean products, the philosophy & techniques behind the makeup application are incredibly useful. In particular, I think it’s a great tip to keep foundation really light where skin is clear to avoid looking like you’re wearing a mask. As my cheeks are clear and have a relatively good texture, this week I have focussed on applying really light foundation over cheeks, then buffing a coral cream blush into cheeks along with a little RMS Living Luminizer. This gives the appearance of really healthy skin and draws attention away from the spottier areas. Similarly, I have applied no makeup over lips and have concentrated on eye makeup; again, to draw attention away from the chin. I have to admit that I have been using some not-so-clean products this week (Estee Lauder Double Wear Concealer & Natio Pure Mineral Redness Corrector - both of which contain parabens, among other things) out of pure desperation to cover all the spots, but I am on the hunt for clean alternatives to these! As I mention on the About page, I take a ‘mostly’ approach to clean - so I don’t feel too guilty when I very occasionally turn to these products.  
  • I wear my hair out when I have particularly bad skin - it’s my curtain from the world! Make sure you keep hair looking fresh & bouncy when wearing it this way: spots & greasy hair are not a good look together, but clean, shiny hair will draw attention away from blemishes and make you look generally healthier. 
  • And finally - whilst I felt like a giant walking pimple this week (now that’s a charming image for you), it’s important to remember that no-one pays as much attention to your skin as you do. So take a deep breath, a little concealer, and you’ll get through this! 

Lisa Marie Fernandez

Lisa Marie Fernandez

The Clean Beauty Blog likes Lisa Marie Fernandez’s beauty routine (as told to Into the Gloss). Our clean picks: