I never really had bad skin growing up, so whenever I did get that horrific breakout, I’d actually freak out. Over the years I’ve found some of the best tips on how to get rid of those pimples overnight with no scars. It’s important to not just take care of your skin for the sake of avoiding breakouts — we should take great care of our skin every day! This doesn’t just mean doing a thorough facial routine every night and/or every morning, but also leading a healthy lifestyle. I know this is an annoyingly oversaid tip, but I used to get way more white heads before I gave up soda than now, when I drink more than eight cups of water a day and workout at least three times a week.
Drinking water not only keeps the breakouts to a minimum, but it also keeps my skin looking healthy and smooth. I know that drinking lots of water now will pay off even more in the future, and I know this because I have proof. My mom has only drunk water for the last 30 years and she has the wrinkles of a 35-year-old (she’s 52, but shhh, don’t tell her I told you that!). Without further adieu, here are my skin routine and pimple hacks.
Skin Routine:
1. Exfoliating Face Wash
I like something gentle that’s a mix of an exfoliator and a deep clean to remove all my make-up and dirt. My favorite is Neutrogena’s “Deep Clean Invigorating Foaming Scrub.” It’s a daily face wash that is a gel-like soap with little exfoliating beads in it. The thick soap is able to remove the layers of makeup and dirt on my face, and then the exfoliating beads get deep into my pores to get out all the oils.
2. Dead Sea Mud Mask
Whenever my skin is getting bad (usually every other week or so), I’ll do a Dead Sea at-home mud mask. The one I’m using right now is by AHAVA, but you can find similar ones at CVS or other drug stores. I love mine because it has lavender in it to help me calm down and feel refreshed after a long, stressful week. I have normal-dry skin though, so if you have oily skin, I highly recommend charcoal masks instead because the charcoal will work like a sponge to suck up all the excess oils on your skin.
3. Daily Moisturizer
This is especially important after doing any face masks because they will dry out your face, and if you don’t put on a moisturizer, this can lead to flakiness and dry patches. My favorite is Aveeno’s “Positively Radiant Daily Moisturizer” because I’m rather pale, so redness is a daily struggle and this moisturizer helps even out my skin tone.
Zit hacks:
1. Toothpaste
This is an oldie but a goodie. After you’ve finished your face cleaning routine at night, go ahead and put a little bit of toothpaste on each pimple and continue your nightly rituals like homework, cleaning or my personal favorite, Netflixing, as you wait for each toothpaste dot to dry all the way through. Then rinse it off with warm water. I usually will take a washcloth, wet it with warm water and then gently rub it in a circular motion to take off the toothpaste. This allows me to get all the toothpaste off without pulling or tugging on my skin and causing premature wrinkles.
2. Neosporin
This is one my mom told me when I was about 11 years old, and I’ve never heard anyone else mention it. After you’ve done your face cleaning routine at night and tried out the toothpaste hack, dab a little Neosporin on top of any pimples you have right before you go to bed. When you wake up the next morning, they should be almost completely gone or shrunken with less redness. Depending on how big and deep each pimple is, it can take anywhere from one to three nights before it’s completely gone.
3. Tea Tree Oil
This is very similar to the Neosporin hack. Follow the same steps as stated above; just dab a little drop on each pimple right before bed, after you’ve already cleaned your face, and this should also help. I find this helps more with just redness, whereas the Neosporin trick helps with both size and redness. Either way, tea tree oil may help more for people with oily skin since oils are best for clearing oily skin.
4. Oils
That leads me to my next “hack,” which is more of a “ip rather than a hack. Oils are proven to do wonders for oily skin because they are supposed to act as a magnet to each other. Any skin products that have oil in them should attract the oils on your skin and reduce the overall greasiness of your face. So don’t shy away from skin products with oils in them!
Clear skin doesn’t have to be a struggle or a nuisance. With these tips and tricks, it might actually be fun and relaxing — just what we all need after a long week of studying! So kick back, slap on a face mask, paint your nails, and watch some Friends while you enjoy having clear, beautiful, glowing skin!