Ever had a day where you wake up and it seems that your skin just hates you?  If I had a pound for every time that’s happened to me, I’d be a very rich girl indeed. *sigh*  I spent most of my teenage years trying to ‘manage’ my skin with loads of off-the-shelf products so that it’d be ‘perfect’, or even just more agreeable, and had very little success. It was frustrating and upsetting and I’m sure I’m not the only one here who’s had that experience? It’s just the absolute worst isn’t it!

It’s only really been within the last year and a half that I’ve seen drastic improvements in my own skin, but I thought I’d share a few of the things I do so that I have loads more good skin days, and save money from not buying products off the shelf to help. I’ve honestly been surprised at how easy a few of them are for the difference they’ve made. And when I have breakouts or my skin starts playing up, it’s usually because I’ve been slacking on one of these – or, you know, the uncontrollable hormonal stuff.

#1 Drink. More. Water. 

(but not too much)  Most of the time when my skin has been horrific in the past was because I was dehydrated and didn’t even realise. No seriously, it’s really easy to do and was so evident on my skin, but because I saw it everyday I had no clue. Since upping the amount of water I’m drinking daily, I’ve had fewer dry patches and less frequent breakouts. I’ve also been feeling way less tired.

#2 Reduce the amount of refined sugar in your diet

Cutting down on refined sugar has been under a major spotlight recently – for good reason – and my entire family has been trying to reduce the amount of refined sugar we’re consuming. It isn’t easy, but my skin has benefited so much from avoiding food with a high refined sugar content, and it was especially noticeable to me last year when I pretty much avoided any food with sugar in.

#3 Get some coconut oil & honey

I’ve been dabbling in more natural skincare recently, and these two have become shelf staples. They both have naturally antibacterial properties, are great moisturisers and are really inexpensive. Since it’s harder for me to get my favourite sheet masks in the UK, I decided to just cut out the middle man and go straight to the honey. Best decision. And coconut oil contains vitamin E and a bunch of really useful proteins, so it’s a no-brainer really! Plus you can use them as bases for some amazing DIY beauty treatments.

#4  Don’t over-exfoliate

I was really, really stupid in my teens and thought that exfoliating my skin to the stage where it was red and raw would help get rid of any blemishes I had or were forming. Oh how young and naive I was. Whereas exfoliation is good for you for a number of reasons, it’s really easy to tread the line between regular and over-exfoliating. I’ve been through some pretty abrasive bottles of  product to try and ‘help’ my skin, when in actuality I was damaging it so badly! Thankfully I’ve stopped that now, and my skin is so much better for it. 

#5 Go and see a Dermatologist or Aesthetician

Going to see a professional is definitely a good thing to do if you have the time and/or money. I’ve had a quick consultation with a dermatologist before who prescribed me a cream for a particularly bad bout of acne. So if you’ve tried everything and aren’t seeing any results at all then I’d definitely suggest going to see a professional. (Here’s a handy read on the difference between the two.)

It’s crazy how much of an improvement I’ve seen in my skin from taking a look at why my skin is being problematic, and not just attacking it with products once blemishes appear. I do use some of my favourite skincare brand products too – though I’m always looking for new recommendations! Do you have any tips that keep your skin looking brilliant? 

{other posts about how I deal with my problem skin:

rice water – my skin saviour

my favourite cleanser

investing in skincare – toner & emulsion

I hope these are useful for you!}

♥

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