Got Acne? Eliminate These 5 Sneaky Triggers Now
WTF — I’VE BEEN CAUSING MY ACNE ALL THIS TIME?!
When I thought my acne days were exiled to my teenage years, only to be cornered by hormonal acne, I slowly became obsessed with all things food and health. I couldn’t stop experimenting with what the hell was causing it.
BUT before you do anything else in the name of skincare and acne. Make sure you’re not falling into one or all five of these sneaky traps that are 100% huge pore-cloggers, especially if you’re acne-prone. It’s worth giving it a shot to see if they’re connecting dots in the root cause of what’s wreaking havoc on your once glowy skin.
It may seem obvious, but the ingredients inside these triggers aren’t being discussed, especially since they are long, crazy to pronounce, and rather boring. But no worries, I did the research, so all you have to do is skim over these five triggers and eliminate them! It’s a cost-free way to start saving your skin today!
Each of the five triggers below builds on one another and is equally crucial if you want to stop contributing to your breakouts.
By eliminating these triggers, you can start to see results without spending a dime. It’s all about reducing and simplifying before adding on more!
If you realize some of these causes may be to blame for your pimples, remember that simple, small steps are better than inconsistent bounds and leaps! (Like jumping to quick Band-Aid approaches like prescription meds/topicals).
If you need to ditch some products by the end of this, I mention some great, natural, and clean alternatives that I love, use, and ride for indefinitely!
#1: SKINCARE PRODUCTS (MOISTURIZER, OIL, CLEANSERS, SUNSCREEN)
With so many skincare lines, finding one you love, trust, and see results from consistently is hard. Especially when so many companies market their products as acne-safe and non-comedogenic. But when you read into the ingredients and know what they mean, you find many products contain ingredients that contribute to your outbreaks and clogged pores, and sometimes non-comedogenic doesn’t mean shit. Scary, right? (Sounds similar to our food, cough cough).
Common brands like Cera Ve, La Roche Possay, and Burts Bees market themselves as dermatologist-approved or natural. Yet they contain ingredients like these that are all hefty pore cloggers: Sodium Laureth Sulfate, Ceteareth-20, Polyglyceryl-3 Diisostearate, Cocos Nucifera (Coconut) Oil.
#2: MAKEUP PRODUCTS (FOUNDATION, POWDERS, BRUSHES)
Do you feel stuck in the cycle of wearing makeup to cover your acne, only to take it off and find new pimples forming? It’s a vicious cycle that feels never ending and confidence crippling.
If you’re like most people, you find a makeup line you love and loyally stick to it. Maybe you fell for the branding, message, or raving reviews. When the packaging reads acne-safe and non-comedogenic, you think, “Great, this won’t clog my pores or make my acne worse when wearing it.” But what most companies don’t mention is that the ingredients listed in the fine print do contain many pore-clogging ingredients that clog your pores and only aggravate your skin more when wearing them.
Lines that have pore-clogging ingredients like Ethylhexyl Palmitate and Talc: Clinque, It Cosmetics, Bare Minerals, Estee Lauder, Tarte.
#3: HAIR AND BODY PRODUCTS
If you get pesky pimples on your shoulders, back, and arms. It’s likely happening due to your hair and body products. Many shampoos, conditioners, and body washes contain ingredients that may smell good but clog your pores. Check if your products have Shea Butter, Butyrospermum Parkii, Coconut Oil, Jojoba Oil, and Cocoa Butter.
If you wear tight clothes like sports bras or shorts that rub against your skin, causing friction, this might also contribute to body acne. Sweat can also be a factor, so removing clothes and washing your face after sweaty practices and workouts is extra important.
#4: LAUNDRY DETERGENT AND PILLOWCASES
Have you ever woke up after sleeping to find new pimples forming? Well, it might be your products, or it may be your pillow case and detergent. Your hair touches your pillow all night long when you’re sleeping. That means if pore-clogging ingredients are in your hair wash, body products, or skincare, it’s moving into your pillow and absorbing on your face each night for hours. If you’re acne-prone, I recommend swapping out your pillowcase with a fresh one every two nights. This helps keep a clean, bacteria-free surface.
I also recommend using silk pillows over cotton while swapping out your laundry pods or detergent for an all-natural brand that doesn’t use harsh chemicals or fragrances, especially when trying to heal your acne.
#5: DIET, SUPPLEMENTS, AND SENSITIVITIES
With our skin being our biggest organ, anything happening inside the body can express itself outside the body with skin reactions like whiteheads, blackheads, papules, and nodules like cystic acne. If you find that regardless of your diet, stress levels, or skincare, you’re still breaking out. It’s 100% time to look at your diet, supplements, and possible food sensitivities triggering your relentless acne.
Good rules of thumb: if your acne sticks to certain areas, it’s likely hormonal or an internal balance based on where it is on your face. Alternatively, if your skin breaks out everywhere with no rhyme or rhythm, it’s likely a product(s) you’re using.
SWAP OUT, SWITCH TO BETTER ALTERNATIVES
All the brands listed below are products I use, love, trust, and promise will not clog your pores or contribute to further acne.
- Swap your skincare/lotion for CLEARSTEM (It’s 100% acne-safe)
- Swap your makeup for Priia (It’s 100% acne-safe)
- Swap your hair products for DPHUE
- Swap your laundry detergent for ECOS Hypo-Allergenic Detergent
- Swap your pillowcases for 2-Pack Silk Pillowcases
- Swap your prescription acne meds for CLEARSTEM’s Hormonal Acne Supplement
- Anti-Acne Diet + More Resources
- Copy-paste all your product into this Ingredient Checker
- Still suffering from acne? Order the CLEARSTEM Acne Lab Test. You’re new one-stop-shop for blood testing to get a personalized protocol and breakdown of what’s happening inside you and how to heal your acne internally.
I love you all, bestie boo’s ❤ You deserve to feel confident and happy in your skin.
