Acne is a major problem for millions of us, we all have experienced acne on some part of our bodies, it can detrimentally affect our self confidence.

My belief is that everyone will experience acne, I am a person who has been on antibiotics to try and clear it up, but I don't believe this really helped. I by no means had severe acne, I would call it mild. There is a drug known as Accutane which is great at clearing up acne but there have been known side effects. My belief is lifestyle changes, diet and natural remedies is the best way to solve problems with our bodies.

Below are some helpful tips that I have picked up over the last two years which have really helped my acne clear up to a point where it does not worry me. Of course, there are incidents of acne appearing, but I must admit its isolated, and in most cases, I have been to blame.

• Ensure hair is washed daily (Use roughly a 1.5cm diameter worth of hair shampoo). This was the clincher for me, as I do have quite an oily scalp. Caution, might cause curly hair!
• Do not put hair product in your hair e.g. wax or gel. Of course, this is fine for special occasions, but try not to make a habit out of it.
• Wash your face twice a day with just lukewarm water, with no face wash. Some products are too harsh on the skin.
• Bath salt face wash can help as this has a great drying effect. This should be done around twice a week. The anti-bacterial properties will help balance oil production too.
• Do not touch your face. A funny story, to help me stop touching my face, I came into work with gloves during the Summer. I made up some story that I had hurt my hands in biking accident!
• Change your pillowcases every 2 days, flipping the pillow over in the day between.
• Ensure you are eating clean. Dairy products and heavily fried/oily foods can certainly effect acne. Ensure you have the right amount of fruit and vegetables during the day. Alcohol intake can definitely affect acne too.
• Keep your face clean shaven. I would recommend wet shaving once a week, and only use unfragranced moisturiser after shaving. Aftershave lotions tend to contain scents which have oil.
• Do not spray aftershave or eau de toilette on your face or neck. I spray on my neck only during special occasions, but again not too often.
• Try to avoid hats and anything that covers your head, as this can make your head sweat and produce oils.
• As soon as you are finished performing exercise, shower the sweat away as this can effect acne on your body. Exercise is highly important to keep our hormones in check.
• For ladies try and avoid makeup, again use only on special occasions and make sure it's washed off before sleeping.
• Avoid stress. This can play with our hormones which can send signals to our brain to produce oils. Take deep breaths, perhaps try Yoga or Pilates if this is a problem in your life.
• Avoid too much sun exposure. 15-20 minutes a day is fine, any more than this, causes irritation. This irritation can result in more acne in the weeks following over exposure ,as the skin heals itself.

If you have any queries please don't hesitate to ask me a question relating to this. Remember to follow Cuisique on Instagram for more.