5 Skincare Do’s and Don’ts When Sweating

5 Skincare Do’s and Don’ts When Sweating

Anyone who works out, at the gym or on a running track down at the park, will almost certainly sweat copious amounts. Sweating is good. It means we are working hard enough to get our heart pumping and our blood circulating faster. But how does sweating affect our skincare regime? Let’s find out how to look after your skin when sweating.

Skincare Do’s and Don’ts When Sweating

• Don’t Apply Makeup Before a Workout

Some people fear that sweat clogs the pores and causes breakouts, especially if you hit the gym in a full face of makeup. Sadly, this is true.

As tempting as it might be to put your makeup on before hitting the gym, don’t go there. Yes, the gym is full of hot singles with buff bodies, but makeup and gyms are a bad combination. For starters, if you’re working hard, your makeup will soon begin sliding down your face, which is not a good look. And if you’re not working hard, why on earth are you paying top dollar for a gym membership?!

A full face of make-up acts as a barrier on your skin, trapping oil in and keeping pollution out. When you heat up enough to begin sweating, any pores covered in makeup won’t sweat properly, which can lead to a build-up of oil and irritation. This creates a perfect environment for bacteria to grow and cause spots. Do your skin a favour and go makeup free as often as you can.

• Do Cleanse Your Face Before Getting Sweaty

Do cleanse your face before you go for a workout. Remove makeup and cleanse your face with a gentle product that won’t irritate your skin. Micellar water is a natural cleanser, which is ideal for all types of skin. Micellar water can be gentler than other types of cleansers and tap water, so give it a try.

• Don’t Touch Your Face!

When we start sweating at the gym — or anywhere else for that matter — it’s tempting to rub the sweat away with our hands. Unfortunately, each time we touch our faces with our hands, we’re spreading bacteria and raising the risk of a breakout and infection. Many items of gym equipment are horribly unclean. Just watch the guy on the spin bike sweating buckets and then walking away without wiping his machine down. Ugh. Gross, right?

It’s a good idea to wipe all equipment down with antibacterial wipes and take your own clean towel when you work out. Use this to mop up sweat if necessary, so you’re not transferring bacteria to hot, sweaty skin.

Pro tip: always wash your towel after each visit!

• Do Cleanse After a Sweaty Workout

It’s sensible to cleanse your face after a workout. Hitting the showers will remove the sweat from your body but your face will benefit from a more regimented routine. Use a gentle cleanser followed by a toner and hydrating moisturizer. Since you’ll have a natural glow all day long after a sweaty workout, reapplying makeup won’t necessary. Looking to use a natural moisturizer? Check out VerdiLab’s ultra light moisturizing cream.

• Don’t Wipe Sweat Away with Face Wipes

Don’t use face wipes to clean your skin before and after a workout. It’s probably tempting to wipe away sweat with a face wipe after a workout, but many face wipes contain alcohol, which is drying and an irritant. After a workout when you are all hot and sweaty, your skin is more sensitive. Applying an irritant like alcohol will over-dry your skin and cause problems. In addition, face wipes are incredibly bad for the environment and clog up sanitation systems.

Finally, if you’re exercising outside, use a gel sunscreen that’s less likely to slide off when you sweat. Sunscreen is critical, as it protects your skin from the damaging effects of UV light. Skip it at your peril.

Guest Article. Contains a sponsored link.