The Ultimate Clear Skin Routine: 17 Tips That Make A Difference

The right clear skin routine delivers results—small tweaks can make a huge difference. Getting clear skin may seem impossible, especially if you feel you’ve tried everything…

BUT for some people it can be just one change that finally clears pores or stops breakouts and acne.

And below you will find 17 of the best clear skin tricks you can try. Most seem simple but don’t let that fool you. Try one or all of them—and enjoy clear skin!

The Basics Of Your Clear Skin Routine:

1. Use a cleanser with salicylic acid – this dissolves oil, dead skin cells and rebalances oil production – your skin will continue to improve with use. Massage for at least 30secs, especially at night to remove make up, sunscreen and the day’s grime.

2. Rinse your cleanser off well by splashing your face with cool water a number of times. This increases circulation and is just down right refreshing! (For more important cleansing tips see this page).

3. At night, follow with a light “peel” exfoliator such as salicylic acid, which is great for acne prone skin. This not only removes any remaining dirt or oily, but actively dissolves dead skin cells and unblocks pores to keep your skin clear and fresh.

4. Always use a light moisturizer to keep skin balanced. Keep in mind that while creams and lotions with fancy ingredients are nice, the main goal of a moisturizer for acne should be to rebalance and protect. Leave the specific treatments to other parts of your routine.

5. Use a non-comedogenic sunscreen daily. The sun causes inflammation deep within your skin and can be a major cause of breakouts, blackheads and oil (not to mention the aging effect!). A physical block that contains zinc oxide is less irritating on skin. Plus, zinc is has anti inflammatory and anti microbial properties which have been shown to be effective for acne (source).

The Treatments That Matter

6. You mind find your skin is not only oily but also dull and “thick” looking. The right exfoliation will reduce oil, clear dead skin cells and improve your skins look and health over the long term – especially important if you suffer from adult acne when you’re dealing with breakouts and anti aging concerns

7. While gritty scrubs and exfoliators can work – they can also be irritating for skin and cause micro damage. This might manifest as enlarged pores or broken capillaries. Plus, they just don’t deliver the more consistent resurfacing that chemical exfoliation can:

8. Instead – the best exfoliator for acne is salicylic acid which dissolves oil and dead skin cells, evenly. Used consistently it will remove and prevent blackheads, refine pores and help improve your skin long term.

9. The easiest and safest way to use an exfoliator like salicylic acid is as a treatment after cleansing. A topical product with 2% salicylic acid applied like a toner works wonders and is the best way to get your skin accustomed to using it (it will be drying for the first week or 2)

10. If your skin is accustomed to acids fortnightly light peels are a great idea. The stronger intensity of a peel works like a kickstart in clearing your skin. For best results you will need to perform them consistently every 2 – 3 weeks. (See this page for details and how-to)

11. Active treatment masks twice a week should be added to any good clear skin routine.

The Little Extras That Have A HUGE Impact!

12. Keep your pillowcase clean (ideally change it every 1 or 2 nights). Oil, sweat, hair products and last night’s moisturizer all provide a pore clogging player for ready-to-form pimples while you sleep.

13. Same goes for your bath towel – I like to use a clean face cloth to dry my face and use it ONLY for my face, changing every 2 days. You might be surprised at the difference having a ‘face only’ towel can make!

14. If your acne is particularly stubborn, take heed of this tip – Using unclean makeup applicators and brushes is simply asking for dirt and bacteria to affect your skin. Spritz them with alcohol after every use, or apply alcohol to a tissue and wipe.

Guys – keep your razors in a jar with alcohol or wipe the blades (carefully!) before each use. You might be surprised at the difference this tip can make.

15. Regularly clean your mobile phone with alcohol wipes. Very simple but you might be (unpleasantly) surprised how much grime is on them! Plus, avoid touching your face as much as possible for the same reason.

16. Consider taking vitamins and supplements which are hard to get through diet alone. Fish oil (omega 3) is my number 1 recommendation for a beautiful complexion. Zinc, B Vitamins and Biotin can also be very beneficial. Speak to your doctor about making them a part of your daily clear skin routine.

17. Sweat is good! There’s no better way to clear pores and detox your skin. Exercise for a sweat daily – 15mins is enough to start. And/or have regular saunas or steams. They’re also extremely relaxing which just makes life better 🙂