WHAT ARE BLEMISHES?
A blemish is a collective term for superficial ‘imperfections’ on the skin. We believe they’re just part of your skin journey – after all, there’s no such thing as flawless skin. But we get that you may want a little more control over unpredictable skin. So, here’s everything you need to help you navigate breakouts, from when and why they appear to how to tackle them.
WHAT CAUSES BLEMISHED SKIN?
Besides your skin type, there are a lot of different factors that might be contributing to blemished skin. And once you know the potential culprits, you’ll be able to handle them.
OILY SKIN & EXCESS SEBUM
The priority for blemish-prone skin is helping to reduce the risk of your pores getting blocked. If your skin type is oily (the skin type most likely to experience blemishes) then you’ll likely be up on the benefits of managing your excess sebum. Consistency is key. Some simple skincare maths for you: two times a day, multiplied by one double cleanse, one purifying toner plus one gel-texture moisturiser equals blemished skin that looks clearer. You’re aiming to help balance (not strip) your natural oils, and then restore the right kind of moisture to skin. Once you’ve mastered that, you’ve got a good thing going to help keep skin looking clearer.
EXCESSIVE SUN EXPOSURE
Ensuring you’re not overdoing it when the sun comes out to play has a multitude of health benefits – nothing new, right? But did you know that the sun’s rays can also cause your skin to dry out, which causes sebum production to rev up? Just another reason to play it safe under those UV rays and include a good sunscreen in your skincare routine.
TOUCHING YOUR FACE
No surprises here – when our hands are out and about in the world, they can touch a lot of surfaces that might contain bacteria and other nasty stuff that you don’t want to come into contact with your skin. Reality is that before you get a chance to wash your hands, you subconsciously touch your face – many times, in fact. Adding this extra grime and gunk to your face creates more opportunity for blemishes to crop up.
DIET
It’s suspected that certain dietary choices can impact superficial changes in the skin’s appearance. There are a few suspects, such as dairy, that are thought to be difficult for the body to digest in large amounts. If you reckon you might be reacting to something you’re eating, try a bit of detective work with a food diary to see if these foods are triggering more blemishes.
LACK OF SLEEP & STRESS
When we don’t get enough sleep, it doesn’t just leave us feeling groggy the next day. The effects are far-reaching. Firstly, it heightens our tendency to stress, which is said to cause androgen levels to spike, making our faces emit more sebum. Not ideal for blemish-control. When you’re depriving yourself of your full 8 hours, your immune system gets weaker, making your skin less capable of fending off blemish causes. Lastly, if you’re only getting cat naps, this lack of sleep will affect the body’s ability to effectively repair cells, which it normally does more quickly overnight.
REMOVING MAKEUP
This one goes hand-in-hand with a good amount of sleep. Your bedtime skincare routine will affect your skin’s ability to battle even one blemish meaning that if you’re not cleansing at night, you’re doing your skin a disservice. Removing the bad stuff you’ve faced during the day and helping to reset skin’s oil levels is key before you get to counting sheep. If you find you’re skipping a night-time cleanse because you’re simply too tired, try removing makeup and washing your face as soon as you get home. Be faithful to your morning and evening routines and your skin will thank you.
AIRPLANES
The artificial air in planes has a low humidity, which dehydrates skin. When oily skin gets dehydrated, our faces try to compensate by producing even more sebum. How to counteract this? When you’re next headed overseas, consider keeping a tube of moisturiser to hand during the flight to help keep skin hydrated with touch-ups. Regardless of flight time, you might also want to exfoliate when you get to arrivals to help rid your face of dead skin cells and then moisturise the freshly exposed skin cells to help rebalance moisture levels.
COMPROMISED SKIN BARRIER
Forget complicated scientific explanations, sometimes it comes down to this – if the skincare products you’re using aren’t a good match for your skin type or unique needs, you’ll be able to feel it on your skin. If you’ve got blemish-prone skin, try looking out for non-comedogenic products. These are products that are specially formulated so as to not block pores. Equally, try not to wash your face with water that’s too hot, as you might disrupt your skin’s natural balance, leaving behind an oil-heavy area for blemishes to thrive in.
TOP INGREDIENTS FOR BLEMISHED SKIN
TEA TREE
Known for its naturally purifying prowess, tea tree has always been a winner for oily and blemished skin. And the benefits stack up. It helps to minimise the appearance of pores and prevent them from getting clogged, all while reducing the appearance of blemishes.
That’s why we love it in our Tea Tree skincare range. Our Community Fair Trade partners in Kenya harvest the tea tree leaves by hand and steam-distils them within 12 hours of picking to retain as much of the tea tree’s good stuff as possible.
SALICYLIC ACID
This blemish-battling beta hydroxy acid (BHA) is a skin-loving chemical that helps to gently exfoliate dead skin cells, promoting clearer-looking skin It stimulates cell turnover by exfoliating the top layer of skin, clearing away any dirt or excess oil. This helps to visibly reduce blemishes and, because it has antibacterial properties, helps to prevent new breakouts from making an appearance – powerful stuff!
OUR BEST SKINCARE ROUTINE FOR BLEMISHED SKIN
TEA TREE SKIN CLEARING FACIAL WASH
Blemish-prone skin tends to be a little oilier, so an intensely cleansing face wash that helps to control excess oil is key if you’re looking to manage unpredictable skin. Our Tea Tree Skin Clearing Facial Wash is the perfect first step in your routine, morning or night. Enriched with blemish-busting salicylic acid and Community Fair Trade tea tree oil, it intensely cleanses and refreshes the skin, leaving it looking clearer. In fact, it’s proven to visibly reduce blemishes in just 7 days*.
*Based on a consumer trial of 95 people.
TEA TREE SKIN CLEARING TONER
Purify being the buzzword for blemished skin, it’s important to use a toner to help rid your skin of any lingering grime that wasn’t caught in the cleanse. Enriched with blemish-busting salicylic acid and Community Fair Trade tea tree oil, our Tea Tree Skin Clearing Toner helps skin to look clearer and more mattified. After cleansing, shake and use a reusable cotton pad to sweep it across the face (avoiding the eye area).
TEA TREE DAILY SOLUTION
Want to help leave your skin feeling purified? The smallest of moves can make a big difference here, and our Tea Tree Daily Solution might be small but it sure is mighty. Enriched with salicylic acid for blemish-busting power and purifying Community Fair Trade tea tree oil, it helps to smooth the appearance of bumpy-looking skin texture – where the texture looks rough and uneven. Use after cleansing and toning but before moisturising, morning and night, and it’ll get to work.
TEA TREE OIL
Our Tea Tree Oil for blemishes is a little, targeted facial solution that helps to battle the appearance of blemishes. Apply as a preventive measure when you feel them arising or as and when you feel your skin needs something a little extra to help target blemishes. It is a handbag-friendly skincare saviour so you can also use it for touch-ups on-the-go.
TEA TREE RAPID ACTION GEL
This pocket-sized product is targeted blemish busting at its best. Enriched with 2% salicylic acid, this non-sticky gel formula feels fresh on the skin, gets to work immediately, and is proven to visibly reduce blemishes overnight*. It might be powerful but it’s still gentle – in fact, it puts in all that hard work without drying out skin.
*Based on a consumer trial of 103 people.
MAKEUP FOR BLEMISHED SKIN
Whether you want to cover blemishes is totally up to you. After all, there’s no such thing as flawless skin. But if you do, a powder foundation that’s non-comedogenic (meaning it won’t block your pores) will be your best friend. Which is where our Tea Tree Face Base comes in.
Enriched with purifying Community Fair Trade tea tree oil, it helps to conceal blemishes and even out the appearance of skin tone, all while leaving skin looking clearer. It’s powder formula means it’s buildable, so you can easily switch between an effortless matte look and something more high-coverage, and enjoy a mattified, non-cakey finish for 12 hours.
FOR MEDIUM COVERAGE
Using a dense buffing brush, or the applicator sponge provided, apply the powder to your face, buffing in a circular motion. You can apply more for a fuller coverage look.
TO SET FOUNDATION
Swirl a fluffy face brush into the powder and then apply on top of your liquid foundation to set it – this will give a more diffused, natural finish and reduce shine.
TO REDUCE SHINE
Whether you wear it over your liquid foundation or on its own, Tea Tree Face Base gives a matte finish. Using a fluffy brush, lightly dab the powder where you want to take away any shine or for light coverage.
Tips to care for blemished skin
Drink water
Water is perhaps the most fundamental human need, but beyond keeping your body going it has benefits for your skin too. If we don’t get enough H20, skin can appear more dull or even become dehydrated, which can cause sebum to offset this lack of hydration, and increase the chance of blemishes developing. It’s said that drinking sufficient water also helps to prevent toxin build-up which can contribute to blemishes. So make sure you get enough of the good stuff to keep skin hydrated, and better equipped to keep your natural oils in check.
Change your pillowcase often
There’s nothing nicer than falling into clean sheets. But did you know that clean bedding can also help to keep blemishes at bay? Every night you shed dead skin cells and lipids, which can build up on your pillow, encouraging bacteria to take root in your pores. At the very least, change your pillowcase at least once a week to help lower the chances of exacerbating skin’s oiliness.
Get 8 hours of sleep
As skin cells naturally regenerate faster while you sleep, it’s key to make sure you’re getting the right amount of time in the land of nod. Between 6-8 hours of sleep is what your skin needs to keep its natural cell regeneration process running as smooth as clockwork. Just think, in every day that means there’s 8 hours for sleep, 8 hours for work and 8 hours for whatever you like – could that be why they say three is the magic number?
