If you’re an athlete there’s a good chance that your skin is exposed to various conditions. If you mainly exercise outdoors you may encounter varying temperatures, weather and the harmful rays of the sun. Even if you’re an athlete that trains indoors your skin can still experience far more sweat and dirt than the average person who doesn’t exercise regularly. You’re a swimmer? That constant chlorine exposure will do a number on your skin. We want your skin to stay happy and healthy-looking even if you challenge it on a daily basis. You should have a tough workout but it shouldn’t be hard on your skin.

Being active doesn’t mean that you need to have rough skin. It is important to maintain holistic wellbeing. While you take care of your physical strength, endurance, and muscles, it is also important that you take care of your skin. Especially because athletics expose their skin to a wide range of conditions which are not conducive to the skin. Even if you train indoors, you are likely to expose your skin to more sweat and dirt than an average person. Let’s check out the best skin care routine that you can practice at home to keep your skin healthy and happy just like your muscles.

1. Cleanse Before And After You Exercise: Even if you’re a gym rat or a pro at your sport, there will be a time when you’ve had work or meetings before your work out and you may be wearing makeup. Don’t ever make the mistake of not removing makeup before you exercise – it’s a breeding ground for breakouts and your skin will not be able to breathe below the layer of products. If you don’t have a lot of time before your work out, make things easy by removing your make up with a wipe.

After your workout, you should cleanse your face pretty quickly; no more than 5 minutes should elapse in order to prevent the sweat settling onto your face. Exercising is almost like a mini-facial as your pores are opened and sebum and oil are expelled. However if you let sweat sit on your skin, it can clog your pores and cause blemishes. Use a gentle cleanser to wash your face to wash away the grime and sweat that’s accumulated on skin’s surface.

2. Soothe Your Skin With Mist: Your skin can feel tingly or hot post-workout session and right after you cleanse. Use a soothing face mist formulated with ingredients like rose or lavender to help refresh your skin. A mist has the added benefit of hydrating your skin if you use it right before you apply moisturizer. This is because it retains some of the water particles and locks them into your skin.

3. Moisturize: Once your skin is back to its normal temperature and no longer looks red or flushed, you should apply moisturizer. Use a lightweight, non-comedogenic product that will refresh and hydrate your skin. If you’ve been spending time outside and dirt and pollution particles may have gotten on your skin, now is a good time to restore your skin with antioxidant formulated skin care.

4. Hydrate: You’ve lost a lot of water by sweating it out. Don’t just hydrate your skin with moisturizer; make sure your body replenishes moisture levels by drinking a lot of water too. Try to drink enough water depending on the intensity of your workout and overall temperature where you completed your training.

Working out is fantastic for your skin and body but you also need to make sure you’re taking care of it before and after to avoid breakouts or damage. With a little preparation and the right products you ensure you have glowing, healthy-looking skin. Good skin care routine is just as necessary as a good training and diet regime. Because having unhealthy skin might also lead to some skin problems like itching, pimples, some kind of skin diseases like eczema, etc. Such discomfort would hamper your training as well, and we are sure you won’t like it. So, follow the best skin care routine for a healthier skin.