Oh breakouts, they feel like they are inevitable sometimes. You feel as though you are doing everything right, you remove your makeup every night, you wash your face once, twice a day, you're careful what skin care products you use, but somehow, they keep sneaking up on you. I too was stuck in this cycle for so long, it wasn't until I entered the beauty industry that I got some real insight on combating breakouts. Furthermore, I would like to share some of the tips and tricks I learned over the last year and a half, in order to lessen some of these breakouts.

1.Your pillowcases

Even if you're washing your face every night, your pores are still producing some level of impurities (such as oil and sweat). This goes for all skin types whether you're oily, combo, or dry, and this output of impurities could be increased depending on what kind of additional skin care you use on top of washing your face. All of these excess impurities are unfortunately piling up on your pillowcase every night and later causing breakouts. Try changing your pillow cases more frequently to get rid of these excess impurities that are settling on your skin.

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2.Your makeup remover wipes are doing you dirty

Although they are convenient and fairly cheap, makeup removing wipes only remove about 85% of makeup from your skin. The makeup that lingers unfortunately manages to stay put on your skin even if you wash it right after (you've got to love that water proof technology, right?). This lingering makeup will clog your pores and trigger a breakout, not to mention contribute to aging skin, yikes! Try switching to a cream makeup remover or if you want to stick with your wipes, follow up with micellar water. You'll be surprised how much more makeup the micellar water will remove after you have already used a makeup wipe.

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3.Switch up your foundation

Foundations can be harsh on your skin, try switching to a powder foundation or a BB cream. These are much lighter alternatives, that won't clog pores. However, if you can't bear to part with the coverage foundation offers, try switching to a high-end foundation and avoid drugstore foundations. Drugstore foundations contain more carcinogens, which will cause breakouts, as well as contribute to other issues as time goes on.

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4.Add an exfoliator to your routine

Exfoliators really get down into pores to unclog them and remove any dirt or oil that is present. This significantly decreases your chance of a breakout, try exfoliating once a week for dry skin, twice for combination, and three times for oily skin.

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5.You aren't taking advantage of toner

Toner is a game changer; I think this product has made the biggest difference in combating breakouts for me personally. Toner removes impurities while replenishing the skin so it doesn't become too stripped down. Try to find a hypoallergenic one, fragrance can be harsh on the skin and trigger allergic reactions. Use an alcohol free one if you have dry or combination skin, for oily skin I encourage a toner with alcohol, but you can use alcohol free if you choose to.

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6.Ditch your setting spray

Setting sprays are holy grails for makeup lovers, especially when you live in a state like Florida that's super humid. However, some of these sprays are too heavy or oily for everyday use, not to mention expensive. Try a more natural alternative; my personal favorite is the Mario Badescu Facial Spray with Aloe, Herbs, and Rosewater. Also, IT'S ONLY $12!!!!

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7.Your moisturizer is deceiving you

This is a SUPER common mistake. Not every moisturizer is created equally, there are actually two different kinds: water-based and oil-based. A lot of people don't know this; I didn't know this until I got into the beauty industry where I was constantly around these products, and getting special training on them. Water-based moisturizers hydrate your skin, allow it to retain water easily since that is the base; meanwhile oil-based contains much less water, more oil and are meant to retain any hydration present in your skin. So in other words, if your skin isn't hydrated, the oil-based moisturizer has nothing to retain and just sits on the surface of your skin clogging your pores, eventually causing a breakout. If you have oily skin (which still needs to be moisturized!) use a water-based moisturizer only, if you have combination or dry skin, use a water-based at night and an oil-based moisturizer in the morning to allow your skin the retain hydration.

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8.You aren't drinking enough water!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I know this is one of the oldest tips in the book, but it is so important and I can't emphasize it enough! Water replenishes as well as flushes out toxins that contribute to breakouts and overall improves the appearance of your skin, giving you that "natural glow". Bonus points if you drink water with electrolytes. Even more bonus points if you can add apple cider vinegar to your water. Apple cider vinegar helps to detox your body of toxins that contribute to breakouts, however, is potent so only add about a teaspoon of it to your water.

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