sweat it to unlock skin & hair benefits

Now we know it can be hard to find the motivation, especially when you've had a day full of crappola but nothing feels quite as good as sweatin' it out at the gym, and while a doughnut or 12 usually in the short term may seem like a good idea, trust us when we say your skin will be thanking you for lifting those weights and running those km's.

While you are up in the gym just workin' on your fitness (with heaps of witnesses), your skin is silently thanking you for it. Not only is sweat gonna open up your pores and help release any nasties that have built up over time but it'll also help you achieve that glowing complexion without having to spend hundreds of dollars on a facial at your local spa (we love a beauty bargain). 

One of the best benefits of exercise for the face is to sweat. it. out. Sweating is so good for your skin as it practically forces you to pick up your drink bottle and take another huge sip of water, which in turn helps to flush out any toxins (buh bye) and achieve a clearer, healthier complexion. 

While there may not be a way to avoid actually putting in the hard work (pls no more squats), there is a way that you can avoid looking like you're doing' it reeaalll tough and luckily for you, we're about to let you in on the secret, so tie your hair up (gently so as not to cause any breakages), put on 'Uptown Funk' by Bruno Mars and go get sweaty. 

If You Don't Remove Your Make-Up,
You Need A Wake-Up

Not our finest rhyme but we're runnin' with it (pun definitely intended). 

We understand you may have come straight from work, a family get-together or a bad first date (and you're hoping you can bicep curl your way to temporary memory loss), but leaving your makeup on is a massive no-no and we're not even exaggerating. 

While we're sure your face is beat to perfection and your winged eyeliner is on point, leaving your makeup on while you're getting your sweat on is only going to clog your pores and leave you holding a one-way ticket to Acnetown. 

So as part of your pre-workout skincare routine, make sure you gently remove your make-up using soft cotton pads or wipes so as not to irritate your skin and make it all red before it really needs to be. 

Your Gym's Secret Weapon 

A.K.A The Steam Room. 

Well, you've done the hard part (trying to figure out how to use all the scary machines amidst guys with necks as thick as their shoulders), now sitting in a room full of steam with a bunch of strangers should be like the piece of cake you've just worked off. 

One of the many benefits of using a steam room after your workout is that it will help open up your pores and clear out any congestion that's still lurking around, looking to cause mischief. Not only can steam improve your skin's complexion but it will also increase your blood flow to make sure you step out lookin' like the glowy goddess that you are (channel Beyonce). 

By drenching your skin in moisture, the steam acts as a way to hydrate your face and help rebalance overactive sebum glands, while the heat is also working to cleanse your skin. 

BTW did you think steam rooms only benefited the skin? 

Hint: They don't. 

You can boost your hair's natural shine by combing through a hair mask and wrapping it in a moist towel while you sit 'n' chill in the all the steamy goodness. The heat will help your hair cuticles to expand, repairing any damage done while you were on #beastmode, and allowing the conditioning nutrients in the mask to deeply penetrate your hair strands. 

Post S-W-E-A-T

One of the best ways to get your face looking' less red and icky, and to bring your body temperature down, is to have a shower as cold as your heart. In other words icy...

Okay, that might have been an unfair assumption on your character but having a cold shower will remove the sweat from your body and won't have you feeling like you've just been transported straight into the fiery pits of hell. It's also important to wash off your hair mask with cool water. 

1. If you don't have time for a shower then congratulations! You just found yourself a new best friend and her name is Dry Shampoo. The best way to make sure the shampoo soaks up all the sweat and oil from your workout (we know you crushed it), is to turn your hair upside down and spray the shampoo directly onto the roots. This may sound and look ridiculous but we pinky promise it works. 

2. Then apply some heat (in other words, blow-dry your hair to make it all bouncy and effortless and not like you just spent the last 45 minutes grunting while you lunged for the 200th time) and then brush it through. 

3. First up on your list of post-workout skincare products is a soothing moisturiser, one that's not gonna aggravate your skin but instead calm it down to a level where you feel like you could walk outside and no one's gonna mistake you for a tomato with legs. 

4. If your face isn't calming itself down in time for your 9 am meeting or to catch the latest episode of the UK version of Love Island, try using some colour correcting primer. Not only will this product act as a base for any foundation you'll put on top of it, and so act as a barrier between your pores and anything you don't want to go in them, but it'll also help reduce any redness that hasn't caught on that it's time for it to leave the party. Apply it and watch your face turn back into an acceptable shade, almost as if it's like magic. 

5. Try to stay away from heavy makeup and instead go for a BB cream or a tinted moisturiser with added SPF so you can look cute and be sun smart. These products will again help to reduce any stubborn redness (like seriously, get the hint) and will go hand in hand will all your concealing work. 

Now that you've nailed your pre and post-gym beauty routine, you can start going every day! Okay, we'll cap it at five times a week. Maybe four. Fine, we'll settle for three* (you know we always keep it real with you guys).

*alright we'll be lucky if we go once.