It’s marathon season, which means you’re probably going to be training outdoors quite a bit. Working out in the open does have a number of health benefits, however, while you’re improving your endurance, you also need to make sure you’re giving your skin care routine enough attention to ensure you don’t have to deal with tanning and other after effects. If you’re wondering how to do this, you’ve come to the right place. Read on for some essential skin care tips that’ll help you look after your skin while you get your sweat on outdoors.
1. Wash your face before and after you work out
 

1. Wash your face before and after you work out

While it’s common skin care knowledge that you’re supposed to wash your face after you work out, you should also know that washing your face before you work out helps you keep your skin free of any breakouts. If you choose to skip this step just after you wake up in the morning and head outside, you’re making your skin more prone to acne, as facial oil that probably accumulated on your skin at night is blocking your pores that your sweat glands open up while exercising. Similarly, getting rid of the salt content gathered on your face as early as possible will also help to maintain clear skin.

We recommend: Pond's Pure White Anti-Pollution + Purity Face Wash

2. Use a light moisturiser with SPF

In the winter, it’s common for your skin to get extremely dry. So, if you’re working out outdoors, you’ll want to up your winter skin care routine protect your face with some light moisturiser that also has SPF to protect you from tanning.

We recommend: Lakmé Peach Milk Moisturizer With SPF 24++

3. Your arms and legs need protection from the sun too
 

3. Your arms and legs need protection from the sun too

Just like your face, you need to protect your arms and legs from the sun and tanning too! You could opt for oil-free lotions that include SPF to shield your skin from the sun, as these lotions don’t block your pores as much as other oil-based sunscreens do.

We recommend: Vaseline Healthy White Moisturiser

4. Wipe your face

The outdoors are extremely polluted, and while you work out outside, an unimaginable amount of grime could be settling on your skin, and blocking your pores. Also, you shouldn’t let sweat stay on your face for too long. So, when you get back home, the first essential post-workout skincare step is to grab a few facial wipes, and wipe off all that grime and sweat from your face, before you go on to washing it. This’ll help remove a layer of bacteria-causing dirt from your face, as well as help you avoid some horrible skin problems.

5. Don’t leave your hair loose
 

5. Don’t leave your hair loose

Not only is leaving your hair loose while you’re working out super annoying, but it also could be the cause of breakouts. It’s always a good idea to keep your hair off your face, as any sweat or grease that accumulates in your hair, could easily be transferred to your face, and result in those unwanted breakouts. However, you don’t have to only wear your hair in a regular old ponytail, you could try out some other cute hairstyles such as braids and low buns.

6. Exfoliation is key

Even after you’ve wiped your face to remove any excess grime, there could still be dirt lurking in your pores. The best way to get rid of this is by exfoliation. In winters, make sure to use a gentle exfoliator, so that you don’t irritate your skin, but still manage to clean your pores.