Because clear skin starts with more than just what’s on your bathroom shelf.
In the trenches of my struggles with acne, it seemed like no matter what I did, I woke up with new breakouts. I soon realized I needed to address my breakouts from multiple angles – while skincare played an important role, my lifestyle choices could make just as big of a difference. So, I began listening to podcasts, reading articles and academic journals, and choosing a few habits at a time to implement. Eventually, these small, consistent changes to my daily lifestyle (alongside effective and gentle skincare) helped me clear my skin.
1. Limit Caffeine – and Always Eat First
Given my breakouts started in college, I was drinking an excessive amount of caffeine. I started each morning with a cup of coffee, finished lunch with a Yerba Mate, and often got ANOTHER latte later in the afternoon. Excessive caffeine became such a habit, that I became reliant on it. However, when I learned that excess caffeine, especially on an empty stomach, was likely spiking my cortisol (the stress hormone) and thus leading to inflammation and breakouts, I quit caffeine cold turkey. Was it a good idea to do this two days before finals week? Probably not. I had a raging headache for about four days. But after that, I realized I didn’t actually need that much caffeine to get through the day. Now, I have reintroduced caffeine at a much lower level (mainly in the form of matcha), and am always sure to eat something before.
2. Change your pillowcases a lot (like more than you think you need to)
Throughout college, I prided myself on my weekly Sunday routine of washing all of my sheets, towels, and pillowcases. By college metrics, I was washing my pillowcases pretty frequently. When my skin started breaking out, however, and I was desperate for any small change I could make to help my skin, I read that throughout the night, oil, sweat, dead skin cells, and bacteria from your face and hair build up on your pillowcase (gross, I know). But when you sleep on this fabric night after night, this can cause clogged pores and new breakouts. So, I went to HomeGoods, bought some extra pillowcases, and began changing my pillowcases every other night. I would literally sleep on my pillow one night, flip it and sleep on the other side, and then swap it out for a clean pillowcase. Was this a bit overkill? Maybe. But at that point I was so desperate that any simple change like this was worth a try.
3. Check the ingredient labels on your energy drinks
As we’ve previously established, high caffeine intake can spike your stress hormone (cortisol), increasing oil production and inflammation in the skin. But there’s a lot more in your energy drinks than caffeine. Many energy drinks are fortified with extremely high amounts of B12 and biotin (oftentimes over 1000% of your daily value), which while essential in moderation, can disrupt your skin’s balance when consumed in excess. So, if your daily energy drink isn’t something you’re willing to give up, pay attention to the other ingredients when you’re making your selection.
4. Prioritize sleep
As a psychology and biology graduate, I’ve always known, in theory, how important sleep is. However, I also believed that somehow, as a stressed college student, I was an exception to this rule. I was staying up late studying or watching movies with my friends and then I was waking up early to go to the gym or class. Because I didn’t feel overly exhausted (that was probably the excessive caffeine), I thought the six hours a sleep I was average was fine. The same semester my skin started breaking out in college, I was taking neuroendocrinology, and we had an entire unit on sleep and cortisol. Now THAT was a wakeup call. I learned that when you’re not sleeping enough, your body produces more cortisol (which, as we’ve established, can increase oil production and inflammation, leading to breakouts). Insufficient sleep also slows down your body and skin’s ability to repair itself, making it harder for existing blemishes to heal and weakening your skin barrier. So, the next semester, and every year since then, I have learned to prioritize my sleep (which really just required better time management on my end).
5. Check your hair products
When I finally learned about pore-clogging ingredients and the irritants that were negatively affecting my sensitive skin, I did a complete overhaul of my skincare routine. What I didn’t consider at the time, though, was how often my hair was touching my face, especially as I slept. When I heard the founders of Clearstem speak on a podcast, they highlighted the importance of also checking your hair products. I can’t lie, by this point I was exhausted. I had already completely changed my skincare routine, my daily habits, my sleep, I didn’t know how much more change I could handle. So, rather than finding replacements for all of my hair care products (dry shampoo, leave-in conditioner, hair oils, etc.) I decided to focus on my shampoo and conditioner–the necessities. Since then, now that the changes to my skincare and routine have become second nature, I have begun to build back up my haircare regimen and have been able to find products that won’t make me break out.
The TLDR
Looking back, what helped my skin finally clear wasn’t one “miracle” product or overnight change. Rather, it was the accumulation of small, sustainable habits that supported my skin from the inside out. Learning to listen to my skin, manage stress, and simplify where I could made all the difference. Clearer skin didn’t come from perfection; it came from consistency, patience, and understanding that true skin health goes far beyond the products we use.