If you’re looking for ways to treat hormonal acne and improve the condition of your skin overall, I highly suggest that you check out these 6 ways to treat hormonal acne! Getting breakouts during our special time of the month is a drag and although it seems inevitable, there are plenty of ways you can help yourself to lessen the severity of these monthly breakouts!

1. Cut Out Processed Foods

It’s a terrible conundrum how we crave junk food during that certain time of the month, yet it’s one of the reasons we get these dreadful breakouts! A good way to treat hormonal acne is to eat a clean diet. Cut out sugar, white flour, hydrogenated fats, etc. and start eating more whole foods. Your diet makes a huge difference in the condition of your skin so it’s definitely worth the effort!

2. Prevention is The Key

A key way to treat acne is to prevent it before it happens. With hormonal acne, we can pretty much tell when and where zits are going to pop up. Let’s use this knowledge to our advantage and start using acne fighting products a few days before your period starts. Look for cleansers with salicylic acid and benzoyl peroxide creams to spot treat any zits.

3. Augment With Supplements

Eating healthy foods makes a major difference in your skin and health, but we can always use some extra help! Supplements like spirulina, chlorophyll, zinc and fish oils are all known to help replenish lipids, help control oil and detoxify skin. Taking these supplements consistently will help get your skin healthy and resilient!

4. Keep Clean

A super easy but not-so-obvious way to easily prevent acne is to always use clean towels and pillow covers. It sounds so simple but using used, dirty towels and linens can contaminate your skin and cause you to break out. Replace your pillow cases often and always use clean towels to dry off your face. And always wash your hands before you touch your face!

5. Sip Green Tea

There are tons of benefits to drinking green tea and helping to improve your skin’s condition is just another reason to guzzle green tea. Green tea’s ingredients help fight things like inflammation, increased hormone levels and unstable insulin levels-all of which contribute to hormonal acne! For the best results, aim to drink about 3 cups of green tea a day!

6. Try Probiotics

Probiotics are the good bacteria in your gut that helps your intestines absorb nutrients and help balance bacteria in your body. Some people with acne have low stomach acid, which can put them at risk for an imbalance of bacteria. Probiotics can help regulate bacteria and reduce sebum levels to treat acne, so it could be worth it to look into taking a probiotic!

How to prevent clumps from ever happening in the first place — with the tips below.

It’s Expired:

When was the last time you changed your mascara? If you can’t remember, it’s probably been too long. Expired mascara gets dried out, plus bacteria gets into the formula, so you’re not only putting old, dried mascara on your lashes which causes clumping but you’re also putting your eyes at risk for a bacterial infection. Next time you get a new tube, write the date on the side of the mascara with a permanent marker. After six months, move on to a fresh mascara.

You’re Using Too Much:

Two coats of mascara is fine, but after that things can get a bit thick. Piling on the mascara puts you at a greater risk for clumps. If you start to see clumps as you’re applying, you’ve likely reached the limit. Use a fine pin or a mascara comb to separate lashes and do some damage control on any clumps that may have happened.

You’re Not Removing Properly at Night:

Whether this means you’re not using a waterproof eye makeup remover when you should be or you’re not fully removing the mascara, any leftover, dried mascara left on your lashes overnight will mean definite clumps when you go to apply over that in the morning. Be sure you’re fully cleaning off your lashes before going to sleep to avoid thick mascara in the morning.

The Brush is Over-packed:

When you pull the wand out of the tube to apply the mascara, clean off the excess from the mascara wand into the tube. Extra mascara on the wand simply means that you’ll be piling on too much product at once, which always leads to clumps.

You’re Not Wiggling:

For the fullest, most beautiful lashes, place the wand underneath your top lashes at the root, and gently wiggle the wand as you begin to drag it upwards towards the tips of your lashes. This insures even distribution and full coverage of your lashes, so you’ll be much less likely to get clumps.