Did you know that there are over 12,500 chemicals for skin care products registered?

Out of all these, nearly 80 percent haven’t undergone evaluation for safety. Not by the FDA, CRI, or any other public body.

And on top of having potentially dangerous products, the market is also full of potions that promise too much and deliver too little.

If you’re looking to protect your skin from excess sweat, sunburns, or dry air, you’ll need to consider safe products and regimens that work as long and as hard as you do.

Read on for natural skin care tips for athletes.

Pre Workout

To begin with, never go for a work out with makeup. Keeping your face clean allows its pores to breathe properly as you exercise and sweat. With makeup, your pores stay blocked leading to acne or even blackheads.

If you’ll want to conceal the smell that comes with sweat, only use natural deodorants. Also, showering either in the morning or night before a workout keeps your armpits fresh and clean.

And don’t forget to carry a water bottle with you to the gym or field. Hydration is the key to excellent skin. It replenishes the fluids you lose through sweat.

During Workout

You should never touch your face during keep-fit sessions.

When you’re hot from exercising, your skin pores open up for perspiration. This puts you at risk of skin disease breakouts caused by bacteria contacted from gym machines, weights, yoga mats, and more.

Therefore, always carry a clean towel from home to wipe off sweat from your face and hands, as well as lay it down on the benches. You can use wipes or sanitizers to clean equipment before and after use.

Also, invest in a disinfecting spray to keep your yoga mat free of bacteria.

Post Workout

Do you know that you can get butt acne from sitting in sweaty clothes? 
This is just one skin problem that can come after a workout. For maximum protection, consider the following post-training athlete skin care routine:

Shower ASAP

It’s vital to take a shower as soon as you finish a workout session to prevent rashes and acne.

Use a mild soap that gently cleanses your body and the face. You shouldn’t scrub your skin as it can cause severe irritation. If you can’t shower right away, at least wipe off the sweat and change your clothes.

Dry Your Skin Gently

Don’t harshly rub your skin after a shower.

Instead, pat it dry using a clean towel. It’s also advisable to apply natural body moisturiser while your skin is still wet. Find one with natural plant-based essential oils to benefit from its anti-bacterial properties.

Protect Your Skin

If you’ll apply makeup or sunscreen, ensure to first moisturise and tone your décolleté, neck, as well as the face.

This keeps pores open while restoring your pH levels. You may also need to apply a natural anti-chafing product to prevent painful skin damage, especially if your workout was outdoors.

How Athletes Can Naturally Deal With Common Skin Diseases

If you’re an athlete, you’re at risk of contracting the following conditions:

Blisters

Blisters mostly occur on the feet because of too much heat, friction, and moisture.

To combat a blister, drain it without tearing off the skin. Then, cushion the area with either a bandage or clean socks. This will make it heal quickly.

You can then prevent the re-occurrence of blisters by always drying out your shoes and avoid wearing them for too long.

Athlete’s Foot

This fungal infection mostly attacks athletes exposed to a lot of moisture such as swimmers, runners, and skiers.

Some of the symptoms for this disease include discoloured crumbly toenails, stinging sensations in your feet, and cracking skin.

With Athlete’s Foot, there are many remedies that offer natural skin care for athletes. The most common ones involve the use of either baking soda, organic tea tree oil, or hydrogen peroxide.

Skin Care Regimens Practised by Athletes

Consider the following skin care tips for athletes:

1. Moisturise More in Cold Climates

The colder it is, the drier your skin becomes.

For that reason, athletes should apply body oil while still damp from bathing, followed by a natural moisturising lotion, like one of our Body Butter or skin restoration balm. This keeps the skin glowing no matter the weather conditions.

2. Always Use Sun Screen for Outdoor Workouts

Sunscreen protects the skin from sun damage, which can lead to wrinkles and even cancer. For the best results, go for a high SPF sunscreen (preferably 55), and reapply frequently or every time your skin becomes wet.

3. Eat Healthily

Your skin and hair will glow when you’re drinking lots of water and eating healthy.

It’s advisable to occasionally gobble down a glass of beetroot-carrot-ginger-lemon juice. Beetroot has flavonoids that enhance the flow of blood, while carrots contain vitamin A, which is essential for healthy skin.

4. Prioritise Your Skin

It’s easy to get too occupied with your workout that you forget about your skin.

To avoid forgetting, get into the habit of undertaking care routines even before you eat breakfast. You can even start by naturally exfoliating your skin in the morning. This simply requires natural soap, oatmeal, and honey.

Here’s the process:

• Wet your face using warm water.
• Lather your hands (with natural soap). 
• Pour rolled oats (one-fourth cup) into your soapy hands.
• Drizzle honey (one tablespoon) on the oats.
• Use small, circular motions to apply the mixture on your face.
• Rinse your skin with warm water, and then pat it dry.

This regimen removes any oily build-up and dead skin on your face.

Foolproof Natural Skin Care Tips for Athletes

Going natural is the safest way to healthy, glowing skin.

Hence, apply any of the above natural skin care tips for athletes to safeguard yourself from skin infections that come with extensive workouts.

If you need worthwhile natural skin care products, check out our stock for the best deals.

Taking regular exercise is essential to maintaining a healthy lifestyle. 

However, exercising can have its downsides for your skin. And the more time you spend exercising, the greater the impact on your skin. In fact, of the top ten most common marathon injuries, three are skin related. 

But the last you want is for skin complaints to stop you from exercising or ruin your enjoyment of working out. So how do you maintain healthy skin and stay on top of your exercise regime?

Read these top skin care for athletes tips to find out more.

Stay Hydrated

A common complaint that everyone who exercises outside will have experienced is dry skin. Having dry skin is not the end of the world, it won't damage your health. However, it can cause irritation, itchiness and doesn't look great. 

So why are athletes more prone to dry skin? It's a combination of two factors:

• Losing excess body moisture through sweat
• Exposure to sun and wind outside

The skin is an organ made up of cells, and each cell needs water to function properly. When skin cells lose moisture they can die and flake off, or sag and lose tension.

In order to prevent excess drying of the skin, it is essential that athletes stay well hydrated at all times. This means drinking plenty of fluids before, during and after exercise. 

Cold Weather Training

If you are an athlete then training is not a fairweather event. In order to maintain your fitness, you need to train all year round. Which means sometimes you are outside running or cycling in pretty dreadful conditions. 

Exercising outside in cold weather presents its own specific problems for your skin. Cold weather can be just as drying for your skin as hot weather.

Windy conditions are especially punishing on your skin, so always remember to cover up as much as possible. Wearing gloves, hats and neckwear will protect areas of your body that are usually exposed to the elements.

Applying lip balm and moisturising salve to exposed areas will also limit the drying effect and help to keep skin supple. And always remember to rehydrate after a cold weather run. Although you may not feel as hot, you will still have lost a lot of body moisture. 

Protect Your Skin from the Sun

Most athletes are aware that the sun damages your skin. But the damage starts from the first exposure, not just when you start to feel the burn. 

Regular exposure to even low levels of UV can harm your skin and cause premature aging. Exercising outside often means protracted exposure to the sun with no shade.  So, it is not only in hot weather that you should apply sunscreen and cover up.

When you are exercising you may sweat out some of the sunscreen you have applied. So, it is important to keep reapplying sunblock when you are out running or cycling. 

Keep It Clean

Sweat is an inevitable part of exercising, and it's something to be proud of. It's a sign that you've worked hard and put the miles in. However, sweat can wreak havoc on your skin if it is left to dry.

When sweat evaporates it leaves behind salt and minerals. These can cause irritation and blocked pores. Therefore, it's important that you wash as soon as you can after exercising.

If you are prone to pimples or acne, it may be worth taking facial wipes with you to the gym. Cleansing your face regularly removes some of the deposits and will prevent blocked pores. 

Sunscreen and moisturizers also leave residue on your skin and can block pores. Which is why a proper cleansing regime is super important to maintain clear skin.

Combat Chafing

Chafing is every runner and cyclist's nemesis. You can be as fit and strong as an elite athlete, but when the rub happens it can stop you in your tracks. 

Chafing can also be a catastrophe for your skin. It causes irritation, burning, blisters and can even leave scars. So what is chafing, and how do you combat it?

Chafing is the friction burn you get when your skin rubs against clothing or other skin. The most common forms of chafing are between the thighs, around the bra area (for women), across the neck and under the arms. 

Chafing is more common in warmer weather as sweat causes more friction against your skin. Your body also swells slightly in hotter weather, so thighs are more likely to rub against each other. 

As with most complaints, prevention is better than cure when it comes to chafing. Wearing specialist sweat-wicking sportswear will keep you dry and less prone to chafing. Applying an anti-chafe salve on areas that are prone to rubbing will also help to prevent irritation and blisters. 

Moisturize, Moisturize, Moisturize

Finally, one of the most important factors of skin care for athletes is to moisturize. 

As we've already mentioned, exercise seriously dries you out. Whether you're running in hot or cold weather, your skin will be affected by the elements and by sweat. 

Make sure you wash and cleanse your skin after exercise and then apply a layer of light moisturizer. Heavy creams can block pores, so if you are prone to acne it is best to avoid them. 

Many moisturizers now have an SPF factor and can block some of the damaging effects of UV. So you're killing two birds with one stone. 

Find out More About Skin Care for Athletes

So those are some of our top tips for skin care for athletes. 

You should treat your skin like any other part of your body when you are in training. Prep it before you go out, keep it supple with lots of fluids, and do what you can to prevent chafing and burning.

Our natural anti-chafing and skin restoration salves are great for protecting your skin against the punishment of your training regime. So take a look at our online shop today.