Doing BJJ is a double-edged sword when it comes to your skin. On the one hand, its great exercises which in turn helps to increase blood flow bringing oxygen and nutrients to the skins (see beetroot face can be positive!) as well as lowering stress hormones which helps improve inflammatory skin conditions. But sweat getting ground into your face during rolling can cause irritation, redness, blocked pores, and spots! So this year I have been looking into some grappler friendly skincare tips and routines.

1. Take off your make-up – I’ve written about Make-Up previously in my blog including the pain of getting out of your gi so I won’t go too in-depth here. Essentially I don’t wear it for training as it’s not just disrespectful but also not great for your skin! It’s actually not good for your skin! Obviously, there is the potential for runny make-up and panda eyes but when we sweat the pores of our skin relax and get a little larger. Mix in sweat, heat, make up gunk and open pores and your skin will get blocked up. This leaves it looking dull or causes spots and blackheads.

2. Hair Care – I’ve spoken about hair care in BJJ before and in particular reference hair as a “mat mop”. Now when you think of it like that reinforcing keep your hair off your face as much as possible makes sense. Plus it also prevents the oils from your hair and product also ending up on your lovely sweaty face, blocking those pores.

3. Wash / cleanse your face as soon as possible after training – otherwise, you’re leaving a cocktail of sweat, salt and gunk on your face clogging pores and generally taking away your glow! Not having a sink at the gym isn’t an excuse even using facial wipes is better than nothing. If you can use a cleanser look for something soothing with lavender, aloe vera or even tea tree oil to help ensure a clean complexion.

4. Stay Hydrated – Inside and Out  – It goes without saying hydration isn’t just about preventing cramp and keeping you on the mats so it no surprise drinking water is also key to helping to keep your face hydrated.

5. Think about bedtime treats – It’s tempting to do all your beauty treatments at once but this isn’t always a good idea especially after training Even normal skin can be more sensitive right after a workout, so I tend to wait until any redness dissipates or bedtime before I pop on my moisturizer or any spot treatments.

6. When spots attack! – Obviously, you want to treat it quickly. Everyone has their own favorite tips and tricks for treating spots. Look for treatments containing salicylic acid or benzoyl peroxide – two of the best acne-fighting ingredients. They target pimples to reduce the size, swelling, and redness without drying out the skin. My personal favorite is the Witch Doctor Hazel Skin Gel. It goes without saying not to pick and poke at it as that doesn’t help the situation and may make things worse.

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