No doubt about it, acne breakouts can cause a world of woe. As the country’s most general skin condition in the country, we were pretty certain that you had at least one or two experiences dealing with a pesky pimple. If you have, you probably have questions about how to tackle them and how to prevent them. To get answers, we reached out to you for your best acne remedies and boy did you deliver.

These are the top recommendations we found on Instagram when we asked what tried-and-true acne remedies that have worked for you.

Aztec Clay

“Aztec Secret Bentonite Clay mask with Apple Cider vinegar!!”- one user wrote in reply to our post. Aztec Clay is a 100% Calcium Bentonite Clay that works to heal skin and comes in powder form. To activate the ingredients, many of our users wrote that they used equal parts of apple cider vinegar or water and mixed everything together in a bowl. You can apply this product in a 1/8 inch layer on your skin and allow to try before scrubbing it off after 20 minutes.

Apple Cider Vinegar

Instagram user ven_bailame recommended the use of apple cider vinegar and her recommendation was multiplied by so many of the replies in our post. Apple Cider Vinegar has proven to be a popular acne solution by many for years. According to Healthline, apple cider vinegar has organic acids that can kill bacteria that causes acne while also reducing the appearance of scars.

Healthy sleeping habits

“Change your pillow cases like every few days, don’t put your phone on your cheek🙌”- lettyaldrete wrote.

And it’s true! Regularly changing your bed sheets and pillow cases is so key to ensuring your skin stays clean and acne-free. Sheets are often loaded with bacteria that can clog your skin’s pores and can increase the chances that bacteria causes acne.

Healthy eating habits

“Healed from the inside out by eating lots of foods that have probiotics like yogurt, keifer, kimchi, combucha, etc.”– dre_dayy13

The old adage “you are what you eat” could never be truer when it comes to your skin. Pump your system with poor foods will undoubtedly produce bad results when it comes to your skin. If you notice breakouts whenever you eat foods that are low in protein and high in saturated fats, it might be time to take a review of your diet.

Accutane.

In response to our post, Instagram user jjolieth wrote that Accutane has been her go-to for tried and true acne relief. The controversial, and relatively misunderstood, medication is used to treat severe cystic acne as well as acne that is hormonal and persistent. Like any medication, you’ll want to read up and educate yourself about Accutane and discuss using it with your doctor. This acne cure comes with a powerful punch as well as potentially severe side-effects.

Find out if it’s hormonal

“If it’s on the jaw and cheeks, that’s hormonal…take herbs that balance your hormones-chaste tree berry, maca root, primrose oil,” lettyaldrete also shared.

Hormonal acne can have various cures but it does need a certain and particular type of attention. Hormonal acne because of skin’s response to hormonal changes and comes often as a result of a rise in androgens, such as testosterone. When it comes to working to tackling hormonal acne, treatment might need to be more aggressive than just a change in diet or the use of oils. Many women turn to birth control, Accutane or other medications for treatment.

A good skin care routine is always evolving and improving. In the pursuit of flawless, glowing skin, it’s hard not to whip out our wallets at the news of every beauty-related technological advance. However, we have to be honest with ourselves and admit that we can’t just buy our way to good skin. Good skin is built off of consistent, healthy habits.

And although we say we’d do anything for good skin, we’re also human. That means a late-night partying or the rogue urge to pick at our skin can derail all the progress we’ve made over the past few weeks. Luckily for us, the new year is a clean slate and permission for us to re-commit to the skin care goals we may have neglected as 2018 wore on. In celebration of the new year, we’ve compiled a list of skin care habits we pledge to change in 2019.

1. Sleeping on Dirty Pillowcases

As the year wears on and our schedules get busier, it’s hard to remember to wash our clothes every week, let alone our pillowcases. But we mention this resolution because it’s important. Unclean pillowcases can be a breeding ground for acne-causing bacteria–and that breeding ground comes into contact with our faces every night. Yes, we can steadfastly remove our makeup every night, but our pillowcases remain a veritable waste dump for any straggling debris that’s left on our faces at the day’s end. And there is always debris. To combat pillowcase buildup, have a few pillows on rotation, flip them regularly, and wash them once a week. Your pillows–and face–will be cleaner.

2. Using Abrasive Exfoliants

Who doesn’t remember buying St. Ives’ Apricot scrub from CVS as a little girl and scrubbing our faces until they were red and raw? At the time, we thought we were helping our skin by giving it a much-needed exfoliation. But now we know that mechanical exfoliation like causes “micro tears” to the delicate skin of our faces. These “micro-tears” make our skin more vulnerable to environmental irritants and more susceptible to bacteria sneaking into our skin and inflaming it. In 2019, follow TLC’s lead and say no to scrubs.

3. “Forgetting” To Wear Sunscreen

If you compile a list of advice from leading dermatologists, the one thing they’re all guaranteed to agree on is this: use sunscreen. Every. Day. Along with “drink more water”, it’s one of those pieces of advice that we’ve all heard a million times, and we’re all still struggling to adopt as a practice. Not only do sunscreens have the reputation of leaving your face like a Kabuki mask, they’re also famous for leaving behind a greasy film that makes makeup slide around your face like a skating rink. Fortunately, skin care technology has advanced in the past few years and lightweight, sheer sunscreens are now easy to find. That means you have no excuse to slather on the sunscreen after your moisturizer every day. That’s right–Every. Day.

4. Picking At Your Skin

If you commit to changing any bad habit in the New Year, let it be this one: stop picking your face. We’ll be the first to admit that it’s hard to resist attacking a whitehead or clogged pore that looks ripe for popping, but most of the time, picking does more harm than good. Not only can it push more bacteria deeper into your pores, but it also inflames areas that were otherwise calm. Also, picking can leave permanent scars in its wake. Ladies, just say no to picking.

5. Sleeping in Your Makeup

We’ve all been there–you come home from a crazy night out, tipsy, tired, and ready to flop into bed. The last thing you want to do is drag yourself into the bathroom subject yourself to your seemingly endless skin care routine. So you decide to close your eyes for a few moments just to rest a bit before you wash your face and…you get the picture. We understand that washing your face before bed is sometimes just impossible, so at the very least, commit to removing your makeup every night before bed in 2019. This means keeping a pack of makeup remover wipes by your bedside at all times. That way, you’ll have no excuse to snooze in your makeup.

6. Not Washing Your Makeup Brushes

Our makeup brushes are one of the tools we use every day but overlook when it comes to upkeep. Like any device that comes into contact with our faces, they need a good scrub-down once in a while. Foundation brushes, especially, should be cleaned at least once a week. If the idea of committing to a makeup brush cleaning schedule seems daunting, invest in a brush-cleaning pad for your sink. Not only will it cut down cleaning time, but it will work to get deeper into the brush bristles, ensuring a more thorough clean.

7. Product Overload

With all the incredible skin care products out on the market right now, it can be tempting to buy everything you see that has a five-star review on Amazon. However, this approach to skin care can be counter-productive. Not only do some active ingredients react negatively together (like salicylic acid and retinoids), over-treating your skin can cause your skin to over-react. This means that your skin can over-compensate for its oil-loss by producing even more sebum to make up the difference. That can result in a one-two punch of dehydrated, oily skin. Keep your skin care regimen simple by sticking to cleansing, toning, and moisturizing with a few tried and true products on rotation. Your skin likes routine!

8. Drinking Too Much Alcohol

You may hate hearing this, but it’s true: alcohol is bad for your skin. Not only does drinking produce toxic byproducts in your liver, inflame your bodily tissue and dilate your pores, it also dehydrates your skin and overall body. If cutting out drinking completely is unrealistic, try to stick to less inflammatory alcohols like red wine, which contain the antioxidant resveratrol. That way, you can have your wine and drink it too.

9. Stressing Out

And finally, the bad skin habit that beats them all: stress. Science tells us that high levels of stress cause the body to release the hormone cortisol, which not only incites the over-production of sebum in your glands but can contribute to eczema and psoriasis flare-ups. Although we could write a whole thesis statement on the negative effects of stress on the mind, body, and spirit, we’ll keep it simple. In 2019, pledge to take things less seriously, breathe deeper, remain present, and put yourself first once in a while. That way, by 2020, you’ll be glowing from the inside out.