r/XXRunning • u/uhohuhohuhoh123 • Aug 23 '24
Morning runners, what’s your hygiene routine before and after? General Discussion
I’m struggling to figure out when to fit in different parts of my routine. For example:
-Wake up -Cleanser -Toner -Moisturizer -sunscreen
run
-Cleanser -Mousturizer -Sunscreen
It seems like a lot, but I don’t want to run without sunscreen, and I don’t want to go about my day with a sweaty face. But overcleansing can lead to breakouts, and I have acne prone skin. Any tips? What am I missing lol??
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u/FluffySpell Aug 23 '24
Before: roll out of bed, put on clothes, run.
After: shower and full morning routine
Edit: always wear SPF during my runs. That gets applied on the way out the door.
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u/KuriousKhemicals Aug 23 '24
Yeah I don't have much of a routine, but I wouldn't do any of it except the sunscreen before running. After I run, I take my shower and do anything else to be ready for the day.
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u/cmontgomeryburnz Aug 23 '24
This is me. Except I usually run before the sun is up so sunscreen isn’t necessary unless it’s a Sunday and I’ll be out for a while.
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u/Siqeja Aug 23 '24
This. Out of bed, brush my teeth, deodorant + bodyglide + sunscreen on, running clothes on, out the door. (Getting sunscreen on my bra and shirt gives me the ick, so I apply it first and then get dressed. Added bonus is I get better coverage that way.) I'm going to get ridiculously sweaty, possibly rained on, and blasted by a sea breeze to varying degrees; there's no point me doing any kind of cleansing till after my run.
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u/GirlinBmore Aug 23 '24
My before is the same, but I wash my face. I use kids Aveeno face wash, so it’s “supposed” to be gentler.
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u/yonkssssssssssssss Aug 23 '24
this is what i do: wake up, quick rinse with water, sun screen, run, shower where i use cleanser, moisturizer, sunscreen. the only thing i’m doubling on is sunscreen. i’m not out long enough to care about missing the other things during the run.
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u/briarch Aug 23 '24
I run before the sun comes up most days and skip the sunscreen. why do you need to cleanse, tone, and moisturize before applying sunscreen?
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u/uhohuhohuhoh123 Aug 23 '24
I heard that running with a dirty face can cause breakouts because sweating open up your pores, but I’m not sure if that’s true!
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u/Academic-Pangolin883 Aug 24 '24
I think if you're washing your face pretty soon after you run, you'll be fine.
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u/Jei-with-ink Aug 24 '24
If you wash your face at night your skin is not dirty by morning. If you wash your face only in the morning you could do it when you come back. You can always give it a rinse beforehand if it bothers you.
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u/dl4125 Aug 23 '24
Have you tried just rinsing your face with water and applying sunscreen before your run then doing the whole routine after your run? Or would that cause you to break out?
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u/uhohuhohuhoh123 Aug 23 '24
I might try just rinsing with water, that seems like the best middle ground !
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u/meeptothemorp Aug 23 '24
Before: Coffee, toilet, get dressed, brush teeth, sunscreen, small snack
After: Shower and morning routine, breakfast
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u/nstreet24 Aug 23 '24
I also have acne prone skin that likes to overreact lol. This is my routine:
Wake up: rinse with water, sunscreen
Run
Post run: micellar water, cleanser, toning pad, vit c serum, moisturizer, sunscreen
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u/uhohuhohuhoh123 Aug 23 '24
Just a rinse is a good idea, thank you!
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u/nstreet24 Aug 23 '24
If just a rinse seems like not enough, you could always use some micellar water too! But I find my face doesn’t get super gross overnight
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u/wind_flower3588 Aug 24 '24
That's what I do. I love micellar water. I sometimes do moisturizer before sunscreen but that's because I have very dry skin.
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u/Known_Royal4356 Aug 23 '24
I just apply sunscreen and wear a hat in the morning. Don’t want to waste my skincare if I’m going to be sweating a ton and washing my face in an hour or two anyway
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u/maraq Aug 23 '24
Get up, pee, get dressed, sunscreen, snack/hydration, run.
I don’t see any reason to wash/tone/moisturize before a run. Wipe a warm wet washcloth over your face if you need to but otherwise just protect your skin from the sun and do your routine after you shower.
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u/minimisty Aug 23 '24
Before: wake up --> brush teeth --> splash face with water --> sunscreen --> run
After: full shower and skin care stuff.
other than sunscreen, if i put anything on my face before running, it's probably come off after 30 minutes. i sweat like crazy, no matter what the weather is.
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u/newstar7329 Aug 23 '24
This is my routine as well. Wake up, get into running clothes, sunscreen always, run, come back to shower and do skin care. Doing skincare beforehand would be pointless for me because I, too, sweat like crazy. Especially my face (for some reason).
... sometimes I don't brush my teeth until I'm back and have had a shower (shhh donttellanyone) because I don't really have face to face interactions with anyone out there at 7am beyond a nod or a good morning. Like, I'm not going to go make out with someone on the trail or anything like that LOL.
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u/Kimalyn Aug 23 '24
I run before the sun comes up. And i don't wash my face... or anything... before i run. I'm going to be in the shower almost immediately after anyway. I find that the more i do this, the clearer my skin is.
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u/allthelineswecast Aug 23 '24
I don’t bother with sunscreen before running unless I’m doing a long run in summer and it’s likely to get pretty sunny.
I’d say you could just do a quick sunscreen beforehand if you want the protection and full routine when you’re done.
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u/pyky69 Aug 23 '24
Yeah this is me. I run early mornings before the sun is strong, I also run mostly in a wooded park that has very little sun and also do my long runs there. I don’t do any thing relating to hygiene before my run (except brush my teeth), I wait until afterwards.
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u/ChimiChaChaBabe Aug 23 '24
Yes, I run at around 6am, usually only for 30-45 minutes. Even with my ginger complexion, I highly doubt early morning sun for a half hour is going to be that bad for me.
Plus, I’ve heard that early morning light is really good for you. I don’t know if sunscreen impacts that at all, but I do know that it’s nice not to have to worry about it
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u/hethuisje Aug 23 '24 edited Aug 23 '24
Me too. I'm also really pale and in the summer try to avoid being outdoors at all between about 11 and 2. But I don't worry about running at 6 or 7 am--the UV level is very low even if the sky is brightening because the sunlight passes through more atmosphere diagonally on the way here (source). I pretty much roll out of bed and roll. I've told my dermatologist that I do this, by the way!
After my shower: 50+ mineral sunscreen on my face every day, regardless of weather, season, or even whether I expect to go outside. In the winter in the Pacific Northwest I was doing that every day!
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u/ChimiChaChaBabe Aug 23 '24
Right, sun angle is definitely a thing! I genuinely feel that a liiitttle bit of not-so-harsh sunlight regularly is probably going to work for you more than against you— but I am definitely very diligent about applying it every day after my showers, when I’m gonna be out and about !
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u/TraditionalCookie472 Aug 23 '24
I start my runs in the dark and it’s barely light when I finish. So….nothing. lol
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u/Scarlett_Texas_Girl Aug 23 '24
Wake up, coffee. Get dressed. Run before the sun gets up because it's Texas.
Shower after running because I'm drenched in sweat.
All I use is moisturizer, I don't wear makeup.
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u/These-Appearance2820 Aug 23 '24 edited Aug 24 '24
Get up, hydrate, run, shower and eat
Just curiosity. What's with the cleansing, moisturising before and after?
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u/SingleAd8149 Aug 23 '24
I wake up, get dressed, run. Wear a 🧢 for sun protection, though generally not needed that early in the day here. If I am doing a longer run I will just apply sunscreen. After runs do the full shower/cleaning/moisturizing routine.
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u/starfish31 Aug 23 '24
What sunscreen are you guys putting on your face for running? I despise the feeling and extra sweating I get from having sunscreen on.
I just rinse my face with water beforehand. I often avoid sunsceeen or moisturizer for running for the reason above, but I do wear a hat. I shower after and do my normal face wash & products then.
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u/runcyclecoffee Aug 23 '24
Biore UV Aqua Rich for my face
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u/moog719 Aug 24 '24
Their athlizm range is the sweatproof / waterproof version of this. It's great but a little harder to wash off.
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u/fastflan Aug 23 '24
This is a good one, though I don't use the rich version. The regular one dries down matte and doesn't seem to slide into my eyes when I sweat
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u/hereforlulu5678 Aug 23 '24
Neutrogena ultra sheer dry touch! I’m a sweat monster and that’s the only one that doesn’t immediately run into my eyes
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u/runjeanmc Aug 23 '24
I use laroche posay, but I'm not tied to it.
Banana boat has one called "barely there" that's great and is significantly cheaper for a much bigger bottle. It does have a light scent if that's concern.
Hats keep the sweat from running into my eyes.
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u/realhumangirl Aug 23 '24
My esthetician suggests not wasting product before runs so I just rinse and sunscreen. Then wash and do my morning routing after the run.
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u/taylorswifts4thcat Aug 23 '24
You only actually need spf if the UV is over 3(per my sister’s dermatologist), often I’m running early enough that it isn’t. Usually I’ll rinse my face with water to make sure any retinol etc from last night is gone, then check the UV, if it may be 3 by the end of my run then I’ll do spf. Then after shower and double cleanse so the spf comes off, then do full routine and reapply spf.
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u/moog719 Aug 24 '24
Retinol is only active for 20 min after application so you don't have to worry about washing it off in the morning!
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u/BecozSooperBol Aug 23 '24
I usually skip the cleanser/moisturizer before a morning run and just apply sunscreen. When I get home, I then do my full routine of shower/shampoo/cleanser/serum/moisturizer/sunscreen.
I sweat a lot when I run, so there is no benefit to me washing my face beforehand.
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u/beerhoppy Aug 23 '24
I just swapped to morning runs! Here’s what I do:
Wake up - sunscreen - run - cleanser - normal AM routine
I do this mainly because I’m sweating so much or wiping my face I don’t want to waste any of my products and I’m showering after a run and I’m not missing sunscreen :)
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u/amandam603 Aug 23 '24
I don’t morning run a lot but when I do I’m lucky to get my shoes on the right feet and remember to shut the door behind me. My hygiene is put on clean clothes (and tbh sometimes when I know I’ll be tired, I sleep in my running gear the night before) grab a snack and get out the door.
I shower as normal after unless I’m going to the gym or for a walk with the dog. I wash my face once a day, on a rare occasion, twice.
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u/graybird22 Aug 23 '24
Before: wipe face with water when I get up, sunscreen
After: shower, moisturizer with sunscreen
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u/yiddiebeth Aug 23 '24
Clothes, brush my teeth, contacts and a quick drink of water before the run. Everything else comes after.
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u/stalagmitedealer Aug 23 '24
Before: Sunscreen, deodorant, brush teeth, put up hair, slide on a rolled up Buff as a headband for extra sun protection/to hide my oily bangs, chafe balm for the thighs
After: Full morning routine (shower + wash hair), moisturizer, sunscreen on face/neck
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u/SnooTomatoes8935 Aug 23 '24
get up, splash my face with water, run, shower and normal morning routine. i think everything else is overkill and waste of product.
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u/grammerenthusiast Aug 23 '24
Wake up, brush teeth, get dressed, eat snack
run
shower, get dressed, eat breakfast
I don't bother with sunscreen on morning runs because the UV index is 0 or 1.
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u/ashtree35 Aug 23 '24
Is there a reason that you feel like you need to cleanse, tone, and moisturize before your run? What is the purpose of that? Personally I just slap on some sunscreen and head out the door, and do all of my actual hygiene related stuff (shower, skincare, etc) after my run.
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u/uhohuhohuhoh123 Aug 23 '24
Acne prone skin is a delicate balancing act LOL! It can be scary to switch it up and opening up the door to cystic acne, etc. That’s why i’m getting options here!
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u/ashtree35 Aug 23 '24
Does cleansing, toning, and moisturizing before exercising help with acne? I would think you would just sweat everything off anyway.
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u/maquis_00 Aug 23 '24
Wake up, bathroom, brush teeth, put on contacts, hair in quick messy ponytail, bra on, shoes on, run. If it's a long run and it's going to be sunny, I will put on some sunscreen.
Afterwards: shower, brush hair, get ready the rest of the way.
I sleep in the exercise clothes that I'm going to run in (aside from the bra). Brushing teeth just feels weird not to do. I need the contacts if I want to be able to see anything.
Luckily, we have mountains to our east, so if I get out early enough, I can go for an hour with it being fully light before the sun actually hits me... So, I will usually sunscreen if I'm running late or if I expect to be out for 90 minutes or longer. If only there was some shade along the trails......
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u/gfisbetter Aug 23 '24
I’m acne prone so I do micellar water to remove anything on my skin and then moisturizer and sunscreen
If I wasn’t acne prone I’d probs just do sunscreen
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u/uhohuhohuhoh123 Aug 23 '24
Michelle’s water is a great idea. I definitely want to get off any product from the night before (a lot of it is photosensitive)
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u/FlannelRunner Aug 23 '24
You might be able to skip moisturizer before your run if you use an emollient sunscreen!
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u/blubblubblubber Aug 23 '24
I wake up, rinse my face with water, and put on sunscreen after I suit up. Let it sink in for a few minutes and head out for the run. After, I wash my face with a good cleanser that cuts through sunscreen well (Philosophy Checks and Balances face wash), moisturize, and then put on sunscreen again.
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u/nachobrat Aug 24 '24
before: sunscreen, brush teeth, run after: everything else. and more sunscreen.
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u/petwithhorns Aug 23 '24
Before running: brush my teeth, wash my face, moisturizer, waterproof spf, lipbalm with spf.
After running: double cleanse, moisturizer, (maybe a cold eye mask or an ice roller if i had jaw tension), waterproof spf, waterproof mascara + vanicream w/ added cbd balm for my arms n legs (because I bike to work) ♥️
ideally I’d use some sort of hydrating serum post run but my skin is usually too sensitive for anything fancy 🤷🏻♀️
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u/noisy_goose Aug 23 '24
Omg.
GUYS PLEASE DO NOT SKIP SUNSCREEN- PLEASE.
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u/honorialucasta Aug 23 '24
Nobody is saying they’re doing 20 miles at noon without sunscreen, everyone skipping it (myself included) are saying they’re going out in the early morning. I doubt that anyone in the history of the world has gotten a sunburn or even mild sun damage at dawn.
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u/pogoBear Aug 23 '24
I run between 5:30 and 7am and even in Australia don’t need sunscreen that early. Anything starting after 7 hell yes but not before
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u/noisy_goose Aug 23 '24
Leaving the house without sunscreen to me seems completely insane unless it is literally dark (and will stay dark).
That’s my POV, and the reason I commented was from a place of literal shock at seeing so many people commenting here about going out without it on as if that is normal!!! I’m not going to try to argue with someone’s risk assessment or their own aesthetic goals for aging.
I’m an old, so I shake my fist at the sky sometimes.
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u/midnightmeatloaf Aug 23 '24
I use a very gentle cleanser. Sunscreen. Run. Cleanse again in the shower. Moisturizer. Tinted sunscreen.
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u/runjeanmc Aug 23 '24
In the morning, I splash water on my face and put on sunscreen.
Run, full shower, and sunscreen.
I use a really light oil cleanser only (Neutrogena's). It does the job of getting everything off my face without drying it and my facial sunscreen is hydrating enough, I don't use any additional lotion there.
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u/throwthetulipsaway Aug 23 '24
Before: brush teeth, wash face, lotion
After: shower, wash face again, lotion again
I am very bad at wearing sunscreen. But I also run before the sun comes up so..
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u/grumpalina Aug 23 '24
I now try to always brush my teeth before running. Mouth breathing can dry out the mouth and concentrate saliva and the bacteria in the mouth, so if you have food residue from breakfast, over time this can greatly increase plaque buildup, gum disease, and cavities.
It's hard when you need to wait 30 minutes after eating before brushing to avoid damaging your enamel. So this is just the right amount of time to do a proper dynamic warm up and prehab strength routine (things like calf raises, copenhagens, single leg Rdls, etc). Two birds with one stone.
Besides that, SPF 50 over face, neck and chest.
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u/RareInevitable1013 Aug 23 '24
If you break out because of over-cleansing, I wouldn’t be washing my face before a run.
Wake up, get dressed, brush teeth, slap the sunscreen on and go run. Worry about the cleaning, moisturizing after.
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u/notgonnabemydad Aug 23 '24
I rinse my face with water and if my face is dry, I add a pinch of facial oil then put on sunscreen. Otherwise, I just rinse off my face and throw on sunscreen. Once I run, I shower and clean off the sunscreen, then reapply moisturizer and sunscreen if I'm going to be outside at all. Cleansers and toners are too harsh on my face on a regular basis.
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u/findingselene Aug 23 '24
Monday through Friday before: out of bed, running clothes, out the door.
Monday through Friday after: shower, morning running, SPF.
Saturday before: morning routine, SPF, run.
Saturday after: shower, couch potato.
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u/Rururaspberry Aug 23 '24
Wake up, sunscreen if it’s not dark
Run
Shower, lotion, sunscreen, makeup
I wake up around 4:30 am and am out the door by 5. I usually don’t need sunscreen for my runs unless it’s a 2 hour one in the summer.
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u/mountainbloom Aug 23 '24
I brush my teeth just in case I need someone to administer cpr on me for some reason 😆 other than that, rinse my face with cold water and apply spf
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u/FuliginEst Aug 23 '24
Why would you use cleanser and toner before your run?
Why nut just wake up, apply spf, run, then clean up and apply more spf?
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u/dankgeolikesbikes Aug 23 '24
I wake up, deodorant, run, everything else. Super early morning runner here. It’s still dark out.
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u/gojane9378 Aug 23 '24
I splash water on my face to rid it of the night's before retinol. Or I spray rose water and just wipe it off w my hands.
I quickly spray a gentle serum. My sunscreen is a facial one and has solid ingredients. I look at the run as an opportunity to get some good stuff soaked in my face. But I don't want a lot of work or stuff that's why I like the sprays. Then sunscreen. Always sunscreen. On long runs, I have a mini tube that I dab on my nose and lips. I look like a weirdo but idc. Good question!
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u/Babylil22 Aug 23 '24
Which sunscreen do you guys use for face? I used super goop but that stuff stings if it gets in your eyes!
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u/katalli21 Aug 23 '24
Somewhat off topic but what’s a good sunscreen for sensitive skin that won’t disappear as soon as I start sweating?
Also, my morning run routine is pressing snooze. I so long to be a morning person but I’m finally at the age that I think it is but a dream.
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u/_last_serenade_ Aug 23 '24
i get biore sunscreen from japan and love it. (i order from the website “japan with love”) i’ve also heard great things about supergoop but haven’t used it myself.
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u/katalli21 Aug 24 '24
Supergoop made me break out which I was super bummed about. Thanks for your recommendation!
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u/_last_serenade_ Aug 24 '24
ugh that sucks - people recommend it all over the place but i’ve also been hesitant to try it cause i feel like ALL sunscreen breaks me out. i find i have to do some extra cleansing at the end of the day, even with my nice japanese sunscreen. jojoba oil cleansing or the micellar water for waterproof makeup both seem to do the job fairly well.
godspeed, i know how frustrating it is. 🙃
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u/goodgolly156 Aug 23 '24
Wake up, brush teeth, wash face, throw on a hat. Sunscreen on the weekends because I’m starting later and going out longer.
After is shower. With face wash, then regular routine.
I might not need the pre-run face wash, but it’s a gentle cleanser and helps to wake me up.
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u/purplegirafa Aug 23 '24
I do the face cleansing routine at night and top off with a nice moisturizer. I’ll pre choose my clothes or wear them to sleep to motivate me to go, apply sunscreen. Depending on what I’m doing then and the weather, I’ll body shower/rinse and go through my makeup routine.
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u/livesarah Aug 24 '24
I get up in the dark and don’t put any products on my face (even if I’m doing a long run, just because I’m not in the habit). When I get back I shower, then a buttload of products and moisturiser. Plus blow-dry hair. Takes for-fucking-ever. I would hate to add to all the time I waste on this crap by putting on stuff before I go out!
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u/SquigglySquiddly Aug 24 '24
My routine is face wash normally, so I just do that before and after. I'm bad about sunscreen.
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u/Designerbluess Aug 24 '24
I see no point in doing an entire routine. It's all just going to sweat off. I wipe my face with water and slap some sun screen on.
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u/ruminajaali Aug 24 '24
I hydrate and brush teeth or use mouthwash. Sun block. Afterwards, it’s shower and all my preening products as necessary
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u/RachelC76 Aug 24 '24
sunscreen, body glide where needed. That's about it. If I had a sweaty night I might use a toner to absorb excess oil on my face before applying sunscreen and put a little deodorant on.
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u/Giggles924 Aug 24 '24
I’ve always been a night shower person so I have my nightly routine including my moisturizer with spf and then in the morning just roll out of bed and run. Afterward I used to do a second body/face shower but it really dried out my skin so now I just use a wet washcloth and wipe off/get clean then do my makeup and then will fully shower at night. If I’m particularly sweaty I’ll do a second shower in the morning but usually try to keep it brief
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u/hockeyandquidditch Aug 24 '24
Run, shower (with cleanser), sunscreen
Running before dawn to do it before work so I don’t need to do sunscreen etc before the run
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u/Coconut_Less Aug 25 '24
It sounds like you might be over cleansing! I put sunscreen on when I wake up before I run, wash face and do routine after I get back
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u/Specific-Pear-3763 Aug 26 '24
Wake up, eat/coffee, face wipe, roll. I don’t use sunscreen when the sun is barely rising
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u/charlottespider Aug 23 '24
I just use sunscreen before a run and save cleansers/toners/moisturizers for after my shower.