We’ve all been there: you’re just casually walking around the house when you stop by the mirror and suddenly, you see a pimple on your face. Your first instinct is to hide or disguise it before anyone else will notice. Usually, the quickest and easiest way to make a pimple disappear is by reaching for a tube of concealer. However, makeup is known to be bad for your skin so you might actually just make matters worse by doing that.
Instead of hiding that zit with foundation or concealer, there are lots of effective ways to do so without the need for makeup products.
How to cover a pimple without makeup
Today, many people use makeup to camouflage their pimples, but applying multiple layers of cover-up when you have acne isn’t exactly the best approach. Makeup clogs pores, leading to a worsening of the inflammation and lengthening the breakout’s duration. Not only that but at the end of the day, you’ll have to remove all the makeup with a makeup remover, which can also dry out and irritate your skin, leading to more complications.
Here are two quick and easy ways on how to cover pimples without makeup:
Hide under accessories or hair
If the pimple is near your eyes, you can use a pair of sunglasses to hide the nasty little zit until it clears up. You can also style your bangs so that it covers the part of your forehead where the pimple is present.
If the pimple is on the lower part of your face, you can hide it under a scarf. Hiding it won’t remove the pimple’s redness or swollenness, but at least you’ll be less self-conscious about the bump.
Wear a face mask
This is a trick that I did often during my college days. Whenever I woke up with an ugly-looking pimple on my cheeks, chin, or under my nose, I would reach out for my reusable face mask and wear it for the entire day. It’s one of the ingenious, effective, and convenient ways on how to cover up a pimple without makeup. People just thought I was sick, and they never got to see the nasty zit I was hiding.
Tip: Choose a face mask that’s in a neutral color (like black, white, gray, brown, or dark blue) so that it will match all your outfits.
How to hide your pimples without makeup and zap those zits away at the same time?
Two words: pimple patches!
Pimple patches are tiny miraculous stickers that act as acne spot treatments as they suck the gunk out of your pores. They’re last minute saviors because when you leave them on at night, you’ll wake up to a less inflamed pimple. The patches also act as bandages that prevent you from your touching your pimples.
But what’s also amazing about them is that they can be a quick fix when you’re searching for ways on how to cover pimples without makeup. This is because you can wear these translucent dots and go about your day without worrying if your zits look ugly.
I’ve rounded up some of the best pimple patches available in the market today:
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Cosrx Acne Pimple Mater Patch
These cult-favorite from Korea is one of the most popular acne patches, and it rightfully deserves all the praises. Many beauty gurus consider these patches as the OG pimple patch, and they’ve also won numerous awards (including Teen Vogue’s 2017 Acne Awards).
The thin and clear hydrocolloid patch sticks on to the skin strongly, staying put even when washing and showering. It treats breakouts by eliminating the infection and bacteria, absorbing gunk from whiteheads and breaking down the debris from blackheads.
What’s better is that the patches are translucent, which means that they’ll make your pimple less noticeable throughout the day. They also come in three different sizes, depending on the type of coverage you need.
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ZitSticka Killa Kit
The pimple patches from the ZitSticka Killa Kit are tiny microdarts that clear the drama of your pimples before it gets real. Each pimple patch is filled with blemish-busting ingredients like hyaluronic acid, niacinamide, and salicylic acid. The pimple patch is meant to bring down the size, swelling, and redness of your pimples.
With these bad babies, you’ll never need know how to cover your pimples, even without makeup, as they work like magic in as fast as 2 hours.
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The Original Mighty Patch from Hero Cosmetics
Got a pimple emergency. The Original Mighty Patch’s gotchu. Mighty Patch is a quick and clean way to visibly shrink your pimple and hide the pesky zits. It’s all due to the magical ingredient hydrocolloid, which is a natural fluid-absorbing gel that gently but effectively pulls out all the pus from inside your pimple. No more popping necessary!
As they’re translucent like most acne dots, you can walk around without being paranoid of getting stares as the patches also make your pimples less noticeable.
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Peace Out Acne Healing Dots
Zap those zits away with the breakthrough blemish treatment dots from Peace Out. Aside from hydrocolloid, the acne patches use salicylic acid to penetrate pores and clear up the bacteria causing the breakout. They’re also enriched with Vitamin A that soothes and promotes clear looking skin. After wearing these Allure award-winning dots, your acne will look less red and significantly less annoying.
The patches are thin, so you can easily cover up your pimples with them during the daytime. They’re also great for covering or protecting already-popped pimples that have yet to heal.
How to treat pimples
Aside from searching for ways on how to cover a pimple scab without makeup, often it’s more counter-productive to actually treat pimples instead of simply trying to hide them.
Here are some tried and tested methods in treating those nasty zits.
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Use creams and ointments
The American Academy of Dermatology recommends using over-the-counter creams and ointments that contain salicylic acid, benzoyl peroxide, and sulfur.
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Apply warm compress
A warm compress will soften the spot, enabling the pus to come easily to the surface.
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Apply ice packs
Using an ice pack is a great way to reduce pain and inflammation. Ice is especially effective for nodules, cysts, and hard pimples.
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Wash your face with cleansers
Cleansers that have tea tree, salicylic acid, and witch hazel as their ingredients are the most effective at treating acne. Cleanse your face gently during the morning after you wake up and at night before you go to bed.
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Spot treat with tea tree oil
Tea tree oil is known to have anti-inflammatory and antimicrobial properties, making them great at reducing the inflammation associated with acne. As a natural moisturizer, it also has the ability to moisturize the skin and help restore its natural oil balance.
How to prevent acne
Like they say, prevention is better than cure. If you don’t want to constantly worry about how you can cover your pimples without makeup, it’s best to not have pimples to stress over in the first place.
However, as pimples are typically triggered by either hormones or genetics, there’s no surefire way to prevent them. Still, there are plenty of methods to keep pimples in check and reduce their severity.
Here are a few ways:
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Know your skin type
Anyone can get pimples, whatever their skin type. Even though oily skinned people are the most pimple-prone, those with combination skin can also get breakouts.
Knowing your skin type will help you choose the best skin care products for your face. For example, if you have oily skin, go for noncomedogenic products as they’re formulated to not block pores.
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Wash your face properly
To help prevent breakouts, it’s important that you remove excess oil, sweat, and dirt from your face every night. To ensure you don’t irritate your skin, use alcohol-free cleansers.
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Moisturize your skin
Moisturizers will help your skin stay hydrated. After washing your face, use a fragrance-free and noncomedogenic moisturizer that will help you achieve softer, smoother, and glowing skin.
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Use water based, oil-free makeup
If makeup is a non-negotiable for you, avoid greasy products that contain mineral oil and cocoa butter. Also, never use baby oil as a makeup remover as it can clog pores and cause acne breakouts.
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Stay hydrated
Every time you’re dehydrated, your body signals your skin’s oil glands to produce more oil, leading to a breakout. To keep yourself well-hydrated, drink at least 8 glasses of water each day. If you’re breastfeeding or pregnant, drink more water.
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Don’t touch your face
Your hands encounter all sorts of dirt and bacteria. Each time you touch your face, some of those impurities will get transferred to your skin. Try touching your face as little as possible and if you really have to, sanitize your hands first.
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Avoid eating certain types of food
If your mother ever told you that chocolates and chips can cause pimples, she was definitely on to something. Research from the American Academy of Dermatology shows that eating high glycemic food and beverages such as chips and soft drinks can cause acne. The study also found that eating dairy may trigger pimples.
Everyone gets pimples, every now and then. I get a pimple every week. Sometimes, they’re just little bumps that aren’t noticeable at all, but sometimes, they’re full-blown zits that make me self-conscious.
If you have similar experiences, I get that it’s tempting to apply concealer on the zits in the hopes that people won’t see them, but there are other ways to cover your pimple without having to use makeup. You don’t need to buy a high-coverage concealer that’s worth $30 when you can simply be creative with a scarf, a hairstyle, or invest in pimple patches and skin care products that will ultimately help you achieve the skin you’ll be comfortable in.