Active lifestyles require a proactive skincare regimen. And while we’ve already discussed the best skincare tips for active people, sometimes that proactivity can’t save us. That’s because, despite our best efforts, pimples can still happen. Maybe you have to skip a shower, or delay it to run a couple errands on the way home after the gym. Or maybe youdoshower, and the constant change of temperature—paired with your high heart rate—is causing you to sweat like crazy, even an hour later. Despite the regimen you just applied, you are now covered in sweat and grime and are all the more susceptible to clogged pores and breakouts.

That’s where the proactive switches to the reactive. Or, if you find yourself repeatedly in this situation, it’s where you add a couple steps to the proactive.

It all comes down to this precious window of time after a workout, and the preparedness you need for the periodic blemishes that slip through. Here, then, are our tips for a post-workout skincare, and the products you should add to your arsenal for it.

Let’s first talk about the ideal, consistent post-workout regimen, which will proactively prevent most blemishes and excess sebum production.

2. If you shower while your heart rate is up, make it fast and keep the temp low. 

Try to avoid constant temperature shifts. After a piping hot shower, you’re going to emerge back into the world and start sweating profusely—and through all of your clothes, too. So, make it fast, and keep it cool.

3. If you don’t have a cleanser or wait to shower, then use a face wipe immediately. 

Pick a soothing, alcohol-free, toning wipe that tempers oil production and balances your skin’s pH levels, while wiping away existing grime and sweat. (Cardon’s exfoliating toner wipes do this while also buffing away dead surface cells to further prevent clogged pores.)

4. Keep wipes ready for after the shower, too.

Even if you do have time to cleanse or shower, then keep the aforementioned toning wipes handy. Apply them before your moisturizer to help balance pH levels, prevent excess oil production, and calm down the skin—while also lifting dead surface cells to further prevent clogging. You might need to wait 10 or 20 minutes if you suspect that your body/heart rate will still need time to slow down and cool off.

5. Apply a moisturizer as soon as you are “in the clear”.

Despite proactive efforts, sometimes you have to switch to the reactive. Here are two products you need to have ready—for the unfortunate “if and when”.

Toner: Toner helps control excess oil production in the skin. It doubles as a gentle cleanser (assuming it’s free of alcohol), and some of the best ones even help gently exfoliate dead surface skin cells.

We mentioned Cardon’s toning wipes before, but we’ll shout them out again: These toning wipes work terrifically in your planned post-gym regimen (outlined above), but are also terrific for the occasions when you keep sweating well after the exercise, or when your pores go into overdrive and turn your forehead into an oil slick. They also balance the skin’s pH levels, which is to say, they create harmony in the skin after it endures all of that sweating, cleansing, and oil production. Lastly, they calm stressed-out skin with cactus and heartleaf extract, and invigorate it with caffeine.