I was one of those lucky teenagers that never really experienced hormonal skin. Sure, I’d get a spot or two but they could almost always be directly correlated to a stressful essay, a junk food binge or an all-nighter.

So when my skin got worse in my late twenties, I freaked out. And still am.

My chin takes the brunt of it – although my forehead still needs some serious love. Like skin peel love… But that requires a lot more research, and cash. So while I ponder what to do to improve the appearcance of my forehead, and try to find a facialist. Because isn’t that what you do when you’re 30, you’re supposed to really start looking after your skin and get regular facials? Clearly whoever made those rules had a bottomless bank account.

As runners, our skin takes a beating. It is exposed to extreme heat, cold, wind, pollution and plenty of sweat. I feel like a salt crusted face has made a regular appearance this summer, and it hasn’t done my chin or general complexion any favours.

Do you remember the article in Women’s Health about a ‘Runner’s Face’.

I mean, you could go through race photos of me dating back years to see classic examples of this, where gravity is playing its cruelest trick and I look like I have a version of the Scream mask on.

I’ve seen a lot of chat on social media about Fre, a skincare range designed especially for women who workout. Women who sweat, not sparkle. Women who aren’t afraid to get dirty.

Regularly getting a sweat on is great for your physical and mental health, but not all that great for our dermis. Especially when we let it sit there while we go to brunch, make dinner or sit on the train home…. guilty.

Sweat creates the perfect warm, moist environment where bacteria thrive, and wearing make-up or suncream can actually make it worse, trapping bacteria in your pores. However, this doesn’t mean we shouldn’t wear SPF (we absolutely should), or make-up (each to their own on that one), but it does mean that we should be thinking more carefully about what we’re putting on our skin and when.

I’m a morning runner, meaning that I typically get up, brush my teeth, drink some water and head out of the door. This summer I have been religiously applying sunscreen to my face pre-run but other than that, there isn’t much of a skin routine.

Enter Fre. 

Their easy, three step routine is great for morning runners, like myself

Full disclosure, this is NOT paid for or sponsored, I was offered the products to try with no expectation of a review. I just liked the products enough to share with you guys! And they’ve given me a 25% off code (BEANS25)  to share with you lot, they ship to the US, UK and Canada.  The products work as a trio, and are available individually or as a subscription.

Step 1: Protect with SPF 

Firstly, apply the SPF 30 sunscreen. The formula has been specially designed so that it doesn’t clog pores or sting your eyes. During beach bootcamp this summer, my friend Kirsty and I were nearly blinded by the sweat/sunscreen combo that trickled steadily into our eyes.

The Fre sunscreen protects from UVA, UVB and IRA – infrared rays (in all honesty, I had to google what IRA was and came up with a bunch of unrelated Irish Republican Army articles), as well as protecting from air pollution. I hate that feeling of thick sun lotion when I run, especially as it feels like you sweat even more. Luckily, this cream doesn’t feel like that and is a perfect daily pre-run SPF. Even through winter…

Step 2: Purify with Facial Cleanser 

The facewash was my least favourite of the three products. Personally, I like a facewash that lathers instead of the beads. I admit, I was also worried that they were microbeads, which after researching, I can see that they’re in fact jojoba beads. The exfoliating wash helps remove dead skin cells and oil from your face, whilst hydrating and refreshing. We should be aiming to wash our face immediately post workout. That means before you leave the gym/studio and certainly as soon as you get home from that run.

Step 3: Revive Serum 

The serum was hands down my favourite of the three products, I found myself using it everyday, despite bringing my usual face-cream with me. The formula is lightweight, hydrating and is designed to help protect the skin from environmental factors as well as tackling ageing, dryness and that tired look when we’ve had one too many 5am runs.

They’ve also recently brought out a ‘Detox Me’ mask that is designed to prevent outbreaks, remove oil and unclog pores. I haven’t tried it yet but the reviews on the website are all five star, with emphasis on the brightening and rejuvenating properties whilst remaining very lightweight. Its a peel off mask, which are usually really satisfying (lots of people mentioned that the mask tingles whilst on…in a good way). Can’t wait to try it!

With every skincare set purchased, the brand will plant an Argan Tree, to help replenish the endangered forests. Oh and all of their products are vegan and cruelty free. If you want to try it out yourself, you’ll get 25% off with the code BEANS25