Large, Clogged And Visible Pores Are A Common Problem That Can Be Tricky To Tackle.
Today, we’re exploring how to unclog your pores plus the techniques that can help keep them looking small.
Why Are Pores Visible?
Pores are small openings in the skin that link to the oil and sweat glands below the skin’s surface. They can become larger and more visible due to a number of causes.
For those of us with oily skin, excess oil is responsible for stretching the pores out, making them appear larger and more visible. Pores can also become enlarged through picking and squeezing at them. If you damage your pores like this, there is a danger of permanently enlarging them.
Pores also become visible when they attract build-up in them. This is often caused by a mixture of oil, bacteria, dead skin cells and hair that fill up the pore. Environmental factors can also contribute, including pollution in the air, the use of pore clogging products, sweat, and oil from your hands transferring to your face.
Pore Clearing Techniques
Problem pores can lead to problem skin.
Clearing the pores out is important because if left untreated, clogged pores can lead to blackheads and blemishes. There are multiple ways to unclog the pores and clean them out – steaming, cleansing, exfoliating, masking, sebum dissolving and using a pore treatment.
Steaming
Steaming is one of the quickest, cheapest and easiest ways to remove dirt from the pores.
To do a steam at home, start by cleansing your face and then place a bowl of steaming water in front of you. Sit in front of the bowl with a towel over your head, covering both sids of your head so it traps in the steam. Massage your face gently for 5-10 minutes in front of the steam, but without getting too close to it.
Once your pores are open, follow up with a clay mask, like Subi's Holo Dream Mask. This will help draw any remaining impurities from the skin.
Cleansing
Pore cleansing is essential and thanks to Korean Beauty, one of the best ways to do this is double cleansing. Try this Double Cleanse setto clear those pores out in record time.
Exfoliating
There are several ways to exfoliate the skin to cleanse them of dirt and buildup, from facial scrubs, to masks and even natural remedies like silk cocoon balls.
If you have normal or oily skin, try a manual exfoliator like Skinfood Black Sugar Wash Off Mask, which uses a mixture of self-heating and granule exfoliation to deep cleanse.
Masking
The best masks for removing congestion from the pores are those with charcoal, mud and other detoxifying ingredients. STYLE STORY's top selling clay mask is the pore minimizing, skin brightening 2-in-1 Holo Dream Mask.
Sebum Dissolving
Sebum dissolving treatments work to clear the pores by cleansing oil and blackheads from the T-Zone. They use a mix of ingredients that pull impurities from the skin, purify and dissolve oil.
Pore Treating
One popular way of exfoliating the pores is the “grits method”, which involves using a BHA product, a clay mask and a cleansing oil to bring any “grits” in the skin to the surface.
To do a grits exfoliation, apply a 2% BHA product (like COSRX BHA Blackhead Power Liquid) for 20 minutes, followed by a clay mask (like Subi Holo Dream).
Don’t wash your BHA off but simply apply the clay mask over the top for 15 minutes. After you wash off the mask off, apply an emulsifying oil cleanser (like APLB's Blackout Cleansing Oil) to help pull any plugs out of the pores. Gently massage the surface of your skin with the cleanser for 2-3 minutes to help bring any clogged parts to the surface. When doing the massage, take care not to damage your skin by exfoliating too vigorously or you risk damaging your skin’s barrier.
Got any tips for how to unclog your pores that we missed? Drop them in the comments!
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