We all struggle with impurities on our skin, for example enlarged pores. As an oily skin girl I’ve been struggling with my pores my whole life, as they get clogged most of the time and black and whiteheads appear. The last few years I’ve found some great ways for my skin how to maintain and minimize the appearance of my pores. It will not make them disappear, but as long as I take care of it they won’t get any worse. Today I will share my routine with you!
Unclog the pores
You may recognize this feeling; you wake up in the morning and when you rub your nose you can feel all the whiteheads sticking out of your pores. When I was younger I would squeeze them out, but the side effect was that I had to walk around with a red nose the whole day. Don’t squeeze! If you really want to minimize your pores there are several methods for it: serums and peel-off.
Using a serum to unclog the pores is a method that takes time and patience, and nobody got time for that. As an oily skin girl I battle with this every week, so for me the fastest method is a peel-off nose patch or a peel-off mask. I don’t recommend this for people with sensitive skin as it can be very harsh for your skin and you might end up with a red face. As for me, I love the feeling of pain. Some say that using a peel-off mask can damage your skin and make your pores even larger (yikes), but personally I never noticed this ever since I started using peel-off patches on my nose.
My favorite nose patch are the ones from Bioré; they are affordable and pull out everything from your pores! Some people never get anything on their patch once they pull it off, but before you apply it you must really wet your nose and press the patch with a towel on your nose so it won’t stick onto your fingers. For the face I like to use a more gentle peel-off mask like the ones from Bielenda; a biological peel-off mask that will also remove the excess sebum and removes dead skin cells. Super gentle when you pull it from your face and makes your skin feel super smooth.
Stay hydrated
A while ago I did a skin check up at Kiehl’s, they checked with some patches how oily my skin was and the hydration level. I always knew that I was super oily because when I do my skincare routine, my T-zone will starts to shine like a disco ball after an hour. But never did I know that my skin was so dehydrated, that all the excess sebum was created because of my own fault! They said I really needed to drink more water or use a more hydrated face gel cream during the day to keep my skin moist.
Your pores will only make more sebum when it is not hydrated well enough. Sebum appears when the skin is dehydrated, it is like a natural skin protection. Don’t be afraid to use oils to hydrate the skin because especially for the oily skin, face oils will do a lot to reduce the sebum. When I was younger I always thought that using moisturizer will make my pores even larger, and I was so wrong. Hydration is really the key to keep the excess sebum away, even when you are an oily skin person.
As an oily skin girl I like to use hyaluronic acid serums to keep my hydrated level up and lots of face masks. Masking is one of my favorite skincare routines and sometimes I even do 3 face masks steps in one morning (currently wearing my third face mask of this morning while I’m writing this). It is so relaxing and afterwards you wash it off and you don’t need to worry that your skin feels sticky or anything. Sheetmasks are also a must for me like the one from Mizon; the essence mask with rose for pore care! A great moisturizing sheet mask with rose essence to give your skin all the hydration it needs.
Exfoliate and protect the skin
I have some friends who never used any serious skincare products before. When they want to try some products from me they say: just give me a scrub and I will be fine! Girl no, just a scrub is not enough and you definitely have so check first what you skin type is. To really make sure that you skin removes all the dead skin cells and can renew itself, you need a good exfoliating product.
You can use a physical exfoliater or a chemical exfoliater. Physical is a product or method that really contains grains, a brush or scalpel. It means that it really ‘scratch’ away the dead skin cells. Please be careful as a lot of (cheap) skincare brands use big chunks of fruits pits or nuts shells in their products to scrub away the dead skin cells. Instead of improvement, it will actually damage your skin (achum, Kylie Skin). Chemicals are ingredients that contain acids like AHA, BHA and glycolic and will gently exfoliate the skin. These ingredients are usually used in toners or serums, as there is only a small amount needed to do it’s job. No matter what method you use, always make sure to protect your skin with a sunscreen when exfoliating your skin!
Besides exfoliaters you also need something to heal the skin and prevent the pores from creating more sebum. If there is one you really need and is affordable, then it’s from Revolution Skincare London; it is the 10% Niacinamide + 1% Zinc which will actively reduce blemishes and preventing the excess sebum from the pores. It is a great serum and doesn’t feel sticky on the skin and gets immediately absorbed.
Prevention is the key
There are tons of methods to minimize the appearance of your pores, but the best method is preventing them. Daily things like always washing your face, use a moisturizer, don’t touch your face with dirty hands and wearing sunscreen. Start with taking care of your skin!
These are just a few tips how to minimize your pores which works very well for me! Keep in mind that every skin is unique and can react differently on these methods and products. Just sharing my thoughts with you!
How do you remove the excess sebum out of your nose? Or what is your effective way of minimize the pores?
Products that are viewed on the pictures can be find on Notino.nl
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