There are many misconceptions when it comes to clogged pores. Lots of skin care routines, home remedies, and explanations simply aren’t the truth. I have fallen victim to many of these unfortunately, so I am making it my goal to show others. You can learn from my mistakes, and by the end of this article, I will have explained everything you need to know about identifying clogged pores and treating them the proper way.
What are Clogged Pores
Clogged pores are a makeup of a lot of things. Dry skin, makeup, excess oil, pollutants, and bacteria all contribute to clogged pores. This means that your skin is blocked, which can result in acne, larger appearing pores, or darker looking pores. The kicker to both of these last points is the appearance. There is a large misconception on whether your pores can actually grow and shrink or turn lighter and darker. We’ll dive into that later, but the biggest takeaway is that none of us want clogged pores, so the most important question is how do we fix it?
5 Step Fix
While there are loads of preventative care that I will add later on, there are some tools to use when you realize that you do already have clogged pores. Here’s a 5 step routine on how to clean pores to begin your journey to a fresh face!
- Find a gentle cleanser: The skin care world is wildly misinformative. There are thousands of voices pointing each of us in different directions. However, unlike many brands may suggest, deep and aggressive cleansers are NOT good for your skin! On the contrary, they can heavily damage your skin and make your skin issues worse.
Finding a gentle cleanser is the only option when you want results. This might feel like it isn’t doing as much as other solutions, but I promise, gentleness is the best thing for your fragile skin. Give it time.
- Exfoliator: So we need a gentle cleanser, but what about an exfoliator to get all the dead skin off? Yes. We still need something gentle. The harsh exfoliators with beads or other types of damaging qualities have been pushed into the skin care world for so long, it seems completely foreign to look for a gentle exfoliator, but it is the best option.
Newer options use chemical properties to exfoliate rather than scrubbing. Now, this is not some heavy chemical peel level ingredient but just enough to remove the dead skin and allow for your pores to release all the toxins trapped inside.
- Moisturize: Immediately after you finish your skin routine steps, add in a moisturizer. This is a crucial step that needs to be done at the right time and with the right type of moisturizer. Find something that is without oil, but brings nourishment to your skin.
- Sunscreen: Every day, you should be applying sunscreen. Whether rain or shine, the sun is always working, so you should be too. Incorporate this into your daily routine and watch your skin appear more youthful and glowy.
- Be persistent: While there are steps to fix clogged pores in the broad sense of the word, there are always going to be things that restart the entire process. The biggest take away is to be diligent with a healthy skincare routine like these top 4 steps to ensure that even when your pores do get clogged up again, you can erase that away faster and help lessen the amount of it.
Preventative Care
So we have averted the clogged pore crisis for now, but what steps need to be taken in order to prevent clogged pores in the future? Knowing what can cause clogged pores is a huge piece to the puzzle, but there are some other daily routines for pore cleansing that can help prevent it.
The biggest factor to consider is to continue the skincare routine above. Cleansing your skin only when you see a problem area is not only the wrong way to use skincare, but more difficult. It takes much more time for your skin to repair itself rather than equip itself. Keep this in mind when you come home at midnight and fight with yourself to wash your face. You will appreciate that you did when the morning comes around, I promise.
Another measure to take is to protect your skin in your daily routines. When you are out in the heat, wear a hat that can cover your face. This protects your hair and your skin. Yes. Your hair needs protection from the sun. The sun has lots of power, but too much of that can be damaging, so take precaution.
Now that you are equipped on how to clean unclogged pores, how to prevent them, and why they are not something anyone wants, you are ready to rock your new skin with confidence! Happy cleansing!
