Pores, they are the small openings located all around your body. They act as passageways for oil and sweat, but they also have a part in allowing the skin to breathe. Pores are something we all have and the size of our pores is determined by the genetics we receive from our parents! However, we understand the desire to conceal the pores, which is what we are going to delve deeper into in this week’s blog! 

First, we would like to emphasize that pores are necessary for the skin to function and that there is really no way to completely rid yourself of pores, however, there are ways to minimize their appearance!

These treatments are not instantaneous either; it does take time, as does any skincare treatment. But you can make the first steps in minimizing the appearance of pores by following these tips:

Cleansing Daily

Pores can appear bigger than they actually are because they’ve accumulated a bunch of dirt and oil throughout the day. Keeping your skin clean is one of the ways you can help minimize the look of pores.

Urban Calm Gel Cleanser with Fermented Pear + LHA

We recommend using a gentle cleanser that isn’t too hard on the skin. For example, the Urban Calm Gentle Gel Cleanser is, as the name suggests, a powerful gentle cleanser. We recommend cleansing twice a day, morning and night, but that may not be suitable for some skin types. If choosing between the two, we recommend cleansing at night so you can rid your skin of the dirt, oils, and sweat that get caught up in the pores. 

Exfoliate Weekly

While cleansing may help with clearing out the pores, we recommend exfoliating to really get rid of any stubborn remaining dirt that may still linger. 

It’s important to exfoliate once or twice a week depending on your skin’s resilience. Be very careful not to over-exfoliate by accident or else you risk some swelling in the pores. 

We recommend using either clay masks or chemical exfoliation! Because clay masks are porous, they absorb oil, and impurities and get rid of dead skin at the surface. This is recommended for those with more sensitive skin as clay masks tend to be gentler on the skin. 

Chemical exfoliants have varying concentrations of ingredients that are made to help remove the build-up of dead skin on the face or within the pores. Chemical exfoliants are also perfect for anti-aging. We recommend that if you are going to use chemical exfoliants, slowly introduce your skin to the product or you risk severe irritation. As always apply SPF in the morning and make sure to keep your skin deeply hydrated after each time you apply a chemical exfoliant. 

Avoid Touching The Face

We’re all guilty of this. We know how easy it is to just rest your hands on your chin or cheeks, but we urge you to be more mindful of doing this! Your hands come into contact with a variety of different items, each containing large amounts of bacteria, and touching your face means that you’re transporting the bacteria on your hands, to your face. This in turn causes the pores to fill with dirt and you may experience blackheads and whiteheads more commonly. So whenever you find yourself about to touch your face, just be mindful of it and make sure to clean your hands! 

By incorporating some of these tips into your daily skincare routine, with time, you can experience a reduction in the size of your pores. Just always remember to always be consistent in your routine!