hello, Im looking for your opinion of the best products to use to shrink pores. The area on my nose and cheeks (cheek area under eye) have visible pores. I am trying to find a product that will shrink these pores and make my skin more even. I just started using vichy cleanser and moisturizer.
What do you suggest?
I am looking for a product that is not too pricey. Thanks!
There are no products which will physically shrink pores. However, there are a number of makeup techniques and products which can minimize their appearance, and getting rid of blackheads goes a long way towards this end.
Personally, I find that the oil cleansing method has worked really well in helping to deal with my blackhead issue. It’s easy, and really cheap if you make up your own blend rather than buying over priced oil cleansers.
There’s a number of brands that put out oil cleansers, which are just as they sound, oil. It really depends o the brand to what oils they use, but I’ve seen more than a few where the only real ingredient is olive oil. What oil/blend you choose to you is a matter of personal choice.
Yes, it can be as simple as grabbing whatever oil you happen to have on hand, live olive oil, but some people use a blend of different oils that offer a variety of benefits.
With the oil cleansing method the idea is to apply enough to make your face quite slick, then you massage, focusing on your problem areas. Then you apply a hot face cloth to steam, and then remove the cloth and massage again. You may need to apply more oil during this process, and some people steam and massage two or three times before rinsing the oil off. Depending on the person, some people simply rinse, others rinse and then apply a little oil as a moisturiser, and then some use a cleanser and then follow their regular routine.
Some people do this morning and night instead of a regular routine, while others do it just once a day.
Personally, I do it in the evening, and it doubles as my makeup remover step. My blend has a cleanser ingredient mixed into it so that when I add water it froths up, so I don’t need an additional cleanser step but it doesn’t leave my already oily skin too oily to use my anti-ageing moisturiser at night.
I second everything Aro said, I have noticed huge improvements with the oil cleansing method (I use almond and castor, only twice a week as castor dries the skin, the rest of the time I use alond alone or a Shu Uemura cleansing oil). I have way less blackheads. Not sure about my pores because the size of pores is genetic, but keeping them clean help keeping them less visible anyway.
If I stop using that method (which I do sometimes, because I’m lazy), blackheads come back in full force.
Oh and cleansing with oil doesn’t make oily skin worse, it can even improve it!!
I would have thought cleansing with oil would make it worse..not make it less oily.
I was looking some of this up and heard about using sugar or salt to exfoliate. Does this help too? It also mentioned oatmeal masks on days that you dont do the oil cleansing?
I agree with Mariella, even though I’m 30 I have the super oily skin of a teenager. Since using oil my skin’s become far more manageable, and I feel that my skincare and cosmetics products are working a lot better, I’d assume this is because they’re no longer having to fight against the oil slick to do so. Though, I’ve found that if I stop using oil for more than three or four days I’m back to the oil slick again. I believe the reason it works is because your skin doesn’t end up over producing oil to compensate for having the natural oils stripped. An d just to clarify, the cleanser ingredient I have mixed in with mine is an extremely mild agent that helps break down and rinse away the oil rather than actually cleansing.
I prefer to use BHA as my daily exfoliant, I find I get much better results this way rather that using a physical exfoliant every couple of days or so, it’s less time consuming to swipe on a BHA toner, it helps with clogged pores and also helps calm redness.
As for masks, I like to try out new masks as part of my Sunday Spa routine, but once a week I use a thermal mud mask.
BHA? lol sorry all this is new to me–ive just been using otc stuff and its not helping much and trying to broaden my knowledge.
And as for a mild cleanser– what would you recommend for example?
I would have thought cleansing with oil would make it worse..not make it less oily.
Wayne Goss (gossmakeupartist on Youtube) has done quite a few videos on skincare. In one of them, he mentioned that using oil to combat oily skin is better because you’re combating like for like. (I’m trying to find the video where he mentions this, but I can’t at the moment.)
Don’t be sorry, it’s completely my fault for not having explained *facepalm*
As Shelly said, AHA is Alpha-Hydroxy Acid and BHA is Beta-Hydroxy Acid. They’re not as scary as they might first sound. Here is a link to Paula’s Choice that has some answers on AHA and BHA, exfoliation, and so forth.
I adore Wayne Goss. He has a few great vids on diminishing the appearance of pores, here and here.
I’m not a scientist, but my understanding is that there’s two main ways of cleaning something. The first is to use something which breaks down the structure which then allows it to be washed away more easily and the other is the like attracts like principal. Most cleansers, to my understanding, use the first principal, oil cleansers use the second.
As for cleansers, in the morning I use Etude House’s Happy Tea Time Cleansing Foam. I really like the scent, though it’s not strong and doesn’t linger, plus I’ve never had a reaction to it (and I often have issues with cleansers). It comes in a number of different scents/types which are green tea (clarifying), milk tea (softening), lemon tea (revitalizing), peach tea (brightening), and aloe tea (moisturizing). It comes in a 120ml tube you can pick up on eBay for around $8us including delivery. The thing to note about this is that the product goes a long way. The idea with Asian brand foaming cleansers is that you put a pea (or two) size of the product in your hand, then add water and rub your hands together to get it to foam up before applying it to your face. I use the green tea one, and afterwards my face feels clean but soft, it doesn’t feel at all stripped bare of the natural oils though isn’t oily.
Wow your right his videos are great! Its amazing! lol and I went to that paula site like you said Ive never heard of BHA but im glad I have now haha
i have an ulta store near by i normally do my shopping at. First they had me try murad acne cleanser and it was sooo drying that i returned it. Next (and currently) im using vichy cleanser Its not as drying but i havent seen a big difference yet. so im going to try your oil recommendation today! As for a product with bha. I found a few on ulta’s site that have it. perter thomas roth acne kit but it sounds drying!
I think this one sounds better and is a good price liquid oxygen acne wash w/ bha i figured id use it in combination with my other facewash and the oil treatment.
this is the first time ive tried this link thing so im sry if it didnt work lol
thanks again for your help
I hate to be a downer, but BHA isn’t effective at less than 1%, so the Salicylic Acid in your vichy cleanser doesn’t do jack. Even if it was at 1-2%, which is the effective range for BHA, it’s pretty pointless putting it in a cleanser anyway as BHA needs time to absorb, and you simply don’t get that with a cleanser. So, in reality, your washing the BHA down the drain. I would suggest getting a toner, serum, or moisturiser with BHA instead, as these three products are left on your skin and allowed to absorb properly.
misscarrion 2 months ago.
