There are many things to think about when it comes to grooming, skincare, and keeping yourself looking good. You have likely heard about clogged pores and what does it have to do with your skincare routine?
Treating your clogged pores right can lead to a clearer, smoother, more breakout-free complexion. But that means understanding how to unclog pores, how to shrink pores that appear enlarged, how to get rid of blackheads, and the best clogged pores treatment for your skin type. Here’s everything you need to know, starting with the basics.
What Are Pores?
Pores are openings on the surface of the skin that microscopic particles can pass through. They're the openings of hair follicles and the place where sebum and sweat are released to keep the body moisturized and cool. But they’re also a place where a lot can go wrong for your skin.
Common Pore Concerns
Your pores can become enlarged, congested, and clogged. In some cases, this is natural. The appearance of your pores (small or large pores) is largely determined by genetics, and their size has to do with their individualized function.
However, bad habits, lifestyle choices, and external factors can worsen common concerns with your pores. These include:
- Pollution and other environmental irritants
- The aging process
- Hormonal fluctuations
- Your hygiene habits
- Your skincare products & grooming habits
- Acne breakouts
- Your skin type
Not sure how to unclog pores? No worries - we have a lot of tips on skincare for clogged pores to resolve many of these concerns, help minimize your pores, and keep your skin clear.
What Causes Clogged Pores?
You won't know how to unclog pores until you understand what gets them clogged in the first place. In most cases, it's
Over-cleansing your skin and using harsh skincare products can also lead to clogged pores. They compromise your skin’s natural barrier. Your skin, in response, gets red, irritated, and makes even more oil.
In the meantime, excess dryness and the striped barrier make your skin more vulnerable to bacteria, infection, and other concerns. Translation? A vicious cycle of tightness, oiliness, and blocked pores.
How to Unclog Pores
Unclogging your pores means getting rid of the excess oil and dead skin cells that have gunked them up in the first place. With the right products for clogged pores, that's not hard at all. In about 5 minutes, you can use these products to effectively clean pores on your face and prevent it from happening again.
Step 1: Cleansing
Let’s look at the first step on how to get rid of clogged pores. Your face step is the cleansing process. Cleansing your face after a long day will help unclog your pores. Regular cleansing with warm water will help remove dirt, oily skin, and unwanted skin debris.
Use Face Wash With Salicylic Acid
To achieve your cleansing goal, try the Acne Controlling Face Wash for Men. This product helps clear pores and renews your skin into its natural complexion. With 2% salicylic acid in this product, get rid of skin debris, clears acne, and unclogs pores.
Use Face Wash For Oily Skin
For guys with normal to oily skin, we recommend our Clarifying Gel Face Wash. Use it each morning and evening to wash away dirt and excess oil. It won't totally strip your skin of oil, so your natural barrier will stay intact. The gentle formula uses non-drying, non-irritating ingredients like geranium and aloe.
Charcoal is The Best Way to Clean Pores
Activated charcoal is a kind of carbon processed to boost absorbency. As a result, allowing it to fight and stop skin impurities from your pores. Our Purifying Charcoal Face Wash for Men does a deep cleansing of the pores at the same time while keeping your skin moisturized and nourished.
Step 2: Exfoliating
New to exfoliation? Overall, this is the best clogged pores treatment to help with this common issue. While exfoliation won't shrink your pores or reduce your nose pores, it can minimize their appearance by keeping them clean and unclogged.
Do a Face Peel Periodically
Large pores on the nose or cheek pores can be well-cleaned with glycolic acid. When dead skin cells accumulate on the skin's surface, they can mix with oil and other impurities. This can cause skin congestion. Apply the Smooth Finish Glycolic Acid Peel for Men to scrub off skin congestion and exfoliate whiteheads.
Face Scrub From Time to Time
You only need to exfoliate with a face scrub every other day to get the full effects. Anything more than that could cause irritation and work against your pore-clearing efforts.
When it comes to how to unclog pores, a gentle approach is best. So don't look for gritty scrubs that scrape up your skin. Our Renewing Face Scrub uses pumice and jojoba beads to deep clean pores without causing irritation.
Step 3: Toning
Toner is a refreshing, oil-reducing skincare product that helps keep your skin matted and your pores unclogged. You can spray it directly on your skin or dab it on using a cotton ball. Many guys want to know how to close pores, but the truth is that it's the same as how to unclog pores. You just need to keep them free of excess dirt, dead skin, and oil.
Apply a Toner for Balancing the Skin
Our Balancing Toner helps with clogged pores on the face - and manages to do so without the harsh alcohol that you'll find as a main ingredient in so many skincare products. Instead, ours is made with witch hazel, cucumber distillate, and aloe vera.
Step 4: Deep Pore Cleansing With a Mask
Masks designed for deep pore cleansing often contain ingredients like clay, charcoal, or salicylic acid, which work to absorb excess oil and draw out impurities from deep within the pores. If you want to know how to clean face pores, check out products with salicylic acid and the three A’s (anti-inflammatory, antibacterial, and antifungal).
Clean Clogged Pores on Nose And Cheeks With a Charcoal Mask
Purifying Charcoal Face Mask for Men is one of the products with the three As. Our product has the ability to extract excess oil from extremely clogged pores. This is especially helpful for those who are looking at how to prevent maskne, for instance. Charcoal has natural antibacterial properties, which can help to prevent the growth of acne-causing bacteria on the skin.
Step 5: Moisturizing
Even guys with oily skin need to use moisturizer. Just be sure you're using a lightweight product that absorbs quickly and isn't made with heavy oils.
Moisturizer seals in hydration, preventing dryness and irritation that can lead to clogged pores.
It also supports your skin's natural barrier, which contributes to keeping excess debris out of your pores.
Moisturizer For All Skin Types
Our Daily Essential Face Moisturizer is ideal for guys of all skin types because of its gentle, natural ingredients. It's made with jojoba oil, aloe, green tea, and hyaluronic acid.
Hydrated Skin and Clean Pores
Apply in the morning and night for the best results. The Acne Controlling Face Moisturizer Treatment for Men contains 2% Salicylic Acid. This product is a start if you want to learn how to clean pores. The acne-fighting effects may take up to two weeks to kick in fully.
Step 6: Extra Treatment of Problematic Zones
Pores clogged with hard sebum on some parts of the face may need extra treatment. These challenging zones need more than the usual treatment for clogged pores. Some examples of these challenging zones can include clogged pores on the chin and clogged pores around the lips. This could be due to your glands creating excess oil.
For Big Pores on Nose
Try a gentle exfoliation approach by treating acne with our Men's Acne Controlling Spot Treatment which is ideal for targeted regions of the face. It removes dead skin cells and germs from pores and calms the irritated part. Apply the product to clogged pores on the forehead and other problematic areas
How To Prevent Clogged Pores
Preventing pores from becoming too dirty in the first place is one of the best ways to unclog pores and congested pores. Sebum production increases with your diet, stress, and even climate, but here are some tips to help prevent clogged pores.
Choose What You Eat
Specific diets can cause skin inflammation, including the cheeks, and may trigger clogged pores on the cheeks. Pores may also be exacerbated by hormonal changes brought on by dietary changes. Eating right and drinking enough water can help to clean pores if you start developing dehydrated skin.
Use Non Comedogenic Products
The term "non-comedogenic" describes products that are less prone to acne and result in congested skin. Products like coconut oil, almond oil, soybean oil, avocado oil, palm oil, peanut oil, beeswax, olive oil, or jojoba oil are comedogenic and may cause breakouts on oily skin.
If you're prone to breakouts, using products with a comedogenic substance, even once, can result in breakouts known as product acne.
Hyaluronic Acid
Our all-natural Hyaluronic Acid Booster allows hyaluronic acid to penetrate the skin and hydrate the underlying tissue deeply. This contributes to blocked pores, the skin's natural elasticity, and hydration, making the skin look younger and healthier.
Glycolic Acid
The combination of malic, lactic, and glycolic acids in this natural Glycolic Acid Serum rejuvenates congested skin, clearing pores of excess debris and showing skin at its freshest and healthiest.
Avoid Squeezing
In addition to the apparent risk of bleeding, squeezing pores on cheeks or forehead can cause the surrounding pores to become irritated, inflamed, clogged, spread infection, and leave scars.
It's important to avoid touching your face as bacteria and other pollutants that can clog your pores can be transferred to your face by touching it.
Be Careful with Hair Products
One way to avoid clogged pores on the forehead is by using natural hair products for men. Gel and oil can move from your hair to your skin and clog the pores. Keep hair products away from your face, and wash your hair regularly.
Protect Your Skin From The Sun
Sun exposure can also cause pores to appear larger.
Sunburn time has been linked to a loss of collagen, elastin, and water from the skin, all of which contribute to a drooping appearance of the skin and, in turn, big pores on the nose and face.
Protecting your skin with SPF is essential as it will prevent UV damage to your skin's elastin and collagen, reducing the enlarged look of cheek pores.
Apply 20 SPF on a Daily Basis
It's easy to neglect sunscreen as part of your daily skincare routine, but you should prioritize Daily Defense Face Moisturizer with SPF 20. You'll be glad you did when you're able to see your clogged pores improve and your skin retains its youthful glow for years.
Apply 45 SPF If Under the Strong Sun
Our best men's moisturizer, the Element Defense Moisturizer with SPF 45 for Men has broad-spectrum UVA/UVB protection with an SPF of 45.
Change Your Skincare
With age comes the inevitable stretchy and saggy skin, accentuating the appearance of pores. Small skin cells accumulate around your pores as you age, making them look enlarged. The best product for clogged pores is selected, considering your skin type and age.
To Unclog Pores on Face
The Acne Controlling System is the right acne treatment to remove excess oil from the face, lessen acne breakouts and zeros in on the affected areas, sweat pimples, and heal acne scars. It contains all you need to keep your skin healthy and clean pores on the face.
To Revitalize and Reduce Congested Pores
If the appearance of your pores worsens with age, you can correct this with our anti-aging product. These products contain the right ingredients to nourish your skin, revitalize and reduce congested pores. Men's Complete Defense Anti Aging Routine combines our five most powerful anti-aging products, making it essential for your skincare routine.
How to Get Rid of Pores Permanently?
Genetics plays a major role in the skin, so there is no way to reduce pore size permanently. However, there are preventive ways to get rid of clogged pores and reduce their size, but you cannot permanently eliminate pores. Pore cleansing can be employed as one of the ways to deal with pores.
The Takeaway
Clogged pores on the face are common skin conditions. However, various options exist for dealing with enlarged pores and avoiding breakouts. Maintaining a regular skincare routine has been shown to improve the skin's appearance and health in many people. Your skin will look great and healthy with the right skincare products for clogged pores and with our tips.
