Spring Launch Time – A Purified and Balanced Skincare Routine is Just What We Need!!
The Skinsmith | 25th March 2024
Difficult pores, how to Identify them and how to take positive action!
We all crave clarity whether it is physical or metaphorical and we’ve got your skin clarity covered! Blackheads, whiteheads, and bumpiness are just a few telling characteristics of congested skin, which, if ignored, can deliver acne, inflammation and more. Environmental aggressors and stressors, humidity, sweat, sebum, and dead skin cells mean your pores rarely have an easy time of it. Leave your pores clogged up at your peril, blocked pores can result in congested skin and acne breakouts becoming a regular occurrence.
How to help and not aggravate the situation:
But what exactly does it mean and how do you find a way out of the vicious cycle? Most of us will go with our first instinct – exfoliate like crazy and try to slough off all bumps while cleansing enough times to totally strip the skin of oil. This may be a short-term solution but the lack of oil in the skin and over exfoliation will most likely leave the skin with no option but to launch a defensive attack, leaving you with more redness and breakouts to deal with than you had in the first place. Congested skin is characterised by its appearance which is rough in texture and has multiple open pores and comedones. The latter is caused due to dead skin cell build-up and related debris, further compounded by the lack of easy lymphatic drainage. Congested skin isn't just one thing, it’s a conglomeration of a lot of things. If your skin is congested, you might notice bumpiness underneath the skin, blackheads, small whiteheads, breakouts, and a general dull appearance.
Help is at hand:
This skin condition can be the result of overactive sebaceous glands, triggered by hormonal fluctuations, an unhealthy diet, the lack of a regular skincare routine, using incorrect skincare products and so on. Congested skin feels bumpy to touch and has prominent whiteheads and blackheads, especially on the cheeks and the T-zone. The battle against skin congestion can feel like a never-ending process. Following a great skincare routine of cleansing, exfoliation, and hydration, will lead you back to glowing skin, but to return balance to your skin, it’s important to get to the root of the problem. This means clearing out your clogged pores and the best way to clean the surface of your skin is a strict cleansing routine, regular exfoliation with hydroxy acids and using non-comedogenic skincare products. Ensure that you remove make-up with an oil-based cleanser, Stone Crop Cleansing Oil is a great choice to ensure all make-up is gently removed and ready for the next skincare steps. Follow this with a soap-free, purifying cleanser and hydration – we’d recommend Kombucha Microbiome Foaming Cleanser followed by Acne Advanced Clarifying Hydrator or Charcoal & Black Seed Clarifying Oil.
Additional ways to help your skin:
A healthy lifestyle, balanced diet and regular exercise can go a long way for dealing with congested skin. Apply an oil-free moisturiser on your face regularly Clear Skin Probiotic Moisturiser also works well and go for routine facials and clean-ups to exfoliate the dead cells and maintain the hydration of your skin. Your professional Eminence therapist can also offer you professional only products that are more intensive than your @home routine. Pay special attention to the T-zone and apply a clay-based mask like Snow Mushroom and Reishi Masque or Charcoal & Black Seed Clay Masque once a week to keep the sebum production under control, while using a fruit-based mask like Raspberry Pore Refining Masque to hydrate the rest of the face. Rubbing ice on the T-zone can also help tighten the pores. Consuming vitamin C or antioxidant supplements daily can further prevent the skin from looking dull.
Look to cleansers and moisturisers containing gentle acids like lactic (Mangosteen Collection) and salicylic, probiotics, antiseptics like tea tree and soothing natural ingredients such as cucumber (Clear Skin Collection). Gentle physical exfoliants can be used to great effect but please don’t overdo it or you may over exfoliate and strip the skin of oil. Lavender also serves as a natural antiseptic that helps soothe and purify the skin, treat your skin while you sleep with Lavender Age Corrective Night Concentrate. Papain helps stimulate natural exfoliation to help clear clogged follicles, while tea tree oil is known for its antiseptic and anti-bacterial properties. Clay and Charcoal are also amazing ingredients for use in the war against congested skin. Clay absorbs excess oil, helps manage dry skin, and prevents acne while charcoal using activated charcoal can help to control how oily your skin is. As well as drawing out dirt and toxins, activated charcoal can also draw out oil from your skin. This means that less oil is built up and your skin can perform better at combating breakouts.
Work with your skin rather than fighting it, supporting the natural skin barrier, by reinforcing it with antioxidants, hydrating and soothing ingredients can protect the skin from damage by pollution, bacteria, and outside aggressors.
Is there an Eminence Collection aimed specifically at congested skin?
There is now!!
The Charcoal and Black Seed Collection has been designed to get to the very root of the problem. It has been carefully crafted to clear out congestion while helping you control excess oil, these three formulas bring purifying ingredients together to give you clarified, healthy-looking skin. We now have one professional and two new retail products available to bring your pores back into line:
Charcoal & Black Seed Pro Desincrustation Gel
This is a truly versatile professional only product so get yourself booked into your nearest spa. Use our spa finder to discover Eminence spas and salons close to you and get yourself a pore refining facial. When smoothed over skin it makes extractions easy and can also be used as a double cleanse to sweep away impurities and refine pores.
Charcoal & Black Seed Clarifying Oil
Treat your skin to this silky formula that balances sebum while visibly improving congestion and soothing occasional redness. Made with pore-friendly ingredients that are rich in antioxidants and fatty acids, this non-comedogenic, clarifying formula is suitable for all skin types, including oily and combination.
Charcoal & Black Seed Clay Masque
This velvety clay masque will absorb excess oil while reducing the appearance of large pores and dark spots. Activated charcoal, illite clay, black seed oil and squalane join forces to balance and hydrate skin in a formula ideal for all skin types, including oily and combination.
Discover The Benefits of Charcoal & Black Seed...
Learn more about the key benefits of dealing with congestion by speaking to a member of our experienced and friendly team today on 01305 300950 or by emailing [email protected]. We look forward to hearing from you.
