Read the latest blog from The Body Shop
WHAT CAUSES LARGE PORES?
Each of our pores contain a sebaceous oil gland, which produces the
skin's natural oil - sebum. If your sebaceous glands are having a
grand time and overproducing sebum, this causes large pores, which
can lead to oily skin. Although sebum acts as a natural moisturiser
for the skin, all this excess production can be a big nuisance.
On a nitty-gritty level, when dirt, makeup or oil build up on the
skin’s surface, these impurities can easily sink into our pores and
get lodged in there. This clog then effectively stretches the skin
around the pore, and so, pores appear larger. So if you have
naturally oilier skin, your excessive sebum is more likely to weigh
down pores causing you to notice them more.
Where you live or work can impact what you see in the mirror, too.
Drying air conditioning, extreme heat or even sun damage can be
culprits in making pores seem enlarged. When skin gets dehydrated,
the oil glands can kick things up a gear to compensate, which, not
unlike over-watering your plants, can be problematic.
5 TIPS FOR MINIMISING THE APPEARANCE OF PORES
1. REMOVE DEAD SKIN
Buffing away dead skin cells is the first step to help unclog
pesky congestion in your pores. Use an exfoliator, like our Drops
of Youth™ Youth Liquid Peel, which leaves your skin feeling
cleansed, free from impurities. An innovative gel-to-peel texture,
it’s infused with Community Fair Trade moringa seed oil and a
blend of three plant stem cells – edelweiss from the Italian Alps,
sea holly and criste marine from the Brittany coast.
When you massage the sumptuous gel into the skin, it transforms
into noodle-like clumps that help to trap impurities and residue,
leaving skin feeling fresh and healthy-looking.
HELP REMOVE IMPURITIES FROM SKIN
Coming up against the elements and urban grime many of us face on
a daily basis can make you feel like your skin is particularly
grubby – and pores clogged. How to reduce pores on faces was the
question we were obsessed with when designing our vegan Japanese
Matcha Tea Pollution Clearing Mask. It’s enriched with Community
Fair Trade aloe vera and dandelion extract alongside matcha green
tea, and is best applied with our Facial Mask Brush for even
coverage. Using this mask 2-3 times a week can help to deeply
exfoliate the pores of everyday impurities and reveal more
radiant-looking skin. We can’t all live next to green fields and
babbling brooks, but it’s certainly possible to help your skin
feel like it’s been kissed by nature’s goodness if you treat it
right.
ALWAYS REMOVE MAKEUP BEFORE BED
Want to learn how to make your pores appear smaller? Simply follow
good old classic advice and always-always-always remove your
makeup before bed. It’s essential that makeup particles don’t dig
into those small outlets in the skin’s surface while you sleep.
There’s a reason our Camomile Sumptuous Cleansing Butter is our
best-selling makeup remover. Simply massage this buttery formula
into your face, mascara-laden lashes and all, and remove with a
damp muslin cloth or reusable cotton pad. Skin is left feeling
cleansed and refreshed in time for bed. Now, that’s snoozing
smart.
MOISTURISE AND HELP PROTECT YOUR SKIN FROM THE SUN
Buffing away dead skin cells is the first step to help unclog
pesky congestion in your pores. Use an exfoliator, like our Drops
of Youth™ Youth Liquid Peel, which leaves your skin feeling
cleansed, free from impurities. An innovative gel-to-peel texture,
it’s infused with Community Fair Trade moringa seed oil and a
blend of three plant stem cells – edelweiss from the Italian Alps,
sea holly and criste marine from the Brittany coast.
When you massage the sumptuous gel into the skin, it transforms
into noodle-like clumps that help to trap impurities and residue,
leaving skin feeling fresh and healthy-looking.
BALANCE EXCESS OIL
Coming up against the elements and urban grime many of us face on
a daily basis can make you feel like your skin is particularly
grubby – and pores clogged. How to reduce pores on faces was the
question we were obsessed with when designing our vegan Japanese
Matcha Tea Pollution Clearing Mask. It’s enriched with Community
Fair Trade aloe vera and dandelion extract alongside matcha green
tea, and is best applied with our Facial Mask Brush for even
coverage. Using this mask 2-3 times a week can help to deeply
exfoliate the pores of everyday impurities and reveal more
radiant-looking skin. We can’t all live next to green fields and
babbling brooks, but it’s certainly possible to help your skin
feel like it’s been kissed by nature’s goodness if you treat it
right.
THE BENEFITS OF OUR TEA TREE OIL & CHARCOAL RANGES FOR REDUCING THE
APPEARANCE OF PORES
Using our products with tea tree and charcoal in them means a double
whammy in the pore unclogging department. These two ingredients have
got more centuries of skincare creds than you can shake a stick at,
which is why we infused them into our Charcoal and Tea Tree ranges.
Our Tea Tree range, enriched with tea tree oil from Kenya, helps to
battle blemishes and soak up extra oil. Our tea tree oil is
ethically sourced via our Community Fair Trade programme, ensuring
that when we bring you our bestselling Tea Tree range, we’re also
supporting the community to make a sustainable living from their
local resources.
Our Charcoal range helps to attract impurities and wick them out of
the pores. The bamboo charcoal we use in our products comes from the
glorious Himalayas. Bamboo charcoal is prized not just as a
hotly-tipped skincare ingredient, but as an environmentally friendly
resource, as it’s the fastest growing woody plant in the world.
BEST SKINCARE ROUTINE FOR REDUCING THE APPEARANCE OF PORES
Step 1: Cleansing is the crucial first step in any
skincare routine, washing away whatever has landed in your pores
throughout the day.
Step 2: Use an exfoliating mask 1-2 times a week
for a targeted treat to help minimise the appearance of pores.
Step 3: Follow up with a toner to help pores be as
clean as they can.
Step 4: Moisturise to help your skin maintain its
natural oils to reduce the chance of your sebum production revving
up to compensate for a lack of moisture.
WHAT IS OILY SKIN?
If you think your skin is emitting more radiance than you’d like in
the form of oiliness or shine, it could be that you have oily skin.
We've rounded up our tips and tricks, as well as products designed
with you in mind including oily skincare and foundation for oily
skin.