This is just an explicit aside to the last two posts that I published … if you haven’t read them first, check them out here:
Sensitive, Clogged, Red Skin, and Rosacea. What’s Causing It? How to Heat It?
Papaya Enzymes – the Answer to Red, Sensitive, Clogged Up Skin?
We learned some really fantastic information in those posts about what’s going on with the skin when it gets red, flushed, and clogged, and how to stop this from happening by using enzyme exfoliation.
In fact, it made me realize the answer to this age old question that I often get:
“I switched to natural skin care, and started using oils (such as jojoba oil) to moisturize, it’s helped in some ways but I still can’t get rid of my clogged pores, or now I have more of them! What do I do?”
It is certainly not the case for everyone, but some people do find this. Same with people who switch to the caveman regimen.
Then they curse the natural stuff and want to run straight back to the chemical stuff, which is going to make everything worse in the long run.
After learning all this recent information from organic esthetician Melissa Armstrong, it all makes sense:
Your skin NEEDS hydration, and it needs to have its pores unclogged so the skin can regenerate at the deepest level, push those healthy cells up through the pore, and look healthy on the surface.
However, commercial products full of dyes, silicons, plastics, and everything else (even if they claim to be non-comedogenic) will definitely clog your pores.
So using natural oils to moisturize is the way to go, but your skin is still damaged and clogged at the deepest layers from using the chemical cleansers, moisturizers, and acne products.
So, initially, for some peeps depending on how damaged your skin is to begin with, piling natural oils on top (or foregoing everything via caveman regimen) may only make the clogging worse.
That’s where the enzyme exfoliation comes in.
Don’t run back to the chemicals, instead add some gentle papaya exfoliation in there to help you unclog the pores and get your skin regenerating itself again. (follow the instructions in the previous post).
After that, the oils, and / or the caveman regimen should work a lot better for you. Mind you, you may still expect a bit of a purging phase as the enzymes bring the clogs to the surface and your skin adjusts.
Hang in there.
Peace!
16 Responses
Haha, this article is just for me. I’ve been on good food,good supplements, natural oils, aloe vera, green smoothis etc etc for few years after bcp..and i still have those little clogged pores over my face. As my skin is a lot better, it would be amazing to get rid of these little glogged pores and mini blackheads. They are small, but I can feel them. And my skin seems a bit red all the time. But not sensitive, rather oily. I will try this papaya exfoliation for sure, thanks 🙂
Hope it works out for you Sandy!
Hi Sandy,
As the article states, even if you’ve switched to a natural chemical free skincare regimen the damage has already been done at the lower levels from past application of chemical filler (most likely cause).
If you are clogging, you are continuing to trap dead skin cells that are inhibiting healthy function and cellular turnover. Papaya powder/enzymes are a great starting point to use as a masking step.
I would also add a clay to your mask.
Clay will help purge and lift up the trapped debris inside the follicle while the enzyme digests and eats it away. If you are dehydrated this will not work effectively. That is why Tracy’s acknowledgment of a non-chemical (organic)oil/ hydrator is a must to heal your skin imbalance and begin to repair the healthy function.
If you have redness in your skin you are trapping scar tissue that is trapping stagnant bloodflow – with improper circulation and detoxification ability- that will continue to damage your collagen until properly handled and the scar tissue is removed.
Enzyme paired with clay and proper hydration should begin to help you.
Hi tracy,
How long did it take you to get completely clear? It is been almost a year (october). Although it is now as bad as it use to be… I use to have inflammed cystic acne all over my face and now only blackheads and whiteheads around my skin and my jawline and chin before the time of the month one deep inflammed acne on my chin.
Hi Lil-Rose, try this enzyme thing, it might be the last step for you!
Hi Tracy and Melissa,
Thank you so much for this article! I started natural skincare in May (honey and oils) and my skin got so much worse. It seems almost every pore is clogged and I have developed a pretty severe case of acne. I have never experienced anything like this. I had some bumps as a teenager (I am 47), but never anything like this. I was so confused! In desperation I went back to chemicals a couple of weeks ago but that didn’t help, and it really stung and hurt. In desperation again yesterday I went looking for answers and stumbled across your article. It was so refreshing to finally understand what is going on! I was encouraged to give the natural stuff another try. I couldn’t find the powder at my local health food stores, but did the mask with a mashed papaya and then put raw organic honey on my face and left it for several hours. I also bought an aloe plant, so last night before bed, I put tea tree oil on my acne (I have like 10 large bumps on both cheeks) and smeared fresh aloe gel all over my face. I am hoping to move to a regimen of washing with hemp seed oil (although using hemp seemed to escalate the clogging significantly) and maybe alternating with honey. Any suggestions for what I should do for my acne while waiting for my pores to clear? And can I do the mask more often than every 3 days? My pores are pretty severely clogged.
Thanks so much for the hope! I really needed it!
Rachel
Hi Rachel!
I am just seeing this post, sorry. Are you clear or is your skin still learning how to properly regenerate itself and not trap inflammation and past dead skin cells?
Cooled steeped tea bag and or icing for about 2 minutes will help constrict blood vessels and should minimize vasodilation in and surrounding the follicle linings. Can’t wait to hear how things have progressed for you.
Melissa
Hi Tracy,
I no longer have acne thanks to you (and I haven’t for about 2 years!) However, I do suffer with clogged pores and still have some hyperpigmentation. I have tried everything and nothing has worked. I just want to have healthier skin in general and I really want to have laser resurfacing. All I’m asking is for your opinion on whether this would be a good idea or not. It would sure as hell improve my self-confidence!
Becca, try the enzymes first!
Hi Becca,
I agree – try the papaya masks first. Before a dermatologist will do laser resurfacing, they are likely to recommend about half a dozen chemical peels/exfoliation, which is what the papaya enzymes do. I spent hundreds/thousands of dollars on laser resurfacing and chemical peels and though my skin did look great at times, it wasn’t a permanent solution and I’ve found natural skin care has lead to the same results over time. Have you tried Rose Hip Oil? I’ve found it has worked really well for my hyper pigmentation. Commit to about 2 months of papaya masks and then see if you still want to try the derm route. It’ll be a hell of a lot cheaper! 🙂
Another caution with laser genesis is that if you have a history of cold sores, you must take an anti-viral (like acyclovir) as a prophylactic prior to undertaking any laser as it is likely to activate the virus and lead to reoccurring flare-ups that are hard to stop. A good derm will ask you if you have a history of cold sores and prescribe meds to start before laser.
I hope this helps!
Meagan
I have been using epsom salt face mask (morning and night) for a couple of weeks now. I cannot believe how much this has worked. My clogged pores were everywhere and now they are gone. The redness has calmed down so much. I put a good amount in my hand, sprinkle enough water to make it slushy like, and spread it on my face. I let it sit until it dries and can no longer take the tightness then just rinse with warm water. I am not going to lie…there is a purging stage that will make you feel horrible.
I am planning to try this. So do you wash your face with anything else, or just wet it, apply the mask, and rinse later? Is there anything else you are doing, or is that it? And how long did the purging take, so I know when to say enough is enough? You said the purging period would make you feel horrible. Are you talking acne-wise or was there something else? Thanks!
Rachel,
I am just using the epsom salt but I read that you can mix it in with your face wash or oil. The purging brought painful pimples, the blackheads and filaments looked more pronounced, and even brought out a mild eczema rash. I didn’t want to give up and things started to calm down. The worst of the purge I think lasted a little more than a week. However, my chin has been stubborn its either hormones or more purging. I’m going to to keep at this for a couple of months. I hope this helps and did not scare you.
Thanks Nicole,
No, actually it is kind of reassuring. I’m ok with purging for a week. I opened Pandora’s box about five months ago when I started the oil cleansing method. It led to clogged pores all over my face. And then the clogged pores turned to acne. I have been battling it now for a couple of months with no success, so if epsom salt makes it worse for a week, but I finally make some headway, it would definitely be worth it. I just needed to know what to expect. With oil cleansing, it seemed like people just kept saying it would get better so I thought the clogs would resolve themselves and they didn’t. So I’ll try it for a couple of weeks and see what happens. The acne is pretty much concentrated on my cheeks and chin, so I think I will continue washing with raw honey all over, and then applying the Epsom salts to my cheeks and chin. Once that gets under control, I can put it on the rest of my face. I tried it yesterday morning and night and just left it on for 20 minutes. Then afterwards last night, I put some of my fresh aloe plant on it. I think I will continue with that routine, unless you have another suggestion. Thanks for the help, and I’ll let you know how it goes.
Rachel
I had to stop the oil cleansing method because of the clogged pores and tried the water only method and even not washing my face at all. The epsom salt was the last resort next to jojoba oil(which I hear horror stories and have been afraid to try it). Your routine sounds great, good luck! 🙂
Hi ms.tracy my only concern is how to properly use honey and jojoba then papaya powder can you teach mo the routine? What should go first? The honey? Papaya powder then the jojoba oil? Please i need your advice as soon as possilbe ms.tracy