Old English Lufu means Love

Tag: acne

Types of Clogged Pores & The Best Way To Pop A Pimple
To pop or not to pop, that is the question? Dermatologist for the most part say not to pop. I disagree. This post will explain the different types of blackheads and pimples there are and how you can properly extract them. I can explain on a professional level (esthetician to esthetician) and an at home level what to look for while performing your own extractions. Disclaimer this is all knowledge I have gained while working on clients and also personal. Not to be recommended as medical advice. I’ve always had the opinion to pop pimples but correctly. My thought is that pus represents infection. If you have infection where is it going to go if you don’t pop it? It can stay in the skin and infect more pores. If you do not feel confident to pop your own pimple then I would recommend booking a facial that includes extractions and letting a licensed esthetician who is trained on extractions to help with your blackheads and pimples

Note to avoid clogged pores and pimple issues with the skin I always emphasize that one should drink 8 glasses of water a day. If your looking for a good filter this company offers good water bottles and pitchers that filter water. (Affiliate Link) https://clearlyfiltered.com/?cjdata=MXxOfDB8WXww&cjevent=2d4f2d6229ed11f0835504340a82b82a

Blackheads

What are black heads? Why do they exist? How do we extract them or “clean the pores?” Basically you have to visualize your skin with a bunch of tiny micro circles which would be considered your pores. Sometimes those circles get clogged. Now I’m going to try and go into more detail here because there are a lot of facets and entities to clogged pores.

How a pimple can form or develop-

First you have your basic blackhead, let us use the nose as an example. When you look at your nose you see tiny little microscopic circles or holes. Some people you cant really see with the eye but once you put pressure on the nose area white pus can come out. Some people have larger pores and when you apply pressure a light brown or beige color comes out and that is a little more dirt so we can call that a blackhead. Then there is a third level of blackhead. This is when the skin has grown over the pore so when you push on it nothing comes out. To extract this type of blackhead you need a lancet (or a sterilized needle). Because the skin has grown over the pore you need to create an opening which is why you need the needle or lancet. Just a tiny poke and it should open that pore up. It is strange because usually you get a pustule if the skin grows over a blackhead and it gets infected. Then pus grows under the skin and then you get the pimple bump.

Milia

Milia are a special type of pimple that I would recommend having removed by a licensed esthetician that is confident to remove the milia. Normally a milia is a very small white bump that does not grow to a large pimple and stays in the skin. It does not come to a full head. Essentially a milia is similar to a black head but it is a tiny whitehead. The only way to remove a milia is to poke a hole and let the pus out because the way the milia is formed is by skin covering the pore. Milia are usually found on the skin next to the eyes which is delicate skin. The reason these pimples form is because a lot of times the eye cream is to thick. Milia can be found on other parts of the face but usually the cause is heavy molecules in the eye cream. You want to be aware of your eye cream ingredients and not have to heavy of oils or mineral oil on that area of the face.

Hormonal Pimples

Hormonal pimples are the type of bump you will experience around that time of month or when your ovulating. They can be a bump that never comes to a pustule head. You want to be aware of the bump and not try to pop it if it does not come to a complete head. It technically can just be a hormonal bump but if no pus comes in the pimple it will leave when the hormonal fluctuation is finished.

So essentially every pimple starts with your pore getting clogged. If you understand from the paragraph above either you have a black head and you want to clean your pores or if you don’t address a clogged pore it can get a little bump and create pus. So step one, clogged black head. Step two, if you don’t get that clogged blackhead cleaned out, your skin can create pus and then you have what you would call a pimple or a pustule.

Large Pimple? What is it?

Taking this further because this is my observation while doing extractions on my own skin and hundreds of clients. Have you ever had a large bump and a pimple is forming? You know its coming and you know its growing and it is going to be big? A douzy of a pimple right there on your face or forehead. You can feel the pressure building and it can be painful. You can see pus starting to form and your getting ready to pop that pimple. Finally you see enough pus and you go for it. Then what happens? You think you popped the pimple and the next day you wake up and look in the mirror and!!!!!…….MORE PUS!!!! Now what happened? You thought you popped it? How can there be more pus? Better yet you go to pop again and hardly anything will come out? Oh this gets annoying. It can take days for this one to heal.

Breaking down this type of pimple for you so that you can understand what happened? I explain it this way to my clients all the time. So imagine again your tiny little pores. Your blackheads. Now not one but imagine 3 little blackheads are getting infected. So they grow into a big pimple but at different stages. I like to say there neighbors. Its like one neighbor is full of pus and ready to go and the other one is behind by a day and the third another day. Those are the worst type of pimples to deal with but essentially that is what is happening. So one pore is full of pus and ready and the others are behind but the bump on your face is in the same area. The best way to get this type of pimple popped (technically about a 3 in 1) is to wait until the pimple is really ready to pop. Almost like the first part of the bump is turning from white to yellow. That way the neighbors are caught up. Then again you want to use a lancet to create an opening for the pus to exit the skin. If you wait that extra day you can almost always get your pimple popped better and cleaner and not have to try and re-pop.

When popping a pustule or pimple lancets or a clean needle are necessary. You need to create a little opening so that the pus has an exit for the skin. If not, you can put pressure and the pus can go under your skin causing bacteria under the skin and more break out in that area.

One more thing I want to add here. Yes we are all different. Our bodies are different and we react to things different. One thing that always will help your pores to be clean is drinking 8 glasses of water a day. That just helps your lymphatic system clean and filter your skin from the inside. On that note it is perfectly natural if you go to extract your blackheads that different colors come out. For example an auto mechanic that works around grease can, more than likely, have black coming out of their pores when extracted. Someone working around dirt and dust normally have brown coming out. There can be different levels of dark to light brown. Then some people you go to clean their nose pores and they have a light green to white coming out. I’ve seen it all because its a combination of your external environment “landing” on your skin and your internal environment and how your skin handles filtering or cleaning your skin.

Another note to estheticians performing extractions, smells can come out of the pores when extracting and cleaning blackheads. Common ones can be a smoker. As your cleaning the pores and performing extractions you can usually smell like a fresh cigarette smoke smell. I’ve also had clients who love garlic and as I’m cleaning the pores a garlic smell is present. Just note if you notice any smells it is natural as your doing extractions.

How To Properly Extract

In the Spa Room-

Note if your reading this and not an esthetician you can always learn how you should be receiving extractions properly to know if the technician is missing any steps.

Step 1) After properly cleansing the skin and performing a form of exfoliation you normally would use a steamer to soften the skin. Some spas have stopped using steamers and they use a type of disincrustation formula to soften the skin.

Step 2) Once the skin has been prepped either by disincrustation or steam its time for extractions. You normally can use a magnifying lamp if available but either way you want to make sure you have enough light to see the skin.

Step 3) You want to make sure to have the proper protective gloves or finger cots on. I personally prefer to use either a tissue or 4×4 to perform extractions. I wrap the tissue around my extracting fingers and it helps to keep the gloves from sliding and as you are doing the extraction it cleans up what ever is coming out of the pores. You can also use a comedone extractor tool. I have used these on occasion but because they are metal they can hurt and also leave the skin more red. The best one I have found that can work is a thin wire one. The less metal the better. Also as far as lancets go you want to make sure that legally your state allows you to use lancets. If someone has a large pustule on the face and you cannot use a lancet I usually leave it alone. You don’t want it to turn the skin super red and have the pus release under the skin. If you feel that you can get it by popping off the pus top then go for it but just take into consideration that the skin can be more red.

Step 4) After you have finished extractions I usually use a toner on cotton and wipe the face. You want to feel like you gently cleaned the skin. If the spa you work at has high frequency then this is the time to use the violet wand which is anti bacterial. Some spas have LED and if you’ve just done extractions you would want to use the blue light to calm the skin.

When performing extractions on a client or on yourself the key to a successful extraction is to see the angle of the pore. Meaning, if you see a pustule what angle is the pus at? This is the proper direction to put the pressure and push the pus up and out.

At Home Extractions-
1. If you are going to attempt to clean your black heads or pop any pimples at home I always recommend after a shower as you need to soften your skin first. If you have a mini portable steamer that can also help. Also boiling water in a pan and covering head with towel but be careful not to put your face to close to the water as that can feel like burning.
2. As far as a lancet goes I’ve seen them for sale at CVS or you can order online. If you don’t have a lancet you can use a sewing needle with a thin point and make sure to wipe with rubbing alcohol before you use.
3. Now the crucial part. I always suggest wrapping tissue around your fingers to not rip your skin. The tissue protects the skin. If you use your finger nails you can end up squeezing and slipping and cut the top layer of the skin which can cause scarring.
4. As you attempt to pop the pimple use your lancet or needle and find the tip of the pimple. Poke just a tiny hole in the pimple and apply pressure at the bottom of your pimple closest to your face to let the pus out. You know when the pimple is finished emptying when a clear fluid comes out. That is your lymph cleaning everything out. If you get just blood there is usually more to pop and you attempted to pop the pimple to soon. You always want a clear fluid to pass through to show the pus has all come out.
5. Same thing as in the spa setting you want to use something to clean the extracted area. Toner on a cotton pad is good. One of my favorite toners is Cranberry Toner from Arcona. https://www.arcona.com/product/cranberry-toner.html Cranberry is antibacterial and will help the extraction to heal and cleans it out.
6. If you are bleeding try and hold a tissue to coagulate the blood so that you don’t leave a huge mark. (Not sponsored I just love this product for all skin types.) The cranberry toner helps with this step. https://www.arcona.com/product/triad-pads.html
Conclusion

My final thoughts on extractions. After reading through this article you might think that popping a pimple is invasive. As I said most dermatologist recommend not popping a pimple.

Another suggestion for someone who wants thorough non invasive extractions is to book a hydrafacial. The hydrafacial machine performs the best extractions and shows you what was removed in the gunk jar. You can check the hydrafacial website and find a location near you. I would highly recommend this machine facial for extractions (not sponsored) https://www.hydrafacial.com/find-a-hydrafacialist/

Do I believe in spot removers and overnight pimple remedies? No. I know there are a lot out there to choose from and people recommend salicylic acid. I was using a spot treatment on my pimples when I went through my acneic phase. I would feel a bump coming on, put the salicylic acid on the bump and the next morning I’d wake up and still have a bump that never came to a head. I didn’t like that because again I always feel you need to extract out what is in the pore. It didn’t make sense to me to know that something was growing in the pore and it never came to a full head to pop? I found out a few years later that salicylic acid is basically diluted aspirin. You need to be aware of the source and you want the salicylic acid to come from the white willow bark which is natural and better for the skin.

I hope you find this article helpful on what to do with a blackhead or pimple and how to properly extract them. If you are a parent with a teenager who is going through hormonal changes and may have some breakout hopefully these tips can help you. As I always emphasize drinking water would be step one to help clear skin up naturally. Bottled water or spring water is best but if you need a good water that is alkaline and antibacterial with healing properties you can check out the Kangen water info here and learn about a new type of water to help your skin and heal your skin. https://missellen.kangendemo.com/
May 6, 2025
How I Cleared Up My Acne (Naturally No Medication) Part 2
This post is a sequel to Part 1 about which cleanser is right for your skin type and why. This post is my personal story on how I developed acne and how I was able to clear up my skin.

How it Started

I would like to say that genetically I have dry skin. I did not realize this until I was around 18 years old. I went to the department store to purchase a cleanser and the lady at the counter did me a favor and explained to me that my skin was a dry skin type. I was convinced that I had oily skin because I had breakout. Of course I was a teenager and my hormones were balancing and I had some black heads and small pimples but in reality I do have dry skin. So luckily I purchased a milk cleanser and went about drinking 64 ounces of water a day as per recommendation and my skin became more clear. Again it goes back to the correct cleanser for your skin type to get your skin balanced. Lesson learned.

Fast forward a few years later and I relocated to the island of Maui. Now I was living in a humid tropical environment. My skin was still dry but I knew to switch up my moisturizer to something lighter due to the heat and humidity. I was living on the island for about a year and I decided to sign up and study at a trade school to become an esthetician. I entered the program with beautiful clear skin. Some of the students even complimented me on my skin saying how pretty it was. This program was 1000 hours long and over the course of the months I slowly started developing break outs all over my face. Imagine your in a skincare course and all of a sudden your developing acne everywhere. It was extreme. My friend in the course would stay after class and do extractions on me. She, gained the practice of how to properly pop the blackheads and pimples and I, gained the idea of trying to clean up my face. The reality is I learned the pain of having pimples (pustules) and black heads and watching them grow on my face. I gained the understanding of how it feel so see ones facial skin change in a negative way.

Having acne is a very emotional thing. It can affect your psychological state of mind because it is easy to become obsessed with the pimples and it feels like something beyond your control. No one gets pimples and looks in the mirror and feels good at what they see. Every morning you wake up and look in the mirror hoping nothing new develops on your face. Meanwhile your purchasing and mixing skincare brands like crazy trying to find anything that will work. On top of the fact that you want to extract and pop your pimples like crazy to get rid of them which is a lot of pain. Pain for the swelling pustules growing under your skin, that alone hurts and then add the extractions. Its a vicious negative cycle that has you mentally wondering if your skin will ever clear up.

The Extreme

One day after about 6 weeks of all these new pimples on my face I had had enough and I asked my friend if she could do a facial and do massive extractions on me to get as many pimples and blackheads popped as possible. She agreed. Now two things here, first of all when doing a facial we had to pick out the products being used. She asked me what type of cleanser I wanted to use. Of course my mind is thinking I have acne now so give me the oily skincare line. Second thing here, we were taught in school doing extractions can cause trauma. Technically your never supposed to perform extractions on someone for more than ten minutes. Well we went for it and I told her to keep going and thirty minutes later I was a red puffy faced extracted mess. I left that day feeling terrible. I was so down because you look in the mirror and your horrified to see all the pimples and redness and swelling. You feel like your never going to heal. To be honest the extractions for 30 minutes was a little to much emotionally and I did cry a little. But I was at a loss and feeling desperate.

Incoming Workshop

So now I am still in esthetician school studying and I had an opportunity to go to Oahu and attend a workshop with a certain very well know brand. This seemed like a great educational learning opportunity. So I went to the one day workshop to learn more about skincare. There was a section of the workshop that focused on acne and there was to be a live demo on extractions. I begged the presenter to let me be the model. With all the breakouts on my face I would love a trained professional with experience to do extractions on me. She agreed and I was now the demo face for this workshop on how to properly extract pimples and blackheads. Personally I was just happy to be getting extractions again. Remember when you feel like everyday your waking up with more breakout you just want the skin cleaned. Unfortunately because I was the model receiving the extractions I never was able to see watch how she demonstrated doing the extractions. However, after this workshop I was convinced to purchase this skincare line of oily skincare products to clear up my face. I bought the whole thing. Cleanser, toner, spot treatment and moisturizer.

I had hope again. But what happened? Nothing. I literally obsessed woke up every morning going straight to look into the mirror to see if my face had cleared up. Checking to see if my spot treatment for those new pimples had worked. Honestly I was seeing my skin look worse and I was getting hard bumps and my pimples were not coming to a head. I was using spot treatment with salicylic acid and nothing was making sense. (I found out later why this was) Anyways here I had invested in this whole product line probably spending at least $70 dollars and my skin was not looking any better and if anything looked worse. I felt defeated again. On one hand I wanted to just give up and on the other hand I kept doing my research. This had been going on for months at this point. This vicious cycle of trying a skin care product with the hope of getting clear skin to seeing no changes.

Light at the End of the Tunnel

After feeling hopeless and not wanting to invest anymore money on products I was at a loss. I didn’t know what to do. I literally felt horrible and just wanted clear skin. I feel like the saying it is easier to gain weight than to loose it, well in this case it was easier to gain pimples and taking forever to get rid of them. I was frustrated. Then all of a sudden during my research I came upon a more holistic brand of skincare. Their approach and concept for healing acne was homeopathic. Now at this point I was familiar with homeopathic as I had my own homeopathic doctor and I understood homeopathic remedies. The homeopathic method pertaining to skincare was way less invasive than what I had been using prior. This line is very natural and uses flowers and plants from nature to heal the skin and I decided that was the way I wanted to go as far as skincare. As I was reading up on this it all made sense to me. So I was down to give it a try. Ready to buy the whole skincare line but this brand offered a mini sampler kit. I think it was around $20 and I decided to try something new. This way I could test what I needed without buying the whole line.

The brand that I found was Dr. Hauschka. In simple terms their approach was way different to healing oily skin or break out. Essentially they have the homeopathic concept that like cures like. So if you have oily skin you put more oil on it and you will stop producing to much oil? It made sense to me as you read in my Part 1 post its all about the acid mantle. If your acid mantle is stripped then you are going to be producing more oil. I was probably guilty of this when I kept buying oily skin cleansers but the base of my skin type was dry. With this line the concept was using a cleanser that was almond meal based so you felt like you were cleaning your skin nice and deep but it was gentle enough to use everyday and then you would spray the toner on your face and in the morning you would use an oil based moisturizer and at night you would give your skin a break and cleanse, tone and let the skin breath with no other products on it.

So here I am on the quest for clear skin with a new approach which is homeopathic with a brand that has more natural ingredients. I’m all in and ready to try it. Let me tell you within the first week I started seeing the difference. I had hope again. This homeopathic approach seemed like it was working. Needless to say after 1 month my face cleared up and my skin went back to the beautiful clear skin that I naturally had. Another thing I want to point out here with skin is that everything has a 28 day cycle. Your skin will renew itself in 28 days. So whatever products you are using on day one if it is correct for you and your skin type and is balancing or healing you should see a change within 28 days. I was so grateful to find Dr. Hauschka and the clarifying day oil. Ill post link here (not sponsored) https://www.drhauschka.com/clarifying-day-oil/ It was such a good feeling to able to use the products properly and have everything clear up within 28 days. I continued using this remedy for probably a month more and then I started to phase into the correct moisturizer for my skin type and a milk cleanser for the morning and the scrub at night time only.

The way that I had discovered Dr. Hauschka is because I had been searching for natural skincare brands to work with. That is how I originally found them and then saw their concept to treating acne and problem skin. At the time they were offering a special 5 day training in Esalen California by Monterey for licensed estheticians. I was about 2 months out of facial school and I was down for more training. I had to apply and be approved to go to this training. It worked out and I was able to go and learn about all the flowers and herbs in the products and what each ingredient was designed to do for the skin. Let me just say that this brand changed my whole trajectory on how I approach skincare. I have always, since finishing my esthetician course, chose the natural approach to skincare with organic and natural skincare brands.

Conclusion

If you take anything away from this post it would be that it is possible to balance your skin. I definitely went through it with my break out crisis and I completely understand how it feels to have acne and oily skin. Skin by itself is a science and I will say it always starts with your cleanser and what is right for your skin type. You need to check in with the acid mantle and make sure your not stripping your skin and that your using the right products for your environment. In hindsight I figured out what I had done to cause the break outs and excessive oil.
- 1) I took my esthetician program in the summer months on Maui. So the weather was much hotter at the time and I was studying in a large warehouse that had no air conditioning.
- 2) I was receiving daily facials to practice skincare and it was to much for my dry delicate skin.
- 3) Add to it that we were using a steamer in no ac in a humid climate I was getting bacteria on my face like crazy.
- 4) Then use the wrong cleanser that was stripping my skin. Forget it my skin would not have healed.
I share this personal story hoping that for anyone out there looking to clear acne or balance your skin you may be able to relate to some of the scenarios here to help you in your own skin. A few years later when my life and environment changed I ended up developing borderline psoriasis and I had to figure out what was going on again and how to balance that. Stay tuned for Part 3 on developing psoriasis and how I was able to get my skin back into balance. Please feel free to comment or contact for any questions on balancing skin.
December 19, 2024
What Your Acid Mantle is and How (Your Cleanser) Affects Your Skin Pt.1
Skincare 101

We are going to take this post to the basic skincare 101 science of skin. In this post I will try and breakdown and explain what the acid mantle is in understandable terms and also guide you on cleansers and why they are an important factor when considering your acid mantle and skin type

The acid mantle is very important in determining your skin type and how to balance your skin. I searched the definition of acid mantle in Wikipedia and it was a little to scientific. I checked back to the more understandable definition from the Milady’s study book and found this explanation.
Definition: The acid mantle is a thin, slightly acidic film covering the entire surface of human skin, serving as a protective barrier against pathogens and reducing body odor.

Composition: The acid mantle is composed of:
1. Free amino acids and α-hydroxy acids (lactic acids) excreted from sweat
2. Free fatty acids and amino acids from sebum
3. Urocanic acid and pyroglutamic acid
pH Range: The surface pH of the skin’s acid mantle typically ranges between 4.5 and 6.5, with an average assumption of 5.0 to 6.0. However, recent research suggests that healthy human skin naturally tends to return to acidity levels below 5.0 when left untouched by skincare products or water for extended periods, with an ideal pH value of 4.7 and some individuals showing levels as low as 4.3.
How I break it down to a facial client

Everyday from the time we all wake up our skin is starting to balance. There can be a lot of environmental factors that affect the balance of your skin. I will mention those later. Now as you go about your day I always say between 12 and 3 pm we all start to develop a little sheen or shine on our face. This happens to everyone male or female. The amount of shine one produces varies by climate so there can be a little of a give and take. That sheen on your skin is your acid mantle. What that does is it is designed to protect you. A natural protective barrier. Now if you cleanse your face and your cleanser is to strong it will strip your skin and make it feel nice and tight. So what happens? As the day goes on your brain will realize “Oh they do not have their protective barrier let me produce more oil for them.” Now you begin the vicious cycle of trying to balance skin and you can produce more black heads and pimples. This causes your to go into a fight mode of trying to protect you and in the meantime your producing more oil. If you naturally have dry skin and your using a strong cleanser this can cause your skin to become extra dry and then eczema or psoriasis can occur.

That is why with any skincare routine one of the most important products is your cleanser. If you are washing your face in the morning to start your day and after you cleanse, your face feels nice and tight. That is an indicator that the cleanser you are using is too strong. So my rule number 1 with cleansers: You never want your face to feel tight after you cleanse your skin. Yes it could happen with an exfoliant but we normally do not want to exfoliate more than 2 nights a week. Night time is better for exfoliation followed by a deeply hydrating moisturizer.

Rule number 2 which can be the next step in your morning routine is no alcohol in your toner. The alcohol can also be drying and stripping. Remember when we are using a skincare regime we are looking for that balanced glow.

If a product is to strong and strips your skin you will produce more oil throughout the day. If the product is to heavy for your skin and the molecules of say an oil or cream are to heavy that too can cause breakout on the other end of the spectrum.

Rule number 3 is the water you are using to cleanse your skin with. Do you live in an old building with old rusty pipes? Have you looked up the region of where you live and the main water supply and what they put into that water? If the water is heavily chlorinated then you will be essentially washing your face with chlorine. Another stripping agent. (Not to mention when you shower you are breathing that in) A website you can use to check your local water supply: https://www.livescience.com/59935-tap-water-database.html

Rule number 4 how is the weather or climate where you are? What time of year is it? In winter we use electric and gas heaters to heat living spaces and that can have a heavy drying effect on the skin. If you are going outside and it is cold with a chill whipping breeze on your face, that wind can chap your skin as well and cause heavy dryness. If you live in a tropical climate, is it with heavy air conditioning usage? Air conditioning can cause the skin to run on the dry side. Tropical humidity can sometimes make you produce what feels like more oil and you can have a layer of dirt and sweat mixed and cause a breakout reaction. Climate is a very important factor to consider when you are searching for the correct cleanser for your skin.

Conditions that can be caused by your acid mantle being stripped are:
- acne
- blackheads and breakouts
- eczema
- psoriasis
- extreme dry skin
Again these main skin conditions can all have a root cause of the cleanser that you start your day with. Its not a formula for all because each individual has a story but in a round about way when it comes to balancing skin it starts with the cleanser and your acid mantle. Then you have the conditions of rosacea or psoriasis. That (in my opinion) is also a cleanser that is to strong stripping your skin. I will side note here a lot of times the redness can be caused by the climate. Especially the Northeast winters. You can see the rosey red cheeks on the fishermen and a lot of times people do not attribute this to the climate. (there is a natural homeopathic cream for this redness stay tuned for part 2 post.)

Types of Cleansers

When we go to the beauty store or any section of any store that sells skincare products it can be overwhelming to understand the different types of cleansers and what they do or how they work with the skin. Let me explain 5 common types of cleansers you’ll find and how each one can affect the skin.
- Milk Cleanser
- Foaming Cleanser
- Gel
- Oil Cleanser
- Micellar
- Bar Soap
I’ll start with my personal favorite which I think is good for everyone and that is the milk cleanser. Some brands might have a cream cleanser or call it that variation but essentially it will be a more creamy type of cleanser. This cleanser is more gentle on the skin and will not strip your skin. Next we have the foaming cleanser. The foaming cleanser is normally designed for more oily skin. It gives the sensation of a deep clean because the foam scrubbing feels like your really getting in there and cleaning but these types of cleansers can be harsh for the skin so be careful. If you are using a foaming cleanser and have noticed some breakout I would probably discontinue use. Also refer back to the rule. If you cleanse your skin in the morning does the cleanser make your skin feel tight? I wouldn’t recommend that type of cleanser for you. I’m going to place the gel cleanser in the same category. Gel and foaming cleansers are designed for more oily skin types so if you notice any tightness after a use or wash I’d say it would be a no for your skin.

Now oil cleanser is considered to have the heaviest of molecules of all the cleansers. A little bit close to micellar on the spectrum but more so heavier than all the other cleansers. To be honest I wouldn’t start my day with either of these cleansers. If you had massive dry skin or maybe an older menopausal skin this may work for your skin type to start the day but other than that I would use this type of cleanser in the evening and with a wash cloth. Also I would suggest here that Micellar is a great make up remover. Both eyes and face.

My final cleanser here is bar soap. I used to not be a fan of bar soap at all but now here I am with my own brand of bar soap. https://elementlufu.com/store/lavender-cleansing-bar/ When I switched to more clean beauty products I started really looking into the breakdown of soaps and ingredients and what is in everything. The right bar soap can be very clean (such as mine) and be effective and non stripping. What I find appealing with my bar soap and any “clean beauty” soap is if you can understand the ingredients. That has become the most important thing for me in my products is to clearly understand what I am using on my face.

Conclusion

All in all you just do not want your cleanser to be stripping your skin. Remember stripping equals more oil production. When you cleanse your skin you are not looking for that tight tight feeling. That is an indicator that the cleanser is to harsh for your skin. I know sometimes that it can be mental and someone might desire that tight feeling to think that their skin is really clean. But we just need to let that go because in the long run it is not going to serve you well. If you want that, “I need to feel super clean feeling,” you can always follow up with a non alcoholic toner and see the results on a cotton round.

To not make this info to overwhelming I’ve decided to break this post into a Part 1 a Part 2 and a Part 3 because there is so much detail into really balancing the skin. Like I’ve mentioned before, me personally I have been on both spectrums of skin. I was an acne model in facial school where they could use my face to demonstrate how to properly extract black heads and pimples and then I was borderline psoriasis when I had moved to a new city. I want to explain how those two conditions happened to me so that if anyone else may be in similar situations they can learn for themselves how to get back into balance or just realize the climate their living in and how it can have a dominant factor on skin. So I will explain in Part 2 how my acne skin condition happened to me and recommend various products that I personally used to get back into balance.
December 14, 2024