Enlarged pores affect a great deal of people – and like most things, genetics are likely to be responsible. But don’t blame your folks just yet – enlarged pores can also sometimes be caused by sun damage, aging and poor hygiene. These three things all cause a thickening of the skin, resulting in the build-up of skin cells around the pores, which makes them appear larger.

In order to avoid enlarged pores to begin with, be sure to keep your face clean, and try to incorporate a toner into your routine. Toners act to ‘tone’, ‘tighten’ and ‘refine’ skin texture – combatting the enlargement of pores.

If you already suffer from enlarged pores (and you’re not alone), do not fret! There are some very effective natural ingredients and products you can use to improve your skin’s texture and appearance.

There are many natural ingredients that are effective in reducing pore-size, as well as having other benefits for the skin. These include witch hazel, vitamin A, tomato, salicylic acid, and lemon extract.

Witch hazel is a natural astringent, and is excellent at toning and refining the skin – the reason it’s an ingredient in so many toners. Witch hazel is also effective at combatting excess oil production – often a contributing factor of enlarged pores.

Vitamin A is commonly used in various forms as an acne treatment, and is very effective at this. However, it is also, if used in the right amounts, extremely good for improving skin tone and texture, and is an ingredient in a great deal of skin care products – from anti-aging creams to nutrient-rich serums.

Tomato is full of lycopenes, a type of antioxidant, and has natural toning properties. It’s also a rich source of Vitamins A and C.

Lemon is a very effective astringent and toning agent, and also has skin-brightening properties. Lemon extract can be found in a great deal of skin care products -particularly those designed for oily or acne-prone skin.

And lastly, Willowbark extract is the source of Salicylic acid, an organic beta hydroxy acid (BHA). BHAs are excellent at gently exfoliating the skin, and encouraging cell renewal. They exfoliate without using grainy or abrasive agents, so are an excellent way of exfoliating sensitive or acne-prone skin. Salicylic acid works to effectively renew and refine the skin, and to clear pores.

So, now that we’ve identified some natural ingredients that can be used to combat those enlarged pores of yours – let’s talk about where you can find them, and the best way to kick-start your journey to smaller, tighter, more refined pores.

1) Make sure your skin is kept clean as much as possible. Use a natural, gentle cleanser that will effectively cleanse without stripping your skin of its natural oils. We suggest our Healing Anthropology Rejuvenating Facial Cleanser, which contains witch hazel, aloe vera & vitamin C, or our Raw Gaia Living Facial Cleanser, which contains witch hazel,  tea tree essential oil and lemon essential oil.

2) Gently exfoliate about twice a week to purify and deep-cleanse your pores, and get rid of any impurities. Our Mokosh Cleansing Powder can be used as a gentle exfoliator and also as a mask, and contains lemon peel powder and revitalizing wheatgrass powder, as well as green clay to deep-clean and detoxify.

3) Try to use a pore-refining serum or cream every day as part of your skin care routine. A beautiful one is our Healing Anthropology Rejuvenating Vitamin C solution, which contains toning witch hazel, antioxidant-rich green tea, alpha lipoic acid and balancing grapefruit seed extract. Not only is this nutraceutical-rich serum extremely effective at reducing enlarged pores, but it also helps to reduce fine lines, wrinkles and under-eye puffiness. It can be used twice a day under your regular moisturiser.

4) Another thing you may wish to consider is whether any of the products you are using on your skin are comedogenic. Comedogenic ingredients block pores; that is, they don’t allow the skin to ‘breathe’, and can cause clogging, and later on, enlarging, of the pores. Make sure you are using skin care (cleansers, toners and moisturisers) that do not contain any comedogenic ingredients – if you’re unsure, there are a great deal of websites around that list common comedogenic ingredients in skin care. If you’re in doubt, head to Eve Organics – our products are all 100% natural, and are sourced specifically for their effectiveness and purity of ingredients.

A great deal of make-up also contains comedogenic ingredients, such as mineral oils, and bismuth oxychloride, which is a nasty ingredient used to make face-powders more ‘silky’ – but various studies have found it to be toxic and harmful to the skin. Try and stay away from this one if you can.
We recommend choosing mineral make-up (not to be confused with mineral oils) – Look for mineral foundations and powders that contain only 100% natural ingredients. Be careful here – a lot of well-known make-up brands advertise ‘mineral’ make-up products, but if you look at the ingredients lists, they actually contain a long list of synthetic ingredients as well.
Always check your ingredients lists. A great deal of what we put on our skin is absorbed into the bloodstream – so treat your skin with kindness!
A great make-up brand we use and recommend is ‘Nude by Nature’ – unfortunately we don’t stock them on the Eve Organics site as we don’t currently sell make-up lines, but you can find the brand at leading retailers.

Has this article been helpful? Do you have any questions, or comments? Drop us a line! We’d love to hear from you.