Sometimes your skin can become congested with dirt, debris and oil that has built up over time. This can cause visible effects such as uneven skin tone and breakouts, which is why many people feel self-conscious about this skin complaint. 

We’re big fans of embracing skin neutrality at UpCircle, rather than forcing skin positivity if we don’t actually feel that positive about our skin. That’s why we’re keen on being grateful to our skin for the job it does in protecting us, while also figuring out the best ways to keep it healthy and happy. 

What is congested skin?

Congested skin is a common skin complaint where pores become clogged and blocked with a combination of excess oil, dead skin cells, dirt, and debris. This often leaves skin feeling and looking dull, with a rough and bumpy texture.

The blocked pores can then result in your skin breaking out with blackheads, whiteheads, and pimples, leading to an uneven skin texture. Skin congestion can happen to anyone, but it’s more common for people with combination or oily skin due to the excess oil. 

Skin congestion isn’t limited to the face, it can occur on any area of the skin, such as the chest or back. It can often be the aggravating factor for acne breakouts, so addressing skin congestion can sometimes help to address acne concerns.

Signs of congested skin

While congested skin will look different on everyone, there are some hallmark signs you can look out for.

What does congested skin look like? 

One of the main features of congested skin is an uneven skin texture, where the skin feels rough or bumpy. This is often accompanied by dullness and a lack of radiance due to a buildup of dead skin cells on the surface of the skin. 

vWith congested skin, you may also experience enlarged pores (especially around the T-zone of the forehead, nose, and chin), as well as blackheads, whiteheads, and breakouts due to trapped impurities in the pores. 

What causes congested skin?

People can experience congested skin for a range of reasons, from excess sebum production and hormonal changes to using the wrong skincare products.

Overactive oil glands can produce excess sebum and block pores. Equally, failing to cleanse your skin of makeup and debris properly can cause your skin to become congested. If you’re not a fan of exfoliating, dead skin cells can also build up on the surface of the skin.

Using comedogenic products can exacerbate the issue, clogging your pores, as can environmental factors such as pollution. It’s also important to remember that normal fluctuations in hormones, especially during puberty, menstrual cycles, or stress, can increase oil production and contribute to skin congestion. 

How to clear congested skin

Clearing congested skin isn’t a quick fix that’ll happen overnight; it takes some perseverance with the right kind of products. 

1. Double cleanse your skin

Double cleansing helps you to remove more impurities and congestion from the skin by allowing the products to penetrate deeper. The first cleanse of a double cleanse removes the first layer of dirt, pollution, sunscreen, and make-up, whereas the second cleanse removes bacteria and congestion from deep within your pores. 

To double cleanse your skin, use an oil-based cleanser on your skin to dissolve makeup, pollution, and any other surface layer dirt that has accumulated on your skin throughout the day. Then, use a water-based cleanser to remove any remaining oil as well as bacteria and dead skin cells. 

 

 

Our Cleansing Face Balm with Vitamin E breaks down and removes stubborn makeup, while leaving the skin feeling smooth, soft and nourished. This acts as the perfect first cleanser in your double cleanse, with our Cleansing Face Milk with Oat Powder being the perfect follow up cleanser. This gentle cleanser calms inflammation and irritation while restoring the skin’s natural barrier. 

2. Use non-comedogenic products and ingredients

The term non-comedogenic means that a product doesn’t have the potential to clog your comedones (pores). Clogged pores trap bacteria, dead skin cells, oil and dirt – often leading to skin concerns such as acne, blackheads, pustules and papules. Open comedones are blackheads, whereas closed comedones are whiteheads – both of which can occur with or without acne. 

It’s important to take note of a product’s comedogenicity as persistent use of comedogenic ingredients can lead to uncomfortable breakouts. Non-comedogenic products are light enough to allow the skin to breathe, helping to reduce the risk of breakouts. 

Non-comedogenic ingredients include: 

• Niacinamide: Pores tend to look larger when they are filled with dead skin, dirt, and oil. Niacinamide can reduce the production of sebum in the skin helping to make pores appear smaller. Product pick: Night Cream with Hyaluronic Acid + Niacinamide.

• Aloe vera: Aloe vera is known for its anti-inflammatory, skin protection, anti-bacterial, anti-viral, antiseptic, and wound healing properties – what more does your skin need?  Product pick: Body Cream with Aloe Vera.

• Sunflower oil: A wonderful source of natural ceramides, sunflower oil not only adds a huge hit of hydration, but also helps to repair the skin’s natural barrier. Product pick: Eye Cream with Hyaluronic Acid + Coffee.

Incorporate more natural products with non comedogenic ingredients into your routine to help prevent excess oil and debris from building up in your pores. 

3. Use a clarifying face mask 

Using a clarifying face mask once or twice per week is a great way to help minimise any skin congestion by targeting the buildup of impurities on the skin. 

Our Kaolin Clay Face Mask works to draw out impurities from the skin and gently detoxify the skin to combat the buildup of bacteria. It calms the skin and reduces redness while leaving skin feeling refreshed and invigorated. 

 

 

Multi award-winning, this gently-detoxifying clay face mask fights blackheads, minimises pores and prevents breakouts. This face mask is made with the finely-ground powder of discarded olive stones, a natural by-product of the olive oil industry and a powerful anti-inflammatory.

4. Remember to exfoliate your skin

In order to prevent a buildup of dead skin cells and impurities on the skin, it’s important to regularly exfoliate your skin with a gentle, natural cleanser.

Our Citrus Blend Coffee Face Scrub is formulated for dry, dehydrated skin with rosehip, sweet orange and lemon verbena essential oils.

Both an antiseptic and anti-inflammatory, orange oil works to soothe redness and irritation, while uplifting lemon verbena helps to tone the skin. With strong antiseptic properties, our natural face exfoliator can also help treat acne and spots for a clear complexion, helping to minimise skin congestion.

 

 

Multi-award winning, this scrub buffs away dry, dead cells to leave your skin feeling soft, smooth and glowy. Shea butter in the formulation helps to nourish the skin post-scrub.

Discover our full range of natural skincare at UpCircle.