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What is oatmeal?
Oatmeal may refer to oats that have been dehusked, steamed and flattened, or to a rough flour made from oat grains. Oatmeal is popularly served as a porridge. However, there are also topical uses of oatmeal, like in the form of oatmeal face masks.
What is it best for?
A face mask made with oatmeal can be used to soothe dry, irritated skin. You can also use ground oatmeal to exfoliate and remove dirt, oil, and dead skin cells. It can be used for cleansing, moisturizing, and to reduce inflammation. Oatmeal can help in getting rid of excess oil from your skin, which makes it beneficial for those who suffer from acne.
Oatmeal is also a great, mild ingredient that reduces redness and irritation associated with eczema.
It also has antioxidant properties, making it beneficial in anti-aging products to protect the skin from damage caused by free radicals.
What is the drawback?
Oatmeal has few downsides when applied topically, other than the fact that a homemade face mask can be a little messy. Take our skin quiz to find out if you need to add this wonderful ingredient to your skincare regimen.
Pores are itsy-bitsy openings in the skin—and there are millions covering every millimeter of skin. There are two types of pores with different functions: sweat pores and oil pores. The sweat pore allows moisture, produced by sweat glands, to exude out to the surface of the skin, where it helps to cool the body in response to heat, exertion or fever. Sweat pores are so tiny, they are mostly invisible to the human eye.
The oil pore, on the other hand, is a bit larger. Oil pores are also known as hair follicles because these pores produce oil from the sebaceous glands, but they are also the openings from which hair emerges. The oils help to keep our skin and hair healthy. It is the oil pores that can get clogged with sweat, debris and other gunk, causing acne, blackheads and whiteheads. Sweat pores rarely get clogged, as they are so tiny.
Benzoyl peroxide is a topical agent for fighting bacteria and unclogging pores. It is one of the longest-used medications to keep pores clean and healthy. Jojoba oil and rosehip oil are also good for reducing inflammation, fighting bacteria, and keeping in moisture for healthier skin. Ingredients that help exfoliate dead skin cells and increase new skin cell production, such as Vitamin A/Retinol, glycolic acid, and salicylic acid, are good for keeping pores unclogged as well.
Oatmeal may be effective for clogged pores, but there are many other factors that may affect whether this ingredient would work on your skin or if there are better ingredients that may work for you. Take this skin quiz to find the best ingredients for your skin and build your skincare routine.
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