Piling, like the stuff that appears on your cashmere sweaters, develops on the surface of the face when product (makeup or skin care) and dead skin (cute!) collects and forms tiny balls and uneven texture. The balls can bunch up fast, destroying carefully laid makeup and wasting precious layers of skin care and time.
Luckily, solving your pilling problem doesn’t require a skin care overhaul, just some time, care and consistency to smooth things out.
So have you ever come across little moulds and tiny flakes on your skin? Have you checked if it happens just after applying make-up or finishing off with your oily or dry skin care regime? If yes, then, your skin might be suffering from skin pilling. Nothing can be more frustrating if your skincare ingredients start pilling or balling up. But thankfully, you stumbled upon this article. Here you will get to know what pilling is, its underlying causes and how you can prevent skin pilling. So, read along!.
What is Skin Pilling?.
Skin pilling refers to the development of tiny globs and scaly flakes that appear on your skin after you have applied skincare products or put on your favourite makeup. This might happen just after you have finished setting your make-up or can happen hours later.
Pilling happens when products haven’t absorbed into the skin, whether due to:
- the type of ingredient,
- the amount applied,
- the other products you’re using, or
- the condition of your skin.
How Does Pilling Occur?.
Pilling occurs when you apply a particular ingredient, for example; face serum, moisturiser or oil, but it does not get properly absorbed into the skin. As a result, you can see tiny surfaces or little moulds on your skin surface. When you touch your skin, it even gets transported to your fingertips!.
What are the Causes of Pilling?.
The condition of your skin might have an impact on pilling. You need to take extra care while treating your skin. But before getting into how to prevent skin pilling, let us understand know about the predominant causes of pilling. Here are some of the reasons behind pilling:
- Not Exfoliating Enough
Exfoliation is the first and perhaps the most important step of any skincare. If you are not doing it properly, then you are only inviting trouble for your skin. Not exfoliating your skin leads to the build up of dead, dry skin cells.
As a result, it stops the skincare products to sink in and get absorbed by the skin. This leads to pilling up of the ingredients and gives you a dishevelled look.
One of the key ways to avoid skin pilling is to exfoliate regularly. When you exfoliate twice a week, the dead cells get eliminated, leaving your skin fresh and rejuvenated. An effective exfoliation routine will help your skin to absorb products in a better way.
Keeping in tune with your skin type, you can choose between a chemical skin exfoliator or a mechanical exfoliator. But remember not to overdo it. Too much exfoliation can also lead to pilling.
- Unsure About the Ingredients
Sometimes we are not even very sure about what works and what does not for our skin. Thanks to commercial ads, it is often that we end up buying products even without checking if they would harm our skin.
To avoid pilling, try out different ingredients, adopt the ones that improve your skin and reject the products that do you no good. Once you are sure about your skin-friendlyingredients, stick to them and make sure they are a part of your regular skincare regime.
- Derailed from the Proper Skincare Order
When it comes to taking care of your skin, the proper ordering of the skincareitems is very important. When you start with oil-based items and then move on to the water-based ones, your skin will likely become more prone to pilling.
Also, mixing up ingredients of different textures can cause pilling too. You might have heard that oil and water do not get along very well. So, take extra care and try to separate oil-based cosmetics from water-based ones.
- Rubbing Instead of Patting
Good skincare products are manufactured to work on their own. If you need to rub violently to get that moisturiser or oil absorbed into your skin, then, you might not be using the best product or the most suitable products tailored to your needs. When you rub your skin hard, it creates friction and the products ball up consequently.
- Racing against Time
One of the primary reasons for pilling is rushing through your skincare regime. When you apply one product just after another, you do not give enough time to any of the products to work effectively. The result is a combination of unabsorbed skincare products balling or pilling up against one another, bringing about a total skin catastrophe!.
How to Prevent Skin Pilling?.
Pilling is a frustrating process. You obviously do not wish to get your look spoiled for pilling. The good news is you can prevent pilling just by taking this five steps:
1. Exfoliate Regularly.
One of the key ways to avoid skin pilling is to exfoliate regularly. When you exfoliate twice a week, the dead cells get eliminated, leaving your skin fresh and rejuvenated. An effective exfoliation routine will help your skin to absorb products in a better way.
Keeping in tune with your skin type, you can choose between a chemical skin exfoliator or a mechanical exfoliator. But remember not to overdo it. Too much exfoliation can also lead to pilling.
To be clear, the little balls that form are composed of product, not dead skin. But it’s still important to maintain a good exfoliation routine, because it will help your products to absorb more effectively, rather than remaining on top of a surface layer of dead skin.
We have found that a combination of gentle manual and chemical exfoliation works best. Acids do most of the legwork in loosening dead cells, and then a little buffing helps to fully remove them.
2. Check your Skin Items.
Get to know your skincare products better. What works for oily or combination skin might not work out well for dry skin care. So, understand your skin type and have a closer look at your make-up ingredients.
While silicones are typically infamous for pilling, gel-based products generally take a long time to get totally absorbed. So, it is better to stay from such products. Talc, iron oxide, and fluorphlogopite are other problematic ingredients that might negatively impact your skin when used regularly.
3. Know About Product Layering.
Knowing the right order of layering your skincare products is a great way to escape pilling.
A general rule suggests, starting with a water-based product and then moving on to the oil-based ones. Once your skin absorbs the water-based products, the oil-based products will help in keeping the moisture locked in.
Face mist can also be of much help. You can sprinkle some face mist before applying any product to your skin. Or you can use it in between layers. It will help to keep the skin hydrated.
4. Better Pat than Rub.
Rubbing is the last thing that you can do to ruin your skincare. While applying any product on your skin, pat gently. Let the product get absorbed onto your skin naturally and not by force. Apply your skincare products as dots throughout your face and then simply pat it. This will minimise friction on your skin.
You can also use a make-up sponge. It is a great tool to spread skincare products evenly on the skin.
5. Be Patient in Between Layers.
Choose your skincare products with adequate knowledge and then, plan their application accordingly. Dumping up products one after another will only lead to pilling and balling up of the ingredients. Try and wait at least a minute in between your skincare steps.
After applying a product, let it sink in into your skin and get absorbed completely. After a minute or two, when the skin is ready, move on to the next step. This will not only prevent pilling but also allow the product to work to its full potential.
Proper Dry Skin Care Can Work Like Magic.
As much as oily skin is a cause of concern, dry skin can bring about skin pilling. So, it is always better to treat your skin beforehand in order to prevent skin pilling. More prone to peeling and pilling, taking care of dry skin is highly essential. For this, you can easily incorporate appropriate cleansers, moisturisers, serums, and creams into your dry skin care regime
Applying glycerineand rose water can be a great way in keeping your skin hydrated. If you wish to receive more such skincare tips.
Conclusion.
Remember, if all else fails and your products won’t play nice together, you can always switch to nighttime use. Yes, even vitamin C and niacinamide treatments can be used at night, no problem!
Just give yourself plenty of time in between layers and after the final layer. That will ensure you’ve absorbed most of the beneficial ingredients before they pill onto your pillowcase!
Let me know if these tips cut down on pilling—or if you’ve tried anything else that has helped!.
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