Sebum is an oil produced by glands in the skin. It works as a lubricant to keep hair and skin moisturized. Occasionally the glands secrete too much sebum, which combines with dirt, dead skin and bacteria to clog pores. The sebum oxidizes and forms blackheads. The nose is among the areas that might produce too much sebum. It’s impossible to eliminate sebum, but you may slow its secretion.
Wash Your Face
Wet your face using warm water and a clean wash cloth.
Apply soap with your hands or a wash cloth and scrub gently, moving in an outward motion. If you scrub too hard, you’ll cause irritation and redness, which may promote more problems. Anti-acne soaps are not necessary, but some contain salicylic acid or benzoyl peroxcide, which open skin pores and suppress the skin’s production of sebum.
Rinse soap from your face thoroughly with clean, warm water.
Pat your face dry with a clean towel.
Repeat the process at least every night. Ideally, you should also wash your face in the morning.
Exfoliate
Wet your face with warm water. Use a damp wash cloth or simply splash water on your face with your hands.
Apply exfoliating cleanser to your face using either your hands or a scrubbing sponge. Most chemical exfoliaters come in gel form and require little scrubbing.
Scrub gently, making small circular motions on your face.
Rinse your face with warm water, making sure to remove all exfoliant from your face. Follow with a moisturizer formulated for the face.
Repeat this process twice a week—about every three days. Exfoliants clean your face by scrubbing away dead skin and dirt and reducing the amount of sebum on your skin. Products specifically formulated to exfoliate the skin on your face are available in drugstores.
Tip
Acne Home Remedies recommends using products that contain benzoyl peroxide, tea tree oil or salicylic acid—all of which work to suppress the production of sebum—to clean your face.
Beauty Tips Online recommends you purchase exfoliants containing alpha-hydroxy acids—or AHAs—and specifically formulated for use on your face. Exfoliating products for the body may be abrasive and may irritate the skin on your face.
Writer Bio
Renee Miller began writing professionally in 2008, contributing to websites and the "Community Press" newspaper. She is co-founder of On Fiction Writing, a website for writers. Miller holds a diploma in social services from Clarke College in Belleville, Ontario.