sebaceous filaments

WOW: ILSO Super Melting Sebum Softener

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I explored SO much in my early days of discovering beauty and skincare, I don’t encounter too many products that blow me away these days. But I had a chance to try a new K-Beauty product that blew me away: ILSO Super Melting Sebum Softener.

Managing Sebaceous Filaments

I’ve talked about sebaceous filaments a lot on this blog. I’ve derided Biore strips and similar products. I find that managing them with a good cleansing routine, a silicone facial cleansing brush or washcloth (yes, a washcloth) keeps them sufficiently in check.

ILSO Super Melting Sebum Softener (long, name, I know – we love them here) is a thin, watery solution in a twist-top dispenser bottle. I got the kit linked above, which comes with some thin woven cotton pads. You saturate those pads with the solution and then lay onto your skin in your target area ensuring good contact with your skin. It is easy and not messy.

Then, do something else for ten minutes. When those ten minutes are up, you remove the saturated strip and go about your extractions. ILSO sells the pusher/scraper tool for this separately (it came in my kit), but they mention that you can alternatively use cotton swabs. I used a metal extraction tool I already had since I wasn’t (yet) sure how to use the tool.

ILSO Super Melting Sebum Softener Blew My Mind

And oh my god, the amount of stuff that just glided off my skin with no pressure! I was and am awestruck. Normally, when I do extractions even with steam, I have to apply some pressure with my tools or use tweezers to remove individual sebaceous filaments. Not so with this.

I saw some other reviews wondering if the stuff that comes away is just the product. No – it isn’t. I know. It is night and day.

Now, I will say that it may not be for everyone. My sebaceous filaments tend to slightly firm up and I can feel them if I touch my nose. I can often tweeze and remove them (and often do as part of how I manage them). That isn’t the case for everyone. If it isn’t for you, then this might not blow your mind.

I’m super curious about whether this could have any impact on keratosis pilaris. That’s next on my list to try, and I’ll report back on that.

Price

This is a pricier product in my lineup these days – but it is outstanding at its stated use case.

The kit I got is currently nearly $40, but that comes with the tool. If you don’t want the tool or are restocking, it is around $25. Their strips are convenient, but if you run out of those before you run out of the solution, you can buy more or just use thin cotton pads like these, which I keep on hand to use for nail polish remover.

The Bottom Line

My nose is eerily smooth even two days later. It’s hard not to want to touch it in disbelief. I don’t yet know how frequently I will use this, but I suspect around 1-2x per month. I’ll report back if that estimate is wrong. Even if it is once a week it is incredible! I also expect this bottle to last me at least 6 months.

TPDTY: On Sebaceous Filaments & Why You Don’t Need Pore Strips

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This is a post from the Beauty Skeptic archives that has been given a facelift! Content is the same but may have been edited for clarity and flow, as well as some small content updates noted in line.

Pore StripOh look, a pore strip!

Yeah, you’re familiar with them, probably from Biore. Other brands make pore strip products, too, often more expensive for the same (lackluster) result.

But you don’t need them.

Yeah, there are DIY pore strip tutorials online with weird suggestions involving egg whites or Elmer’s Glue. And listen, I can appreciate getting a little mad scientist in my beauty/skincare as much as the next person…

But you don’t need to.

Wash your face, leave it sopping. Dry your hands, open the thing. Slap the pore strip on your nose and smooth it down. Wait until it feels ridiculous, then rip it off.

But you don’t need that.

Here’s the thing – what many of us bought those things or played mad scientist for was because we believed we had a ton of god-awful blackheads on and around our nose, right? Oh god, we have to fix it. We’d peel away the papier-mâché pore strip and marvel in disgust over what we just ripped out of our faces with this pore strip. Right? Don’t lie, if you’ve used this, you have. You’re elated for a day or two because your skin looks a little better…and then things return to normal – and you strip again.

A waste, indeed, of time and money for such fleeting results.

But here’s the thing – in so many cases (I wish I could quote you a percentage) those are not blackheads. They are sebaceous filaments – they occur naturally on everyone, ever, and are not blemishes…and they cannot be, “removed,” not even by a pore strip. Yes, they aren’t the cutest thing in the world, and yes, that is irritating. Proper skincare, however, can make them less obvious.

The Routine

Your skincare routine should consist of (at minimum), daily cleansing, exfoliating as often as your skin wants/needs it (some people like a daily gentle exfoliant, some of us like to break out the big guns 2-3 times per week), and moisturizing. You can get more detailed than this if you wish (I like to!) but it isn’t a dire necessity. (Bonus points if you use a face brush like an Olay Pro-X or Clarisonic!)

In terms of cleansers, I like something basic and simple. (2017) CeraVe Foaming (2014) Cetaphil Gentle is my favorite. As far as exfoliants go…in terms of what is best for your skin, a chemical exfoliant is technically best and I have (2017) this AHA gel from Alpha Skin (formerly Alpha Hydrox) (2014) this one from Alpha Hydrox .

That said, I also commit “skincare sins,” and indulge in physical ones (theoretically the gritty nature of these can cause tiny cuts in your skin. I haven’t had problems, personally, but I get it – especially with the St Ives, it can be a bit much if you overdo the pressure) such as this classic from St Ives and my long-time favorite from Burt’s Bees 2017 Update: The only physical exfoliation my face sees these days comes from my Clarisonic or Luna Mini.

Moisturizers are very personalized depending on your needs but I am currently happiest with (2017) Mountain Rose Herbs Argan Oil (2014) Josie Maran 100% Pure Argan Oil Light. Those things help me keep my skin healthy and looking well-cared-for.

The Bottom Line

Stop wasting your money on pore strip products, your time on playing face-goop-alchemy, and just get back to basics. They’re fun, but they are a gimmick – and a costly one, at that. Chances are if you don’t have other acne issues, you don’t have a nose rife with blackheads…you, like most people, just have some sebaceous filaments which are normal and healthy. Not gross, just kind of odd looking when you actually notice them.