It takes time, money and patience to keep your face glowing and smooth. No one’s perfect, there are times when we don’t exfoliate our face the recommended twice a week. There are even times when we (gasp) sleep with our makeup on. While being lazy with your skincare every once in awhile won’t do much damage, the effects are pretty noticeable if we let it become a habit. One of the first signs of bad skincare that show up on our skin are those pesky little blackheads on our nose. Blackheads are solidified sebum and trapped dirt particles which block your pores. A quick way to remove them at one go is with pore strips. However, commercial pore strips are often too expensive to use on a regular basis. Thankfully, there are plenty of DIY recipes for pore strips that are perfect for the thrifty skincare fanatic.
DIY Pore Strips vs. Store-Bought Ones
DIY pore strips are made of natural ingredients and unlike commercial strips, can be applied to any crease where you have blackheads. They cost a fraction of what you would normally spend on those strips you buy from the store. They are also very quick and easy to prepare. DIY pore strips are also a small way you can contribute to a greener planet. They involve no toxic waste and can help you reduce your carbon footprint.. However, you do need more patience when using DIY pore strips because they take longer to peel off. They can also be slightly more painful than store-bought pore strips, but hey, beauty is pain, right?
Getting Your Face Ready
Before you get into your kitchen to start on your DIY blackhead remover, your face needs to be properly prepped. Wash your face with warm water and soap to remove any dirt and open up the pores. It’s important that there’s no trace of oil on your face because this can cause the DIY pore strips to be less effective. Once your face is completely clean, pat it dry with a towel. Do not be tempted to moisturize your face until after the treatment.
1. Honey Blackhead Remover
Try using organic, raw honey for this because it’s thicker and contains more nutrients and beneficial enzymes. Just pat the honey over your face, concentrating on the areas with the most blackheads. As you go, the blackheads will get caught in the sticky honey and come out. Since it’s a natural antioxidant, it will also prevent any leftover particles in your pores from oxidizing and turning into blackheads. This remedy is most effective if you have very mild blackheads or if you’re using it as a preventative measure.
2. Milk And Gelatin
Mix a tablespoon of unflavored gelatin and a tablespoon of milk together with a few drops of lavender essential oil. Warm this up in a double saucepan. Apply this warm mixture smoothly over your face with a spatula and allow it to dry. Don’t apply it too close to your hairline as it will stick to anything it touches. It should take about 20 minutes to dry depending on how thick the layer you applied is. Once dry, slowly peel it off and you will see the blackheads adhering to the mask. Rinse your face with cold water to close the pores and apply a non-comedogenic moisturizer. You could also use grapeseed oil instead of a moisturizer as it is the closest to the natural oils produced by your skin.
3. A Vegan Blackhead Remover
In a double boiler, add one tablespoon of agar agar with one tablespoon of an alternate milk like almond or soy. Gently warm the mixture for about 10 seconds until it gets thick. Remove from the heat and add a drop of tea tree oil and some eucalyptus oil. Apply this to your clean face and press a layer of tissue paper over it. Allow the first layer to dry. Coat this with another layer of the mixture. Repeat this until you have added at least 4 layers of tissue paper. Once dry, this will feel like a hard shell. Peel it off from the outside toward the center till you can lift the mask off. You can store this mixture in the refrigerator for over a month. To eliminate blackheads completely, use this every 3 days.
