Skin care is an essential part of our daily routine. Treating your skin on a regular basis is crucial for maintaining a healthy and clean complexion. In fact, it’s estimated that the skin care industry is worth over $155 billion. And it’s growing steadily. Like most industries, it’s often subject to changes in regulations and the ebb and flow of health and beauty fads or trends.

However, does this necessarily mean that the companies responsible for releasing or creating these products have our best interests at heart?

Unfortunately, the sad reality is that profit margins often outweigh the risks involved with using chemically based ingredients. These ingredients are generally considered to be cheaper and more effective. And this makes them seemingly useful tools in maintaining a good complexion.

Many products claim that they’re free of certain ingredients or that they contain herbs and natural extracts. While this may be true, the reality is that the other chemicals used in the formula are often just as bad.

More of us are realizing that it’s going to take a long time for cosmetic companies to alter their products to be healthier and more natural. This realization has spurred a new movement of DIY skin care treatments made from only natural or herbal ingredients.

Your face is one of the key factors that shapes your identity. We’d therefore like to ensure that it’s in the best possible condition. As essential as treating it may be, chemicals are simply not the answer.

I’d like to give you some tricks of the trade to enable you to make your very own skin care products in the comfort of your own home, using ingredients that are familiar and trustworthy. If this strikes a chord with you, I suggest you keep reading.

Facial Pores Explained

Sweating is healthy for your body.

Our skin may have the appearance of being a solid, somewhat opaque organ, yet it’s not. It’s porous and can absorb different nutrients, vitamins, minerals and liquids. Facial pores are essential to our development as a species and have many important functions.

One of the most noticeable jobs of facial pores is to release sweat. This occurs when our body temperature is high (such as after we exercise), and it ultimately helps to cool us off. This is important since it allows us to get rid of toxins in our body that may lead to disease, illness and infection later on.

However, facial pores play an important role in our day-to-day life as well – not only when we’re exercising, etc. They help to release sebum oil. This oil is created by glands under the surface of our skin and is used to keep our skin moisturized. This prevents dry, flaky skin or general skin damage. Without this oil, we wouldn’t last very long outside and would lose moisture too rapidly. This would lead to dehydration and cell decay relatively quickly.

As necessary as this oil is for our survival on this planet, it can be nuisance for those who have oily or combination skin types. The oil can gather on the surface of your skin and trap dead skin cells and other forms of dirt or bacteria in your pores.

This is the leading cause of most blemishes (like blackheads, pimples or acne) and is also why it’s important for us to treat our skin on a daily basis. Hence the plethora of skin care products available for different skin types and varying degrees of treatment. Blemishes are unsightly and often painful. So treating them hygienically and swiftly is essential to looking and feeling good.

What Do Pore Facial Strips Do?

There are a lot of factors involved in having clear skin.

Facial skin strips are often used as the first line of treatment in many facial routines. They can be quite effective in helping to remove the surface layer of dead skin cells as well the oxidized oil that lies beneath (within the pore), which we essentially know as the blackhead.

A facial strip works similarly to how a band-aid works. It grips the surface of the skin (and the impurities contained within), and when you pull it off it takes the impurities with it. However, it’s important to note that although the strips help to remove the initial signs of the blemish and actually clear out your pores, they don’t do anything to help treat the affected area or prevent blemishes from occurring again.

In fact, your skin is most vulnerable to blockage directly after using a facial strip, as the pores are now open to being clogged yet again.

So using the facial strips is effective in getting rid of the initial signs of blemishes. But it should only be considered part of the cleansing process. Keeping a clean and healthy complexion is a continual process that requires various stages of treatment (or various treatments). It depends on the skin type that you have as well as the type of conditions your skin is exposed to on a regular basis.

Working in an area which contains air pollutants, using sunscreen often, and even what you consume can all affect the quality of your skin. So, unfortunately there is no ‘one-stop’ treatment when it comes to skin care. Rather, it’s a process or routine that you must step into and maintain regularly to the best of your abilities.

DIY Facial Pore Facial Strip Recipe & Guide

If you’ve found this article in particular, then this is probably the section you’ll be most interested in. As I mentioned before, the skin and beauty industry is one that’s often subject to trends and movements. They may happen over time, or overnight – there’s no way to predict the nature of how people will act.

One of the more popular trends in recent times is the growing desire to craft your own products at home. This way you have full control of the ingredients they contain, the quantity, and the costs involved. It’s generally a healthier, more cost-effective way of treating your skin. And it can even be better than using the conventional products you’re used to.

Conventional paper strips work, although they may often work a bit too well. Ripping them off is often a painful experience, and your skin may feel sensitive for a while thereafter. If you have a sensitive skin type, then inflammation or even a rash may occur where you’ve used the strip – especially if you do so on a regular basis.

So, I’ve managed to find a simple, natural recipe that works quite well and is gentle yet effective. So it’s very suitable for sensitive skin types. The recipe is easy to follow and shouldn’t take you more than an hour to make. You can therefore easily use it to treat your skin after work or a long day out. Or you can even use it as part of your morning routine – if you prepare the mixture the night before or earlier in the morning.

How To Make Your Own Pore Facial Strip

Adding honey to the recipe can give you additional benefits.

It’s important for me to note that you should always wash your face before applying a pore strip treatment, or any mask for that matter. So complete your regular facial process before moving onto this section.

First, you need to separate the egg white from the yolk of a single egg. To do this, simply crack the egg into a container and remove the yolk gently with your hand and store separately (you won’t need it for this recipe). Alternatively, you can also buy and refrigerate ready-made egg-whites or even use a yolk separator here. You can also add a teaspoon of organic honey and stir well.

The honey will help with the ‘stickiness’ of the strip. It will also moisturize and nourish your skin as the strip dries. So although it’s not necessary for the treatment, it’s a nice addition.

Once you’ve got the egg white (and honey)  in a container, tear off a piece of paper towel (or use a thick toilet paper) and lightly dip it in the egg white. Then, using a makeup brush or your fingers, simply apply the coated paper to the affected area on your face. You can use various sizes and even apply multiple pieces to different areas on your face.

Now, allow the paper to dry and harden on your face for 15-20 minutes. This is crucial, as it forms the basic mechanism of the treatment. Allowing enough time for drying is very important, so set a timer. Once time is up, gently pull the strip from your face. You don’t want to rip it and tear your skin or break the strip – so slow and steady.

Pore Facial Strips Results: Before And After

Use cold water to seal your pores.

The differences should be noticeable even after your first attempt with the strip. You’ll be able to see the oil (and other impurities) physically gather on the surface of the strip as they’re pulled from your face. Even smaller pores that you didn’t notice were clogged will become unclogged.

It’s normal for your skin to feel a little sensitive or to have a tingling sensation on the areas where you used the strip, so don’t worry if you do. However, you shouldn’t feel direct pain. If you do, you’ve either left the strip to harden for too long or you’ve pulled it off too hard.

After you’ve removed the strips, it’s essential that you rinse your face with cold water. This helps to seal and close your pores and will prevent them from getting blocked immediately, since they’re most vulnerable to the elements directly after they’ve been cleaned and unclogged. You’ll notice that your skin feels smoother and cooler, as your pores are now able to breathe again. You may also wipe them down with an antiseptic toner to help keep them clean and free of bacteria.

Conclusion

The best way to figure out if a DIY treatment works for you is to actually try it for yourself. This recipe in particular is a very simple one to follow and shouldn’t take you much time to make. The results are bound to convince you that DIY is the way to go. Plus, having all that leftover cash in your account at the end of the month doesn’t hurt.

Once you’ve had success with just one DIY recipe, you’ll realize (like I did) that most of the skin, hair and cosmetic products that line your cupboards and cabinets at home can easily be replaced – and at a fraction of the cost too. Following the holistic, homemade path means more than just subscribing to another trend or fad, in my opinion. It means making the first step in huge shift towards a healthier, more natural lifestyle.

The results will speak for themselves once you start feeling and looking great. And without having to consult with doctors and dermatologists every step of the way, you’ll be enabling a freer lifestyle for you and family. The choice is yours, the time is now.