DIY Blackhead Pore Strips & What Are Blackheads?

Are you sick of having gunky blackheads all over your nose, forehead, cheeks or chin? Have you tried the Biore (generic brands of this are CVS, Walgreens, etc) Deep Cleansing Pore Strips and loved how they work but hated the price?

Well I have the perfect solution with these DIY Blackhead Pore Strips! I didn't even realize how bad my blackheads were until I used this at-home DIY and saw how much debris there was in the aftermath and my nose became all clear and so smooth to the touch. My nose feels like softer than a baby's butt, I kid you not. I dare you to try this at home and see for yourself!

It's so easy you don't even need to buy anything you don't probably already own.

You only need:

- Egg whites

- Toilet paper

1. If you have eggs, separate out the egg white from the yolk into two separate bowls. You can keep the yolk for a moisturizing skin treatment at the egg or add the yolk to your breakfast, if you wish!
2. Then place egg whites in a thin layer over your problem areas (you can do your whole face if you need to).
3. Take your toilet paper, separate it into 1-ply sheets (usually toilet paper 2-ply which means there are 2 sheets to every square, gently pull them apart to achieve two 1-ply sheets).
4. Put 1-ply toilet paper layered on top of your egg white, you want to do this relatively quickly before the egg begins to dry and set.
5. Then cover the top of the toilet paper layer with another layer of egg white to make sure it sticks down in place.
6. Wait 15-30 minutes (depending on how thick your egg layers are) until your face is completely dry, crunchy and flaky. You can then gently peel the layers off your face.
7. Take a look at the backs of your DIY Pore Strips and check out the blackheads stuck to it! Voila! IT WORKED!

The benefits of these DIY homemade peel-off pore strips are that you can save tons of money but more importantly, they do not contain the adhesive that the commercial pore strips have which can leave a residue on your skin and cause you to break out! The benefits and ease of this DIY have made it my go-to pore cleanser and I hope it becomes yours!

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TL;DR - watch this informative video from YouBeauty if you don't want to read my explanation below:

Blackheads are comedo which can be yellowish, brown or black. A comedo is a term which describes a widened hair follicle filled with oil (sebum), skin debris and bacteria. If you have blackheads, this is called an open comedo, and if they are white, this is called a closed comedo.

Blackheads are the beginning of acne, which means that they form before the bacteria can completely overtake the inside of the pore and they can later develop into a pimple. You can see an increased amount of blackheads during intense hormone production phases (such as puberty, before menstruation, during pregnancy) because hormones stimulate sebum over-production.

If you're wondering why blackheads are dark, it's because of the melanin found in sebum which is the same substance that gives skin its color and can oxidize (or turn dark) when it is exposed to the air. If you see blackheads, scrubbing them and washing vigorously will not remove them as they are actually inside of your pores rather than at the surface and they are not made up of "dirt".

The production of blackheads is not related to hygiene. It is recommended to wash your face twice a day, but not rigorously, and any more than that can actually irritate and aggravate the condition of your skin. Dietary habits are also unrelated to the production of sebum or blackheads.

If you want to use a cleanser to prevent blackheads from forming, you should reach for one which is for oily acne-prone skin, containing salicylic acid rather than alpha-hydroxy acids (these can irritate skin further).

Dry Scalp Treatment - Superbalm Scalp Treatment by Lush

My husband suffers from a dry, itchy and flaky scalp so we're always on the lookout for serums or balms that may help alleviate it. We went to LUSH yesterday and I spotted their Superbalm Scalp Treatment and decided to splurge for it (it costs $19.95 for 1.5oz). LUSH is notoriously expensive so we only buy things that we think may be unique products. 

Dandruff can cause your scalp to be itchy and if you continuously scratch it vigorously, you can cause damage to your skin and follicles, so it's important to keep your skin moisturized and hydrated. Although this product seems small, it actually is quite a large amount considering how thick and richly moisturizing it is. You only need an extremely small, less than pea-sized amount to cover your whole scalp. You are meant to rub it into your scalp and leave it on for 20 minutes before showering, I presume this is because your hair can get greasy and it has a strong peppermint scent. This product seems to produce the best results when used daily.

The rationale for the ingredients used in this product, according to the website are as follows:

Chamomile blue oil: soothes irritated scalp, causes the blue tint of the balm

Lavender oil: has relaxing, soothing and cleansing qualities

Salicylic acid: active ingredient that treats skin/scalp and psoriasis to shed dead cells from the top layer by increasing the amount of moisture in the skin and dissolving the substance that makes the cells clump together, thereby decreasing scaling and dryness

Rose wax & essential oils: has natural and soothing properties which soothe very dry skin, it is very lipid rich and hydrates skin cells

Extra Virgin Coconut Oil: can reduce symptoms associated with psoriasis, eczema and helps restore natural balance to the skin - has softening properties due to the extra virgin oil used as a binder

Candelilla wax: substitute to beeswax, acts as a moisture barrier and enhance formula texture

Other ingredients are used for fragrance

So far my husband really likes this product, I think the smell can be considered strong but as long as you're using it at night, it shouldn't be that much of a problem. I'm happy that this is a mostly-natural product with salicylic acid being the active treatment ingredient. If you suffer from a dry scalp you should give this product a try, it has a very high positive response from customers and one container should last you 2-3 months (so if you break it down, it doesn't seem that expensive). 

Let me know if you have any other experiences with this or similar products.