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).

HOT DEAL! 50% OFF Urban Decay Pulp Fiction Palette & 66% OFF Nail Polish

Great news! The limited edition Pulp Fiction Palette by Urban Decay, which was released during the summer of 2014, is now 50% off at both Ulta and Urban Decay's website (I originally ordered this palette and you can check out my full review of it here). The original price of the palette was $34 and it's now on sale for $16 (that's even more than half!)

I am able to create stunning everyday and dramatic looks, for an example, I created this Mrs. Mia Wallace Eyes of the Day post using just the Pulp Fiction Palette.

I'm not sure why this palette wasn't more popular, since I find that it has become my go to over any of the Naked palettes and even the Naked Basics palette. The shades have a good matte variety so it's easy to pair them with any other more colorful shadows you may have.

The even better deal is the Pulp Fiction Nail Color that was released in this collection, which is now 66% off on the Urban Decay website! The color is a vibrant oxblood, deep red with a slight shimmer. It originally retailed for $15, but was marked down to $5!!

Getting Rid of Redness - How to Lighten Your Skin Naturally

Do you have an uneven skin-tone? Perhaps your capillaries are overactive and there are reddish spots on your skin where your circulation can be seen too close to the surface of the skin. Or maybe you're unhappy with your freckles and dark spots that you're gaining with age. Skin tone is constantly varying with time and environmental conditions, it never remains as light as it used to be. The worst skin damager is the sun, although you may love your darker complexion, you ought to think about the consequences of weather-beaten effects on your skin cells. However, there are ways to lighten your skin naturally, seeing as those expensive beauty regenerating creams tend to be filled with unhealthy chemicals and do not show the results they promise. You should always be using sunscreen in your daily routine (even in the winter) because it's the easiest way to keep your skin's youth, most moisturizers can be found with at least SPF 15-30.

Natural exfoliation - do this once a week

1. 2 tbsp brown sugar (+ 2 tbsp oatmeal if you choose) and mix with 1/4 cup milk
2. stir until pasty consistency
3. scrub your face gently
4. rinse with water
5. apply moisturizer so your skin doesn't dry out from treatment

Lighten your skin - do this as often as you'd like

1. take 2 egg whites and an equal amount of freshly squeezed lemon juice and mix together
2. heat mixture in a pan and put it inside jar
3. let mixture cool until room temperature and apply to skin
4. rinse after 15 minutes with water

Another method of lightening - you can do this 3x a day if you want

1. take 1/2 cup tomato juice and 1/2 cup oatmeal and mix together
2. place mixture on your skin
3. rinse off with water after 20 minutes

Drinking lots of water regularly helps maintain your hydration level and make sure you eat many fruits and vegetables in your pursuit of lighter skin. If you wish you can rub your face with lemon juice, milk, or papaya as all of these have natural whitening properties. Be extremely wary of skin lightening treatments you can purchase as many of these are not FDA approved for such usage and increase cell turnover (how fast your skin's cells are killed and replaced) which can lead to detrimental effects such as the pigment going underneath the outermost layer of your skin and possible skin cancer-promoting mechanisms. The chemical whitening solutions that can be found in stores also have a high possibility of causing an allergic reaction on your skin.

Cosmetics Consumer Conspiracies

The cosmetics industry has long been shrouded in mystery, making up false pseudo-scientific reports for their products, not releasing any of their testing information to the public, and hocking up the price of simple cosmetics that could literally be made in your own home. If you look at the product labels you will see many compounds that you don't necessarily recognize even if you've taken high-level Biochemistry courses and have similar academia qualifications. There have been accusations and fines for almost all of the cosmetics manufacturers (Sephora and L'Oreal to name a few) for price fixing after secret meetings. Apparently, these companies have always been monopolizing the market to their advantage, so that private-label household brands stand no chance in the multibillion dollar industry.

If you want to know what poison the cosmetics industry is pouring into the majority of your products and calling them 'cosmetic grade' (in that they won't kill you if you use them) you can check out the list of 12 chemicals used that will adversely harm your skin, promote aging and are carcinogenic agents. If your cosmetics claim that they are organic, you should look at the ingredients list on the back of the product, because I can almost guarantee you that these products are not organic. Just because something is 'Certified Organic' does not mean the entire product is, it means that some of the ingredients used in the product are organic compounds, these will usually have asterisks by the name. At the very bottom in fine print you will see that the asterisk means that only those products are organic. It is very important when purchasing products that you read between the lines and pay attention to the fine print. The cosmetics industry is preying on the fact that the majority of their consumers are not educated in that specific field and/or don't care about what the products are made out of. You don't need to have a degree in Chemistry to see strange long-winded chemical names that you don't recognize and wonder what they're doing to your skin and body.



http://www.vermontsoap.com/specials.shtml

It's a big let down to know that companies are trying to fool consumers so if you have any doubts or questions you should call up your favorite cosmetics companies and ask about their products and practices. They have a responsibility to be honest with their consumers and if you find that they are beating around the bush or being dishonest and have a history of bad practices you may want to consider switching brands. If you're unsure where to start, ry Vermont Soap Organics products, for example, because they are completely open about their ingredients and even have a page on their website dedicated to listing all of the ingredients in every product. If you see that a cosmetic has a 'USDA grade' label on it, then you know you're dealing with a product that is good enough for your body as determined by the Food and Drug Administration because 'USDA grade' means that it is good enough for human consumption (these are the guildelines used to determine whether something is healthy to eat!). The factory where these products come from must be an Organic Processor factory that is legalized to make these products with federal certification in the United States. 

http://www.liquidplanet.com/images/tier3/Organic_USDA_Paneldiagram.gif



Keep in mind that without fragrance enhancers and chemical oils, naturally made products will not be as potent in their overall appearance and smell as those jam-packed with inorganic compounds. Changing to an all-natural, healthy skincare routine may take some getting used to, but it's definitely worth saving your skin from the risks of drying out, cancer, and oil imbalance. Also, if you think you are purchasing products that are hypoallergenic, you must keep in mind that this only means that there are less allergic compounds in that product compared to others, but it does not mean that there are no allergic products. There is no federal regulation for products that controls the amount of allergens found so these labels are purely introduced by the manufacturer. Make sure you know what it is you are allergic to by going to your doctor and then look out for those ingredients in everything you buy and stay away from them.

Until next time, stay beautiful and healthy everybody!!