DIY Recipes, Methods to Shrink Pores

The pores of your skin are there for a reason. They are small openings on the surface of the skin where sebum is released. Sebum is the natural oil that is produced by the sebaceous glands beneath the skin. Sebum is necessary to lubricate and moisturize your skin. The pores of your skin are also home to hair follicles, those little things that help to protect the surface of the skin. The skin is the largest organ on the human body.

Some people have much larger pores than others. This can be especially noticeable on your face, chest, back, and scalp areas where your sebaceous glands happen to be more active. According to research performed by Reader’s Digest, your pore size is mostly determined by genetics. Pore size can also be a factor of the amount of oil produced, age, and personal skin hygiene.

Large pores can get clogged with dirt, dead skin cells, and sebum. This can result in acne conditions, such as blackheads and pustules or pimples, and oily hair. An oily scalp can often result in seborrheic dermatitis, otherwise known as scaly dandruff. When you try to remove acne manually with your hands, you risk damaging and widening the pores permanently.

You might be wondering if it is possible to shrink pores. You can’t really change the size of your pores. However, there are several things you can to do keep your skin clean, nourished, hydrated, and toned. When you tone your skin, it gives the appearance of being tighter with smaller pores. Let’s take a look at some tactics for reducing the appearance of large pores and keeping your skin healthy.

Cleanse Your Skin and Pores

Cleaning and exfoliating your skin is the first step to shrinking your pores by getting at the dirt and oil that has built up in them. This recipe can be used for most skin types. It has pure vegetable based soap for deep cleaning, honey for its antibacterial properties, and oil for moisturizing. You will need a glass pump bottle dispenser for this to work conveniently. You can modify this recipe for very oily skin as noted*.

Honey Facial and Body Wash

Ingredients:

• 1/3 cup pure liquid castile soap with therapeutic grade essential oil, lavender works well
• 1/3 cup organic raw honey
• 2 TBS pure organic jojoba or argan oil
• 3 TBS filtered water
• 1 TBS of almond meal

Directions:

Add all of the ingredients into the pump dispenser bottle and shake to mix it together.

*The almond meal is an exfoliating agent that is optional for very oily skin.

Apply a Facial Mask

There are so many commercial masks available. But, they are expensive and may contain chemicals and preservatives. You can also use witch hazel, but most commercially sold witch hazel has alcohol as an ingredient. Here is a really simple mask that will tighten your pores.

Toning Mask Recipe

Ingredients:

• 2 Egg whites
• 2 tsp. lemon juice or 1 tsp raw apple cider vinegar

Directions:

Beat the egg whites with the lemon juice. Apply to your face and neck with a cotton ball or pad. Leave this on until it has completely dried and skin feels tight, which won’t take long. Rinse off with cool water.

Almond Meal Mask

Mix almond meal with enough water to make a paste. Apply to pores for 20 minutes. Rinse with warm water, then apply witch hazel or a solution of apple cider vinegar and water.

Try Making a Yogurt Mask

Plain yogurt has a lot of uses for beauty, including turning it into a face mask that can help reduce your pores. Yogurt has a lot of healthy bacteria and probiotics which are great for your skin, while also helping to reduce your pores.

For a yogurt mask, you can use yogurt alone or add in some other natural ingredients, from essential oils to apple cider vinegar. Apply the yogurt mask to your face and let it sit for about 5-10 minutes. Rinse well with cool water and pat dry. This is not something you do every day, but rather once or twice a week to be effective.

Use Ice on Your Skin

This might be one of the less-common remedies for reducing your pores, and is as natural as can be. If you have ice in your freezer, it can be used to reduce your pores.

The reason is because the ice will help to tighten your skin, so it starts naturally shrinking your pores at the same time. You will feel refreshed and ready to take on the day. Ice directly on the skin might burn a bit, so you can wrap it in a thin cloth if you prefer. Rub it against your skin for just a few seconds. If you prefer, you can simply rinse your face with cold water in the morning.

Apply Apple Cider Vinegar

Apple cider vinegar is starting to trend a lot in natural health circles because of the long list of benefits it has. It is acidic, but it isn’t bad for your skin. Quite the opposite actually. Apple cider vinegar can help to balance the pH level of your skin, while also providing antibacterial properties.

This helps to cleanse your pores and eventually shrink them. You want to mix apple cider vinegar with water, using one part of each for the proper ratio. Apply it to your skin with a cotton ball like you would a skin tonic, leaving it for a few minutes. Rinse it off with cool water. Make sure you apply a moisturizer afterward.

Moisturize and Protect Your Skin

You might be thinking this defeats the purpose of tightening your pores. Even with oily or problem skin, you still need to protect it and keep it from drying out, especially in the winter. Here is a simple, protective moisturizer that you can use sparingly.

The coconut oil has natural antifungal properties.The oregano oil has antimicrobial properties and both will help heal your pores. The lavender smells awesome. You can use this on your scalp for dandruff before washing your hair. Store it in a glass jar.

Coconut Oil Moisturizer

Ingredients:

• 1/2 Cup unrefined, organic coconut oil
• 3 Drops therapeutic grade essential oregano oil
• 3 Drops therapeutic grade essential lavender oil

Directions:

Thoroughly mix the ingredients in a glass bowl. Then, store in a glass jar. Lightly coat any area of your skin for healing and moisturizing benefits.

Be Kind to Your Skin

Good skin hygiene and aftercare is essential for keeping pores clean and appearing smaller. Essential oils can be very helpful with this process. Be mindful of the quality of all of the ingredients. Organic is preferable for base ingredients. Pure, therapeutic grade is best for essential oils that will be used topically.

In addition to treating the surface of your skin to tighten pores, take care of it from the inside as well. Eating a nutrient rich diet that has less sugar and processed foods is beneficial. Getting outside in the fresh air and moving is also helpful for your skin. And, getting enough sleep is necessary for skin to repair itself.

Natural Skin Care Based on Science

Your skin is the largest organ in your body. What you put on it can have a profound impact on your overall health over the long term. That’s why every ingredient in your skincare product needs to be carefully chosen … to feed your skin with essential nutrients.

Did you know that many skincare products contain only tiny amounts of certain active ingredients, just so they can add them to the label? Or that many popular and expensive skincare products can actually damage your skin?

Isn’t it time to learn more about what a truly effective Skin Care Line SHOULD do and SHOULD contain?
Why do we promote this?

About the author: Julia Leonardo finds botanical research not just a hobby but as a way of increasing her knowledge about natural remedies. She thinks that the competition for pharmaceutical products is placed inside our own houses if you know where to find it. She is now writing for Maxhomeremedies.com.

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