Skin Care: All about taking care of your Pores

Before I get started, I just wanted to apologize for not posting anything in awhile! It was the end of the semester for me, so exam time! (university is brutal!). However, I finished my exams now, so it gives me a bit more time for my blog! So anyways, today's topic as you can see by the title is about how I take care of my pores. I decided to add skin care topics into my blog, because for a flawless makeup application, it starts with a nice canvas (which is your face). I will be talking about how I take care of my skin, because it may be useful to you! Anyways onto my pores. I actually only have pores on my nose and near the nose area. They're not huge or hard to manage, but when I don't have makeup on and I don't take care of my pores, my nose doesn't look attractive at all (black heads everywhere!)! My pores actually used to look really bad before, because I never took care of them. However, once I started getting into makeup, I had no choice if I wanted my makeup to be on point. They also used to be bigger before, but with time I was able to minimize them! So here are my tips and tricks to how I deal with my pores!

Some of the products I will be discussing

First things first, the main thing to do honestly is to wash your face everyday! Even days you don't wear makeup, always wash your face before going to bed! There's dirt and dust everywhere! You never know what flies onto your face! This actually makes a difference for your pores! I also know people that just use makeup wipes to take their makeup off. I know makeup wipes are super convenient, but makeup builds up onto your skin and even though makeup wipes removes surface makeup, it doesn't remove makeup that falls into your pores! So that's why use a facial cleanser and once a week or even once every 2 weeks, try one of these pore cleansers that I will be mentioning! Also, try not to wear makeup everyday! I know, I love experimenting with makeup and all, but you have to let your pores and skin BREATH! Even if you feel that you have bad skin, try your best to not have your makeup on 24/7! For example, as soon as you get home, just wash the makeup off! I know this may seem like common sense, but a lot of people tend to forget these little things that can escalate to pore clogging and skin problems!


There are several methods that have worked for me to clean and minimize my pores. The first is the steaming treatment! I love to get a facial done once every 6 months at least, because these steaming treatments really deep cleans your pores! If you're like me and  you clean your skin regularly, you don't really need it, but I like to get them done, just to make sure my skin stays on point! Also let's face it, who doesn't like getting pampered once in awhile (even if pore cleaning can be painful)? There are also steaming treatments you can do at home if you don't want to spend the money, but I haven't tried them, so I can't really give you my opinion on that! Another method I've tried in the past is the baking soda paste! If you have sensitive skin, you may get irritated, so be cautious! All you do is mix 2 tablespoons of baking soda with 2 tablespoons of warm water until it turns into a paste. Then apply it to your pores and let it sit for 20-25 minutes and then rinse it off with cool water. This method actually really works and you can use it several times a week. This is a great cheap alternative! The last method I tried is the Plain Yogurt one. It's really simple! All you need is plain yogurt and you apply a thin layer on your face for 10 minutes and then you rinse it off with water. I don't suggest you go over 10 minutes, because yogurt contains things such as lactic acid and probiotics, which can irritate the skin if you leave it on for too long! My grandma actually told me about this method and it really did help minimize my pores! I'm not a fan of the smell, but at least 10 minutes is doable! All these methods works and will eliminate black heads/minimize the size of your pores.


Now onto products. I know a lot of pore minimizing products exist. However, I only found one product which helped minimize my pores, which is the TruSelf Organics Detoxifying Mask. I honestly love this mask and I will be doing a full review of this in the future! I was using this mask twice a week for 3 months and I saw instant results! Especially with my pores, I find this mask helped minimize them, as well as clean them out! My face just looked fresh after this mask! I was so impressed and this mask made my skin overall look amazing! As mentioned, I will go into full details when I review this product in depth! It's completely worth it and you can buy it online on their site! I got the whole kit for around $55CAD (with shipping and taxes included). However, you can always just buy the mask itself, which is only $19.50USD. Other than that, I had samples of pore minimizing products, but I didn't find them effective (no results). If you guys know any good pore minimizers, leave a comment down below!

TruSelf Organics Kit (available online)

Other than pore minimizers, I just use products to clean out my pores. Before when my pores were bad, I was using products twice a week and now I do it once a week or once every 2 weeks. I go days without wearing makeup. My skin has been good, so it's not always necessary for me to use cleansers for my pores every week. However, even though I don't use pore cleansers everyday, I still use face cleansers after wearing makeup all day. I actually love using the Deep Clean Daily Scrub by Neutrogena. This is a drugstore product that I use at the end of the day to wash my face. I alternate between cleansers, but I'm mentioning this one, because it clears away 85% of built up oil, including oils that clog your pores. I've been using this cleanser for years and years now. It gets the job done! It doesn't have a heavy scent to it and it's a really nice daily scrub that is not harsh on the skin, but clears away most of the built up oil! Especially if you have oily skin, this will help control the oil! Also, it helps clear away my pimples, so I absolutely love this product for multiple uses! I believe this retails for around $10CAD.

Neutrogena Deep Clean Daily Scrub

Another product, I've been using for years is the Biore Deep Cleansing Pore Strips. These take the dirt right out of your pores! It's really effective and only takes 10-15 minutes! I always leave mine on until 15 minutes or even 20 minutes, so that it really pulls everything out! All you have to do is, take a towel and run hot water on it. Squeeze the excess water out and pat the towel on your nose to open up your pores! Then apply the strip directly onto your nose. It comes with instructions and everything, so it's very easy to use! However, these strips are only for the pores on your nose! I believe for 14 strips it retails for around $15CAD and you can buy them at any drugstore.

Biore Deep Cleansing Pore Strips

The next item that I absolutely love for cleaning out my pores is the Origin's Clear Improvement Active Charcoal Mask. I only bought this last November and let me say I'm obsessed! This is a effective product that deep cleans your pores! Just like the Biore strips, you have to open your pores with warm water and then you apply the product onto your pores. Normally it takes between 15-20 minutes for it to dry and then you wash the mask off with warm water. The first few times you will feel a stinging feeling, but it's a good thing, because it shows that its cleaning out your pores! Once you wash your mask off, it honestly leaves your face (well areas of the face you applied to) feeling soft! Unlike the Biore strips, this mask you can use it on any area of your face that has pores! You can buy  this product at Sephora and it retails $29CAD for 100 ml. A little goes a long way for this product, so a 100 ml tube will last you for almost a year if you use it twice a week. However, I only use it on my nose area. I know some people like to apply it all over their face, because it is a really nice mask that will clean out your skin! If you don't want to commit to a full size, there is a smaller size that you can buy at Sephora and it even comes in skin care value sets (which is a great way to try out skin care products!).

Origins Clear Improvement Active Charcoal mask to clear pores

The last product I enjoy using to clean out my pores is a very random product and some of you may be like "Are you serious?", because that was my first reaction! However, it works just as effectively as the products I've mentioned and it's a really cheap alternative! It's the Elmer's  white glue! I know this sounds crazy, but trust me it works! I heard about this from Huda from Huda Beauty (absolutely love her!). She actually made a Youtube video on her first impressions using white glue as a pore cleanser and she saw the results! So of course since I love everything about her, I tried it out for myself and I was like wow it really does work! It takes the dirt right out of your pores just like the Biore strips! You also have to use warm water to open your pores before using the glue. I normally pack on about 3-4 layers of the glue, because since it's a thin consistency, you need a thick layer for it to be easy to peel off or else it will rip into pieces! Also, since it dries clear, I recommend you rinsing your face with warm water to make sure that there is no leftovers! Since we pack on a few layers, this method does take a bit longer to dry. I would say 3-4 layers takes 25-35 minutes and you want it to completely dry for it to be effective. Also just to put this out there, this is not dangerous for the skin! It's a non toxic glue, that's washable, so don't worry! You can basically buy this glue anywhere, I'm sure you have it lying around the house and it costs like what $2CAD, so it's a really nice cheap alternative! Honestly, if you don't believe me, try it for yourself!

Who knew glue can clear pores!

So anyways that wraps up my post on pores. I love all these methods and cleansers I mentioned, so if you're having issues with your pores, give these a try,  because you won't regret it! Also, if you guys know any other products or methods you highly recommend, just leave a comment down below! I hope this was useful!