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Unclogging your pores: Do’s and Don’ts

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skin care pores
Photo Credit: alfa27

Pores can be one of the more annoying threats to your skin’s complexion and smoothness, since they’re entirely natural and can occur even if you’re taking care of all other problems or issues. Dealing with them isn’t hard, but it can take a while, and it can add an extra step to your normal skincare routine. That’s not to mention the fact that you might have to spend even more money on getting the right treatments and lotions to remove it for good.

Even worse, it’s a problem that never really goes away: thankfully, there are ways to treat clogged skin pores yourself, and it’s not all that difficult.

Do: use pore strips

Pore strips are designed to stick to your pores and physically pull them out, killing off the bacteria and getting rid of unwanted oil or hair on your skin. They can be harmful if used constantly in a long period of time, but they’re also a good way to quickly clear your pores if you want to quickly freshen up your face and remove dead skin from a noticeable dry area.

If you have sensitive skin or allergies that can affect your pores, don’t use them as readily. Make sure you follow any instructions on the packaging, too – there might be specific limits on how you should use them.

Don’t: use raw lemon

Lemon can be a good way of healing your skin, but not if it’s used directly. Lemon is known for being an acidic fruit, and it’ll quickly alter your skin’s pH to make it much more acidic. You should always mix it with something else first, even if it’s just water.

If you don’t want to put it on your skin, you can drink it instead – it’ll still hydrate you as long as it’s mixed with water, and the lemon can provide antioxidants that help your skin stay healthy in the long-term.

Do: use face masks

Face masks, in general, are a great way to quickly give your entire face a nice boost of useful chemicals, as well as enough moisture to get rid of dry spots. There are various materials you can use for them: charcoal is one of the most popular since it’s able to remove dirt and toxins from your skin without causing long-term harm. While it’s sometimes risky to make them yourself, they’re not hard to get hold of from a wide range of stores, and even a cheap mask can provide a decent amount of hydration and cleansing.

Don’t: forget the sunscreen

Sunscreen makes a huge difference in direct sunlight, even if you’re in cold weather. It’s possible to get a tan at any time of the year if the weather is clear, but you can also end up harming your skin, or even increasing the risk of you getting skin cancer and serious long-term issues. It’s important to get the SPF right, but even if you don’t, the wrong SPF is better than no sunscreen at all. You could even mix many sunscreens with other moisturizers to help yourself stay hydrated in bright weather.

Do: get sleep

Sleep is one of the most important parts of skincare, and one that’s often overlooked. It takes a lot of lotions and creams to get anywhere near to the amount of hydration and smoothness than sleep can bring. Not only that, but the extra sleep will help with other issues too, both physical and mental. A lot of people end up with poor skin purely because of their sleep patterns, and it’s very difficult to avoid these problems if you’re refusing to get around seven or eight hours of sleep at once.

Don’t: over-use caffeine

Caffeine can dehydrate you easily, especially when it comes in carbonated drinks that don’t have much water in them. A lot of people prefer to use caffeine as a replacement for proper sleep, and that’ll make things even worse: not only will you be more tired and less focused, but you can also end up with a dry mouth, or a dry face in general. That’s not even mentioning the other side-effects of drinking too much caffeine, either. Cutting it out will make a huge difference to your overall health, and it’s worth the effort.

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