clearing clogged pores: diy salicylic acid toner

A crucial ingredient in this regime is the salicylic acid toner (and masque, but that's for another post). Salicylic acid is a beta-hydroxy acid. It encourages the shedding of dead skin cells within the follicles, keeping them clear of debris that might cause sebum to clog. Sebum is an oily substance produced by the sebaceous gland within each hair follicle. It sort of slides out of each pore onto the skin, keeping it moisturized and healthy. It can easily become trapped with the pore, though, if there's some stuff going on (dead skin accumulation, pollutants, etc.), and can become riddled with bacteria, causing breakouts. If it can't find a way out, it will become an enlarged ugly cyst. If it gets big enough, it will rupture and push bacteria ridden yuckiness into the surrounding area underneath the skin. Salicylic acid helps keep the pore free and open, minimizing the clogged sebum horror.

Raspberry Salicylic Acid Fruit Peel for Clogged Pores

smush the fruit

Fruit peels are awesome! I've added salicylic acid to this one to make it even more effective on clogged pores / closed comedones.

Homemade Glycolic Acid Peel

Glycolic acid is the way to go for freckles, age spots, and fine wrinkles. A very effective glycolic acid peel can be made at home with fruits and sugar!

Seaweed Bath

Some of my readers know I've recently come across an old stash of powdered bladderwrack in my cupboard. So far I've tried it in a couple of hair treatments with GREAT success!

• Clove and Henna Hair Mask
• Chamomile and Honey Hair Mask for Blondes
• Conditioning Seaweed Hair Rinse

Sun damage: Licorice Extract and Salicylic Acid Masque

So now that I'm down to a very very basic regimen for my closed comedone (cloggy pores!) acne, I'm going add licorice extract to the mask I already use. Please see my post about how licorice root works on skin pigmentation.

And here's a recipe for licorice skin toner. And here's a post on how it worked out for me.

To review a bit:

The production of melanin is regulated by tyrosinase, an enzyme present in the melanocytes. It converts an amino acid called tyrosine into dopaquinone. This in turn is convered to melanin granules. In order to prevent hyperpigmentation, tyrosinase action can be disrupted.

The transfer of melanin from the melanocytes to the keratinocytes is regulated by the cleavage of PAR-2 (protease-activated receptor). Soybean trypsin inhibitor (STI) and Bowman-Birk inhibitor (BBI), both proteins found in soy, and niacinamide, a vitamin B3 derivative, have all been found to inhibit the cleavage of PAR-2.

So in order to be an effective lightener, the formula should contain:

• A tyrosinase inhibitor to decrease melanin production (it can't be stopped completely);
• A PAR-2 cleavage inhibitor to disrupt the transfer of any melanin to the skin surface;
• An exfoliant to remove any cells with excess melanin that do manage to make it to the top.

The Formula

So the licorice is the tyrosinase inhibitor

The salicylic acid is our exfoliant

I'm going to start with just these two. I already know the salicylic acid has a positive impact on my clogging issues, so I'll add just the licorice first. If the licorice works out I'll add the PAR-2 cleavage inhibitor (B3 niacinamide) to my next formula and see if my clear pores are maintained.

Licorice Extract from Makingcosmetics.com

Masque Recipe

Okay! So I'm starting by adding the licorice extract to my regular salicylic face mask. Makingcosmetics.com suggests a 5 to 7 % concentration of the licorice extract. It's water soluble, so it will dissolve in the honey. Here's my recipe:

I made this recipe based on 1/4 teaspoons.

1/4 teaspoon salicylic acid powder (10%)

1/2 teaspoon alcohol (20%)

3/16 teaspoon licorice extract (@ 7%)

1.6 teaspoons raw, unfiltered, local honey

Okay, this is probably not the most scientific way to do things, but since the salicylic acid content is only about 10 %, it seems safe enough. (It's not good to play around too much with salicylic acid. For me, a 15 % concentration is too much, so if I'm unsure or trying out a new recipe, I'd keep it to around 10 %).

So I estimated the ingredients.

Put 1/4 teaspoon of salicylic acid powder in a glass bowl. Add 1/2 teaspoon of alcohol and stir with a wooden chopstick until dissolved. Add 1/4 teaspoon of licorice extract, then add half that again into the mix, so it's around 3/16 of a teaspoon (I did it this way because I don't have, nor have I ever seen, a 1/16 teaspoon!).  Stir it up, and add a little more than 1 1/2 teaspoons of your honey.

Salicilic acid from Makingcosmetics.com

Mix it up good!

Put it on your face. I use the whole thing, and it tingles at first, for about 5 minutes. Leave it on for 45 minutes to an hour and then rinse it off with cool water. Wipe your face with a clean, cool washcloth and rinse again. Moisturize with a little hemp oil. I usually put the hemp oil on my face without drying it. That keeps more moisture in your skin.

The immediate result was a very very soft and clean face. After a few weeks of using this maybe once a week and the toner every day, lightening should be visible. It works for me!

Sun damage: Licorice and Salicylic Acid Toner

Continuing with the lightening theme and the experimental theme, I'm going to add licorice extract to my already tried and proven toner formula. 

I already know my toner recipe works really well for clogged pores, so if my pores start getting clogged again, I'll know the licorice extract is the culprit. 

Clearing Clogged Pores: Mineral Makeup Review

Ella Rose Mineral Foundation: 5 stars!!!

Ella Rose Minerals is an Etsy store that provides handmade mineral makeup. The makeup contains none of the harmful ingredients commonly found in mass-produced mineral makeups, and she has a foundation that she says is 0 on the comedogenicity scale. 

Ella Rose Foundation

Clearing clogged pores: Makeup

When I FINALLY got rid of all those horrific closed comedones (BUMPS! WHITEHEADS! MINI HORROR SHOWS!) on my face, I started looking around for a makeup that I could use that would not negate all that work. I sing in a band, and like to wear matte makeup with full coverage and good adherance on stage so my face doesn't look like an oil slick under the lights. That's really the only time I wear makeup.

Carry Nation! Back in the day when all I needed was a wonderbra and black eyeliner.

Clearing clogged pores and cystic acne: Salicylic acid masque!

Home remedies for acne! Cure your closed comedones!

I'm going to stick to the salicylic acid for this next post, even though it's not next in the regimen. Since you already have the salicylic acid powder, and I've explained how it works (see last post), we'll just dive right into making this crucial, excellent masque for getting rid of clogged pores FOREVER! Caveat here: some people are very sensitive to Salicylic acid, so test this masque out on the back of your hand first. It should not burn!

Clearing clogged pores: Water only cleansing

soap and commercial cleansers can clog your pores. so how do you clean your face without clogging your pores?

Shall we start with the face? I developed closed-comedone acne when I was 27 years old. It was a rude awakening from the smug euphoria of having a perfect Irish complexion throughout my young life. Closed comedones are little plugs of sebum that collect in the pores. If they emerge on the surface, they oxidize, turn black, and become blackheads. If they stay trapped beneath the skin, they are whiteheads. They're the most difficult kind of acne to treat because it's difficult to get medicine down into a closed pore. I've used some things that have worked, like Retin-A and Obaji Nu-derm, but those things are really harsh. I was determined to come up with a home-made routine that would work just as well without the harshness.