Facial Mask

I've been trying all sorts of things to get rid of the blackheads on my nose.  Wouldn't you think at 61 I'd be finished with all this stuff, but no, I'm still plagued.  Here's what I've tried in the past few months:

1.  A mild exfoliant of baking soda and distilled water.  I like using that once a day and will probably continue.  Much cheaper than store-bought exfoliants.

2.  I'm also trying the Oil Cleansing Method (OCM).  I mixed 20% castor oil with 80% sunflower oil.  It smells a bit funky but I really like how it feels.  I massage it on my face for about a minute than lay a hot washcloth over my face for a few seconds.  Then I wipe off the excess oil.  I like this method, too.  The castor oil is for drawing, cleansing, and purging oil from your pores. The Sunflower Seed Oil is to dilute the Castor Oil in viscosity (thickness) and additionally provide moisture, nutrients, and other benefits.

3.  I've tried the Lavendar/Basil Steam.  That was wonderful but I still have too many blackheads.  Will do this again because it felt good and smelled good.

4.  I tried the pore strips idea that is made from gelatin and milk.  Works just like Biore Strips.  They both left me with a red spot on the side of my nose (sensitive skin, I guess) and there are still blackheads.

5.  And sometimes I wash my face with Dove white soap or Neutrogena Oil-free Acne Wash (grapefruit flavored).  I like it but it doesn't seem to help any with the blackheads, either.

6.  After each washing I apply Witch Hazel mixed with several drops of essential oils of various kinds.  It smells and feels wonderful.  

7.  Finally, I moisturizer with Oil of Olay ($20) but I'm going to be switching soon to St. Ives Timeless Skin ($8).  Just to compare the two and see which I like better.  I'm hoping I like the St. Ives better.  That's the one Dr. Oz recommended on his show.

The next thing I'm going to try is the aspirin facial mask.  Anyone tried that?  What are your thoughts?

The recipe for the mask is to mash up 5-8 aspirin (go with the cheap, no-name aspirin).  Add a few drops of Aloe Vera gel.  You don't want too much gel or it will be too runny.  Apply the mask where needed, avoid getting too close to your eyes.  Wear the mask for approximately 10 minutes.  Rinse off with warm water.

Instead of the aloe gel you could mix the aspirin with honey, extra-virgin olive oil, jojoba oil, sunflower seed oil, sweet almond oil.

I don't have any aloe vera gel on hand so I'll try it tonight with sunflower oil.  

Does anyone have any other great ideas?  I would love to have flawless skin just once in my life.