why actually, yes. do you do the oil cleansing method? there are several oils that you can use that are super effective for cleaning gunk out of pores. do you have oily, dry, or combo skin? or do you use another word to describe it? i can give you a list of some great oils to use that will clear things up pretty quickly if i know a bit more about your skin type.

ETA: the scrub that i use most often is just a 1:1 mixture of baking soda and powdered buttermilk. the lactic acid in the buttermilk combined with the baking soda grains work as both a chemical and mechanical exfoliant. just mix with enough water to make a paste. i use it twice a week or so.

so, i would try a combo of caster, hazlenut, and either sunflower seed oil or jojoba oil. play with the ratios until you fing one you like. ill put together a list of some essential oils that ill be a great boost, too but you can start with lavender and tea tree which are super powerhouses and also really inexpensive. eucalyptus and rosemary oils are also effective. clary sage and rose geranium will also work well, and smell lovely together.

try a facial stem with calendula flowers and sweet orange essential oil OR lemon essential oil before cleansing.

ANOTHER EDIT: make sure you order from a reputable place. EO quality varies incredibly from vendor to vendor. everything at www.mountainroseherbs.com is very high and consistent quality and their prices are great. if you dont mind doing business with hippies.... ;)

Once I went no soap/no 'poo I also stopped using my commercial moisturizers as well. I used to also have big, dark, ugly pores and would use strips, scrubs, and masks to keep them under control. What made my skin look brighter, cleaner and healthier than ever is when I started moisturizing with that paleo favorite, coconut oil. A little goes a long way.

I think that as with a lot of other things paleo, this goes in the face of conventional wisdome, but when you really think about it, it totally makes sense. Like stop using shampoo to strip the oils out of your hair, and your hair will stop be greasy because your body isnt working overtime to correct it. Add fat to your diet and you lose fat stores since your body isnt desperately holding onto everything. It sounds counterintuitive at first to add oil to your face to relive things, but after a week or so i guarantee you'll see great results.

Strawberries, aspirin and tomatoes contain the chemical skin exfoliant salicylic acid, which is the active ingredient in most over the counter pore products. Just mash them up and apply for 10-15 minutes daily (depending on the sensitivity of your skin) to make pore extraction easy and avoid new plugs forming.

It isn't natural but I know people who use elmers glue with mixed results. Here are some more natural ideas

Scrubbing with a mixture of honey/sugar has worked well for me (about equal parts of each), as has using clay as a mask once in a while. Also, not using moisturizer as often... even coconut oil, etc. (ie: if my face doesn't feel dry, I don't use it). Clay is great for sucing crap out of pores, and also tightening them. You can usually find different clays (red, green etc) at health food stores.

@Kelly, same as above! I can vouch for the oil cleansing method as well... really nice, and does not make you more oily (but I don't do it in the summer).

I remember seeing a video floating around on Youtube for homemade pore strips, using unflavored gelatin and milk. Believe it or not, there's actually some great DIY advice on there, if you're willing to search around a bit.

wow you guys are awesome!!

so, whats good for allergic to everything skin, mixed skin Tzone oily skin, rest normal??

Currently using Avene products, I never break out using the cream cleanser and sunblock.

Uhm, I have a question (for anyone whom is willing to answer) Does the clay really help shrink the pores? I am a 21 year old male, and I am not sure why.... but recently my body has been going through a stage with my skin being too dry/ then getting too greasy.... My hair is the worst part.... but unfortunately I have fairly large pores not huge or anything, but noticeable

The coconut oil definately sounds like something I could try, and I have been wanting to try the clay for some time, 1st. does it work? and 2nd. is there a particular type of clay that needs to be used?

and information would be helpful! thanks : D

Make a mask of Red Morroccan Clay (Ghassoul, I think it's called) and rose water (optional, just use water if you like). It works wonders. Total balance...

A great natural and paleo alternative to those pore strips is egg white, or if you want extra strength drawing power - egg white mixed with green clay powder. I use "Australian Blue Clay", (which is actually green) and there's some lovely green clay from France out there plus there may well be some local variant of a green/blue clay sourced closer to you. Green is the most drawing, but white kaolin clay also works the same way, only with a more gentle action.

Just save an egg white, freeze in an ice cube tray and keep in the freezer. You'll only need to chip a bit off to make enough for your nose each time (or maybe half the white to do your whole face). Use alone, or mix in enough dry clay powder (if you have it) to get it to a spreadable, not too runny, consistency that you like.

Smear on, let dry and wait for 10-15 mins or more if you like, then peel off in a similar fasion to the bought ones. (Though finickety egg might not agree to come off in one piece.)

You can check out Mountain Rose Herbs if you're having trouble finding green clay: http://www.mountainroseherbs.com/search/search.php?refine=y&keywords=green+clay&x=0&y=0

All the best!