Witch hazel acts as an astringent to help shrink your pores, soothe your skin and reduce inflammation.
The most convenient way to add witch hazel to your skin care routine is to use it as a toner: Wash and rinse your face with a gentle cleanser, then add a few drops of witch hazel to a cotton ball and apply it to your face, says Dr. Jaliman. (There's no need to rinse it.)
There isn't anything out there that's going to shrink pores instantly, but you can cleanse your pores to remove any dirt that can be making them more noticeable. You can cover your face with makeup to get a temporary impact, but oftentimes this will only clog your pores even more.
It can also help reduce inflammation and tighten pores for healthier-looking skin. Finally, it is antioxidant and helps control oil production, which can overall help keep skin looking its best. In short, witch hazel is an ideal toner to keep your skin looking healthy and glowing.
Can I use witch hazel on my face every day? A. Yes, witch hazel can be used as a natural toner, cleanser or moisturiser in your daily skincare routine. It can be used after the cleanser as a toner to target skin problems like acne, enlarged pores, redness, under-eye puffiness and more.
It never hurts to keep in mind that you need your pores, even if you don't love how they look. They're a natural part of your skin, not a flaw. It can also help to come to terms with the fact that your genes play a role in their size. In other words, you can't make them smaller or get rid of them entirely.
Skincare products can make your pores look smaller by exfoliating the skin—or cleaning out dead skin cells and oil from the pore. Pores that are cleared of blackheads and blockages will look less obvious. The surface of the skin will also look brighter, smoother, and more even.
During the normal skin cell turnover process, your topmost layer of skin sluffs off every 30-40 days or so. As you age, this process takes longer, up to 50 or 60 days. Retinoids like retinol speed up the process, bringing your skin turnover back to 20-30 days as in your youth.
Results: There are 3 major clinical causes of enlarged facial pores, namely high sebum excretion, decreased elasticity around pores, and increased hair follicle volume. In addition, chronic recurrent acne, sex hormones, and skin care regimen can affect pore size.
“For that, proven ingredients like salicylic acid and benzoyl peroxide are the gold-standard and have years of research behind them. In fact, witch hazel can actually make blemishes worse in the long-term by causing irritation,” says Begoun. Witch hazel won't improve the texture and tone of your skin, either.
“Witch Hazel is best used 2-3 times a week, after cleansing, because it removes traces of cleanser, makeup, dirt, or oil.
One great way to minimize the look of enlarged pores is to use a pore minimizer that has ingredients such as: glycolic acid, azelaic acid, willow bark extract and green tea. Glycolic acid exfoliates the skin and keeps pores clean. Azelaic acid is great for helping control acne and keeping pores from getting clogged.
It tightens pores
Those who have oily skin and large pores can benefit from apple cider vinegar. The substance contains alpha-hydroxy acids (organic acids that improve cell turnover and reduce the appearance of wrinkles), which can shrink and tighten pores.
Many of the commercial witch hazels are blended with ethanol (or a type of alcohol used in skin care and beauty products). Avoid these. "Look for witch hazel in its pure form and not mixed with ethanol, which is overly irritating and drying to the skin," says Rabach.
You can apply pure witch hazel to your face immediately after cleansing. If using a product that contains witch hazel in it, like serum or toner, it can be applied after cleansing and before moisturizing.
Witch hazel contains several antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties, including gallic acid and tannins. When applied topically to the skin, witch hazel can reduce redness, soothe the skin, and treat sunburns.
Vaseline itself won't shrink your pores or treat wrinkles, but keeping your skin moisturized is an essential preventative measure to slow the signs of aging on your skin.
Retinol promotes skin cell turnover and unclogs pores.
Studies show that applying retinol cream reduces pore size and keeps them cleaner, emptying the impurities that otherwise give an oversized appearance. Retinol is most effective when used as night cream.
As you grow older, your skin loses it elasticity, which causes your skin to stretch and sag, making pores appear larger. Your skin also thickens as you age, which causes miniscule skin cells to gather around your pores, making pores look bigger.