Face it: No matter how good our face care regimens, blackheads are an issue. We can wash and scrub and use whatever catches our fancy to try to eliminate the issue; but for many of us, blackheads still remain. Enter Nesura Pore Deep Charcoal Strips, a product that promises to remove those pesky blackheads, sebum, and other pore-clogging impurities. Does the product deliver? Let’s find out!
Description
Nesura Pore Strips, available as a single, eight, or ten-pack, promise to help reduce or eliminate impurities on the nose, a problem area for many people. The instructions suggest the charcoal will attach to the blackheads and lift them out of pores, leaving a clean nose behind. This sounds easy enough!
Directions
Prior to using the strips, make sure to wash and dry your face.
To use the pore strips, remove the strip from the package and off the clear plastic backing. Dampen your nose with water. Place the strip on your nose. In order to make the strip stick, rub it down to eliminate air pockets. Then, let the strip harden for 10-15 minutes. After the strip hardens, remove it. Theoretically, the impurities should be completely gone or greatly reduced.
Impressions
While the strip looks easy to use, it’s not exactly that way. As it seems, the pore strip appears to be made for individuals with broader noses because it is much too large for small-nosed people. If you’re the latter, this strip may not work for you. In addition to the length, even though the strips are thin, they feel heavy.
When it comes to sticking and hardening, the strip does not want to cooperate. The wet charcoal causes the strip to slip and never got hard as promised and expected. So this was one the many downfalls. Out of ten strips, maybe two actually hardened like the instructions suggest.
Another issue involves the messy residue left behind after removing the product. Don’t expect clean removal! There is a lot of charcoal left behind, so you may need to wash your face again after use. Part of the messiness comes thanks to the strip ripping.
Some may not like the smell of the strips either. If you have a sensitive sense of smell, stay away! The strips have a chemical scent which could be due to the mix of the charcoal and Witch Hazel (the Witch Hazel scent is the more dominant scent). This is ironic because charcoal is usually used to eliminate odors in closets and other small spaces. The scent just makes wearing the strip even more uncomfortable.
Further issues included how the charcoal dried skin out and even caused some breakouts. At first, I thought it was due to the ingredients, but that wasn’t the case. Instead, winter dryness appears to be the culprit. In any case, this was definitely annoying, especially since the strip seemed to enhance the dryness.
Overall
After three weeks of using the product, there wasn’t a noticeable difference in my skin. While Nesura Pore Strips promise to help remove impurities, they failed to do the trick. The messiness and poor fit are also turn-offs. There are better charcoal products out there like Daiso Japan Charcoal Peel-Off Masks, Elizavecca Milky Piggy Carbonated Bubble Clay Mask, or Etude House Nose Packs, so try these over Nesura if you want results.
Nesura Charcoal Nose Strips earn a score of 1/5.
—-Joelle Halon