Neutrogena pore refining toner?

I just bought the product but I heard that this can cause drying. After I use the toner should I use some moisturizer afterwards? Also has anyone tried this product? Does it work?|||Yep, bought that and tried it. It didn%26#039;t work to shrink or %26quot;refine%26quot; the pores on my T-zone. Instead, it made my skin tight and dry. I still had blackheads and whiteheads, the pores still look the same size. It was a waste of $. Then I researched some dermatology textbooks (the medical school level kind) and this is my discovery:





1. Regardless of what the package label claims, there is no product available on the planet that can %26quot;shrink pores,%26quot; as pore size is strictly genetic predisposition.


2. What makes those pores appear bigger are the blackheads and whiteheads, the trapped oil inside the pores.


3. Therefore, what you should target is keeping those pores as clear as possible. This is the ONLY way to make them %26quot;appear%26quot; smaller.





CHANGE YOUR SKINCARE ROUTINE


1. Get a gentle facial cleanser that is capable of removing EVERYTHING without drying your skin, such as Neutrogena%26#039;s Gentle Cleanser ($5.94 per bottle) or One Step Gentle Cleanser (1 step in removing eye and face makeup), both of these are alcohol free, with enough emollients to retain your skin moisture. Walmart now carries the One Step Gentle Cleanser ($6.23 per bottle), too, but they place it in the Neutrogena%26#039;s Makeup section, next to the eye makeup remover. Target prices are slightly cheaper than Walmart, with the One-Step to be available for less than $6.


2. SKIP the toner, as an effective facial cleanser should be able to remove everything in one wash. The extra step of using a toner actually does nothing more than wasting your money.


3. EXFOLIATE with BHA (namely Beta Hydroxy Acid or Salicylic Acid) your face 2-3 times a week for acne prone skin, as BHA is capable of sloughing off dead skin cells inside the pores. AHA (Alpha Hydroxy Acid, Glycolic Acid, or Lactic Acid, just to name a few) works better for sun-damaged skin. BHA is effective in concentration between 1%-2%, with a pH balance of 3. AHA works best in 5%-8% concentration, with a pH balance of 3 to 4. Any higher % and/or lower pH balance number decreases the effectiveness of both AHA and BHA. These chemical exfoliants work better than manual %26quot;scrubs%26quot; because those scrubs don%26#039;t exfoliate as deep. The cheapest, most effective exfoliants I have used are Paula%26#039;s Choice (available at www.cosmeticscop.com).


4. Give yourself a facial once a week. Steam your face under a towel for 10-15 minutes to open up all those pores, and most of your blackheads and whiteheads should surface. Then use a clay mask to squeeze those pores a bit more.


5. Follow with Biore Strips. After the pores are all opened, they work to pull everything out. Afterwards, your pores will feel soooo clean and opened (empty holes) that your skin feels ticklish. It%26#039;s a refreshing feeling.


6. Throughout the week, use a topical disinfectant cream, either 5% or 10% Benzoyl Peroxide (brand name Clearasil, but Persa Gel and Walmart%26#039;s generic Equate brands are much cheaper) on your T-zone. Apply 1-2 times a day; any more than that, it will be too harsh on your skin. If your skin is as sensitive as mine, just use it once a day. This will help lower the occurence of large-looking pores.


7. With moisturizers, use it sparingly. Don%26#039;t overdo it, especially on the T-zone, or else it will trap the oils even more. Besides, if you keep up with the exfoliation, you should not need much moisturizing anyway, because the cleared out pores will absorb the moisturizers more effectively.|||some people (and dermo%26#039;s) swear by toners but a lot of dermotologist suggest that all you really need is a good cleanser and moisturizer because toners take out all the excess oil while cleansers have the perfect balance of oil so that when it removes it, it can also return some without making skin oily, or dry. I%26#039;d just stick with the cleansers to eliminate risk of having flaky skin