For Blackheads

It is most important to keep face and skin scrupulously clean.

* Use an oatmeal or almond meal mask thoroughly to cleanse your face. Mix either oatmeal or almond meal with just enough water to make a soft paste that spreads easily on the skin. Rub it on your skin with your finger-tips, paying special attention to the problem areas. Leave to dry for about 10-15 minutes and then rinse off with cool water.

* Apply undiluted lemon juice, two to three times a day, on the affected areas. Make a solution with about 36 grams of soda bicarbonate dissolved in about 8 ounces of distilled or boiled water. Rub on affected areas.

* Make a paste with about four ounces of grated almonds, two ounces of a glycerine soap (e.g., Pears), one ounce Fuller's earth (MuUani mitti) and a little distilled or boiled water. Apply on trouble spots. Leave on for 10-15 minutes and then rinse off with cool water.

* Apply steam (bearable) on your face for about 3-5 minutes. With the help of facial tissue or sterilized cotton wool, squeeze out blackheads gently.

Rinse your face with cool water and then pat on an astringent.

Warm a little honey and apply on trouble spots. Wash off after 10-15 minutes. * Treatment with the rays of an ultra-violet lamp two to three times a week is also good for a skin troubled with blackheads.

For Large Pores

* Buttermilk has superb astringent qualities. It helps to reduce oversized pores. Pat it on your face with cotton wool and leave on for 7-10 minutes. Wash off with cool water. * The juice of lettuce leaves is also a good astringent which can be used in the same way.

* Slices of raw fresh tomatoes left on the skin for 10 to 15 minutes also have an astringent effect on the skin. Also, the amino acid in the tomatoes helps clear the skin.

* The white of an egg applied on the face (not around the eye area), however, and left on for 15 minutes has a tightening effect on large pores. Wash off egg white from the face with cool water. * Make a soft paste by mixing powdered alum with a raw egg white and rose water. Pat on face avoiding eye areas. Leave on for 10-15 minutes and then wash off with cool water.

* Application of equal parts of vinegar and water mixed well on the face acts as an astringent as well as skin tonic.

* Make a paste of equal amounts of cornmeal and oatmeal in hot water. While the paste is still hot, pat it on the face, avoiding eye area. Leave it on for about 20-30 minutes before washing off with cold water. Then pat on an astringent. This helps to make the skin fine as well as to tighten pores.

Substitute honey or molasses (gur) for sugar, jams and marmalades. Avoid salted foods and increase the intake of curd.

Remember finally, that exercise does wonders for your skin as it starts the healing process moving more quickly.