Seriously, don't do this
Backstory
It has always been the case that whatever I leave on my desk by my laptop will become the object of my absent-minded attention while I procrastinate work. Having attempted to fix some shoes a week ago, a glue gun has been sitting temptingly to my left, just waiting to be played and experimented with.
I started by taking gluey impressions of my fingerprints while probably watching something on Netflix when it occurred to me: hot glue isn't that hot... maybe I could use it for other things.
Hot glue as a pore strip
Pore strips are adhesive strips of fabric designed to be applied to the face. As they dry, the adhesive clings to debris on the top of pores which is then removed when the strip is pulled off. Theoretically, you can get rid of blackheads in this way.
Glue (obviously) has the same adhesive qualities as a pore strip, and will harden in such a way that it can be peeled off. Time for an experiment.
I was not, under any circumstances, going to apply hot glue directly to my face. Instead, I squeezed out a sizable blob onto a finger and left it for a few moments to cool slightly before holding the finger against my chin and waiting for the glue to harden.
Results? I found the glue to be less effective than store bought pore-strips, but not by a huge margin. That is to say that they did have at least some cleansing effect. The heat wasn't too problematic either as I allowed the glue to cool somewhat first, however it was difficult getting the timing right so that the glue was as cool as possible whilst still being liquid.
Hot glue for hair removal
Following the success of my new facial cleansing product, I decided to find out if I could use the stuff to shape my eyebrows. Now, if you book in to have your eyebrows done professionally, the beautician will usually apply hot wax to the areas of hair they want removed with a lollipop stick and then add paper to let them yank it off in the most painful manner possible.
Not having lollipop sticks lying around my desk, I tried using the blade of my leatherman to spread the glue, but this had the effect of lifting the glue off before it had the chance to dry around the hairs. I turned once again to the finger-press technique used in my gluey pore strips.
This method did allow me to pluck a few eyebrow hairs, but the limited area covered using the finger press method meant this was less effective than even using tweezers, and tweezers would be much less painless.
Hot glue as a treatment for plantar warts
This one was always going to be a stretch. I have a verruca on my foot that has proved to be non removable for love nor money. I have tried almost everything; over the counter creams, extra strength over the counter creams, prescription creams, over the counter freezing, freezing by a doctor, surgical removal (attempted myself), surgical removal (attempted professionally), burning using lighters, light bulbs and on one occasion a soldering iron (again, not recommended) and several of these at once, all to no avail. Glue gun treatment was not going to work, so what I was looking for here was the potential that it could work.
I applied the glue straight from the gun in this scenario, and then pressed down directly on it with a finger to ensure it got in all the little cracks and crevices, left it to dry completely, and peeled it off.
And quite a large bit of the cursed thing came with it. Conclusion? A chemically treated verruca that's nearly ready to come out on its own could most likely be lifted in this way. The method also had the bonus of being almost entirely pain free due to the nature of the tissue involved.
But seriously, Don't Do This.