Blackheads are found in the pores of your skin. These pores serve multiple functions: your hair follicles are many times rooted in them, they release sweat to cool down your body, and they release sebum oil onto the surface of your skin to keep it from drying out. Unfortunately, this oil can sometimes get stuck in the pores and develop a blockage that rarely becomes unclogged on its own. The oil gets exposed to the oxygen in the air and turns black, creating the blackheads we all know and despise.There are several things you can do to clear these blackheads.
Step 1
Wash your face with a gentle soap and a soft wash cloth. This should be done routinely to keep blackheads from developing, but you also might be able to clear out some blackheads through routine washing. Using warm or hot water also helps open the pores, which makes the blackheads more accessible in later treatment techniques.
Step 2
Apply a blackhead strip to your skin when still wet. These blackhead strips can vary in their effectiveness when it comes to taking out the entire blockage, but they still can be useful as a blackhead removal technique. Many strips only succeed in taking off the top, black part of the blockage, while leaving the clogging intact at its base, but this eliminate the visibility of the blackhead and will allow other treatments to penetrate deeper. Let the strip adhere to the skin for 10 to 15 minutes, then remove. Don't apply this treatment multiple times, as it can cause damage to your skin.
Step 3
Scrub your skin twice weekly with an exfoliating scrub. This treatment can agitate the pores and dislodge oil creating a blockage. It also gets rid of dead skin cells that might be holding back sebum oil in the pores. Exfoliating shouldn't be done more than a couple of times a week, though, since it can wear away young skin before it's ready to be shed.
Step 4
Rinse your skin in salicylic acid daily to break down the oil in your pores and fully remove the blockage. This acid can be found in over-the-counter medications, and stronger doses are sometimes found in prescription medications. The acid is very successful at breaking down the oil that accumulates in your pores, fully removing blackheads and preventing others from developing.
Things You'll Need
- Wash cloth
- Warm water
- Soap
- Blackhead strips
- Exfoliating scrub
- Salicylic acid
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