Getting Rid Of Those Pesky Blackheads

Is there anything more annoying than finding little black specks on your face? We are sure you have all stood in front of the mirror and examined your blackheads from time to time, cursing your skin. The appearance of blackheads anywhere on your face really does bother you.

How to get rid of blackheads is one of the great mysteries of life. Maybe it is not a mystery so much as a challenge. You may have always tried to dig them out, but you risk traumatizing your skin in a way that makes the blackhead you removed seem like a no big deal (think scarring or hyperpigmentation). Fortunately, there is some middle ground in both removing and preventing blackheads.

Blackheads are formed when the opening of a pore on your skin becomes clogged with sebum, dirt, etc. Dead skin cells and oils collect in the pore. So, if the pore isn’t covered by skin, exposure to air causes it to turn black as it oxidizes. Hence it is termed as a blackhead.

Learning how to get rid of blackheads can be a game changer since they can stick around when left unchecked. According to skin care experts, some blackheads can persist for days, weeks, or even months if not extracted, while your body usually clears small whiteheads within a week to 10 days. These tweaks to your skin care routine can help.

Important Tips To Treat & Prevent Blackheads

The good news is that there is a bounty of over-the-counter products that contain effective ingredients to exfoliate, soften, and even remove blackheads.

• Wash With A Gentle Cleanser:

Completely resist any temptation to launch a scrubby assault on your blackheads. In fact, your best bet is to use a mild cleanser. It will strip your skin of moisture, which in turn can actually trigger the overproduction of sebum and further exacerbate the problem. You can use cleansers that contain glycolic acid, which clears out pores. Gentle botanical cleansers with glycerin in it, which act as humectants and help your skin retain moisture are also useful to treat blackheads.

You can try Oriental Botanics’ Aloe Vera, Green Tea & Cucumber Hydrating Face Wash. Despite its powerful cleansing action, it is gentle on the skin. Its rich creamy lather washes away all traces of impurities and clears the skin so that your skin feels fresh and is revitalized. Packed with skin hydrating and nourishing botanical ingredients, it instantly eliminates skin dullness, blackheads and brings out the natural beauty of your skin. This hydrating face wash replenishes the skin’s hydration so that your skin does not feel dry, stretched or scratchy and remains supple after cleaning. The moisture mantle also helps to minimize everyday skin damages due to exposure to environmental pollutants.

• Never Use Your Nails To Squeeze Out A Blackhead:

If you are carrying out a DIY extraction, the key is to be gentle and careful. Every day many of the dermatologists see patients who pick, scratch, and extract spots on their skin, and this puts them at risk of permanent scarring.

Here is how you can go about it. You can start with completely clean hands and remember not to place your fingers too close to the blackhead. It is important to widen them out a bit so that the blackhead will be extracted more easily from a deeper level within your skin. While squeezing, frequently relocate your fingers to make it easier and to avoid creating marks. Strictly do not use your nails, lest you puncture your skin.

• Exfoliate Religiously:

For exfoliation, you can opt for both a chemical exfoliant or a physical one, which means you can use chemical peels and alpha hydroxy acids or a physical scrub. But be careful as scrubs can cause micro-tears in your skin.

Specifically, enriching scrubs can dive deep into your pore and dissolve the sebum that is causing the clog. They essentially work by keeping the pores open and clean. Scrubs can also be used to exfoliate smaller, blackhead-prone areas like your nose.

If you are wondering about pore-clearing devices, please proceed with caution. While they may be somewhat safe, many of the at-home vacuum-based tools can actually cause other problems, ranging from temporary bruising to long-term broken capillaries on the skin.

The Australian Tea Tree Face Scrub from Oriental Botanics comes with a gentle formula but is still very effective for the skin. It increases the skin’s clarity and radiance and refreshes the skin. Mild abrasive agents and gentle exfoliants are blended in the face scrub to expose the younger layer of skin hidden behind the dead skin cells and helps to eliminate skin dullness. It helps in loosening the blackheads and whiteheads and unclogging the pores. It helps to fade the dark spots and its skin-lightening effect assists in reducing the appearance of the hyperpigmented spots. The skin-conditioning agents infused in the scrub leaves the skin moisturized and supple.

• Make Sure To Moisturize:

Even though oil is a contributor to blackheads, avoiding it will only backfire. In fact, keeping your skin’s oil levels balanced (versus nonexistent) is the key to minimizing blackheads and further developing them. While some heavy oils, can greatly clog your pores, a lack of oil causes the skin to produce more of it, which leads to, you guessed it right, more breakouts.

Overly dry skin can lead to the production of excessive oil that causes blackheads. It is vital to ensure that you maintain a normal flow of oil from your pores by keeping your skin’s moisture level balanced. Try a gel based or lightweight moisturizer that is non comedogenic as it is the best of both worlds.

We would recommend a lightweight moisturizer from Oriental Botanics. The Australian Tea Tree Face Gel is a fast-absorbing, non-greasy face gel enriched with natural oils and plant extracts for moisturizing and nourishing the acne-prone and oily skin. It is a non-comedogenic gel that quickly permeates the skin without clogging the pores and improves the condition of the stressed skin. It restores the skin’s lipid barrier without leaving behind greasy residues so that your skin feels soft and smooth. Rich in nutrients that help in the regeneration of the skin cells, this face gel helps to repair the damaged skin. It helps to protect the skin from oxidative stress due to exposure to pollution. It has an illuminating effect on the skin and helps in lightening the dark spots and blemishes.

• Use A Clarifying Face Mask:

Face masks are very useful in helping to draw oils and toxins out of the skin, which helps to unclog pores. These masks are often considered must-haves for oily skin.

Face masks are made of ingredients that work to break down the dead skin cells that make up blackheads. No matter which mask you choose, you can use it once a week in addition to your once- or twice-weekly exfoliating treatment.

We think Oriental Botanics’ Aloe Vera, Green Tea & Cucumber Peel Off Mask is ideal to treat and prevent the occurrence of blackheads. This Peel-Off Mask instantly brightens the complexion and reveals the natural beauty of your skin. It pulls out the dead skin cells and the gunk trapped in the pores and restores your skin to its purified state. It is packed with nutrient-rich botanical ingredients that supply the essential external nourishment your skin needs to regain its luster and suppleness. It soothes and refreshes the skin stressed by environmental aggressors. It helps to strengthen your skin’s antioxidant defense against free radicals generated due to exposure to sunlight and pollution and helps to repair the everyday microscopic damages.

• Essentially Add A Charcoal Mask To Your Routine:

Like clay and other peel-off masks, charcoal masks work deep in the skin to draw out oil and other impurities thus, preventing the occurrence of blackheads on your skin. Charcoal is also known to take these benefits up another notch.

We advise you to try Oriental Botanics’ Activated Charcoal 3 IN 1 Clay Mask. This face mask offers the triple benefits of detoxifying the pores, whitening the complexion and refreshing the skin. It utilizes the adsorbing power of activated charcoal to deeply cleans and detoxifies the skin. It helps to clear the enlarged pores and assists in softening and loosening the gunk trapped in the pores. The clarifying effect of the mask assists in removing blackheads and whiteheads and improves the health of the skin. It is the skincare product you need to minimize skin damage due to exposure to pollution. Natural skin conditioning ingredients in the mask supply external hydration to the skin and restore its natural oil balance.

Sometimes a good course of action for stubborn blackheads is by manual extraction, but it should always be kept in the hands of a professional. Otherwise, you risk scarring your skin.

Your dermatologist might also recommend a chemical peel or microdermabrasion. But be aware and prefer using gentle and botanical products for effective and long-term results.

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