By BR Amelia
Blackheads. They can be the bane of our existence, and getting rid of them can be a right pain in the you know what. Over the years we've seen and heard all sorts of crazy blackhead-removal methods from nose-strips, to using glue to pull them out, to steaming and squeezing, to using a toothbrush to scrub them out (!?!?) - but this one has us... well... gritting our teeth and shaking our heads.
So what's it called? Skin gritting.
What does it involve? In a nutshell, you take an oil cleanser and cleanse your face, then apply a clay mask and rinse that off after the prescribed time, finally you once again apply oil cleanser and start massaging. The idea being that this will see the blackheads slip out of your pores. And the below is purportedly the results of skin gritting...
Now, I'm no beauty therapist, but a few alarm bells are going off in my head over this blackhead removal process. First of all, I get that massaging the correct kind of oil into your skin can help dissolve blackheads, but I deeply suspect that a three-step method such as this could easily go wrong if done at home - especially if a person were to use a comedogenic oil, which can contribute to clogging your pores. Skin gritting also seems a touch overkill - and overdoing your skin care routine can strip your oils from your skin and cause it to go into oil-production overdrive, which can exacerbate the problem. Further to that, there's the danger of getting a little too rough and ready with your skin, which could further irritate the skin, and even cause broken capillaries.
Also, I'm just not sure I'm believing what I'm seeing. Those grits look awfully big for blackheads, and I've seen some whoppers in my time. To me they look more like balled up blobs of oil and leftover clay mask.
I asked about the office to see if anyone were game to give this a go, but it was a resounding no. So I went online and found that YouTuber Stephanie Bailey had given it a go - and well, the results weren't all that surprising...
So it's a no from me. A no from the crew. What say you? Skin gritting? Is it a yay? Or should it go away?
Not for me, thanks.