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How To Beat Blackheads

22 February, 2016 - 11:16pm by - First Lady | 13 Comments

By BR Kellie

I don’t know about you but as soon as the weather warms up my face starts to get a little oilier and in no time at all my skin becomes a haven for blackheads. ‘Oh look, there’s a pore that looks nice and spacious, I’ll take up residence there!’. Little blighters!

Most of the time, ok, allll of the time I’m quite naughty and squeeze them or use this hairpin trick that my friend taught me where you take the rounded end of a hairpin, press down and then pull the blackhead out. It works a treat but who knows what damage is being done… 

This year though I’ve decided to try for the prevention is the best cure approach, so have set about finding ways to beat blackheads before they can nestle in my nose and cheeks… as well as finding ways to deal to ones that are extra sneaky and get in before I can stop them.

It helps to know what causes blackheads before you tackle the problem – thankfully there’s no huuuuge science behind it and is easily explainable. Blackheads form when the opening of the hair follicle aka the pore (I know! Who knew they were linked?!) becomes clogged with oil (sebum) and dead skin cells. When that delightful mixture meets the air it oxidises and goes black (kind of like how copper goes green when it meets air.)

Straight off the bat you’ll know that if too much oil helps cause blackheads then you won’t want to do anything to your skin to stimulate the oil production. So scrubbing your skin daily is a no-no. That’s not to say you can’t exfoliate at all, you can, just keep it down to once or twice a week and make sure you’re using a gentle exfoliant.

You’ll also want to make sure you’ve got your skincare regime sorted and that doesn’t mean cleansing, toning and moisturising with any old product – ensure it’s a range that suits your skin type (a trip to a trained beauty therapist for a facial is a great – and enjoyable – way to find this out). Once you’ve got your skincare regime sorted keep it up. That’s right, no matter how tired you are or how late it is you go through the motions. 

A product you may well want to get your hands on is something containing salicylic acid as this will gently help unclog pores and keep them unclogged. I don’t know how many times I’ve banged on about Stridex, which contains 2% salicylic acid, but since using that I’ve seen a serious reduction in blackheads and those nasty under the skin welts I’m prone to getting. A product that’s easier to get in New Zealand and is affordable too is the Yes To Tomatoes Blemish Clearing Facial Wipes, which also contain salicylic acid and get some rave reviews on the site from those who’ve used them.

So what about those pore strips that you can pop onto your nose, do they work? It seems to depend on the person and the application. One thing’s for sure - many users agree that they work a lot better if before you apply it if you cleanse your skin first and then do a bit of a facial steam (think hot water in bowl, towel over head, like when you get sick and can’t breathe) as this will open the pores. Once you’ve steamed for a few minutes you can apply the strip and let it do its thing. Keep in mind though that this won’t stop blackheads coming back, it will just make the skin look a little nicer.

Another step you can take to help prevent blackheads is to give a clay mask a go. Clay masks are a spring clean for the face as they get into the pores and do away with the dirt. As always it pays to check the label to ensure the mask is right for your skin type, but if you don’t want to spend hours reading labels check out these reviews.

I’m so serious about beating these blackheads into submission I approached a qualified beauty therapist aka our very own BR Zoe for her thoughts…

One of the keys to preventing blackheads is to remove make up properly; those that wear long-lasting (and typically overly drying) foundations are at risk of having breakout. That stuff just clings in areas it shouldn’t, particularly in the hairline, which causes even more congestion in the long run.

 Exfoliation helps prevent and treat those having trouble with blackheads - most people don’t know that when you exfoliate you actually tone the skin AFTER this step. Whereas usually you cleanse, tone and then moisturise, with exfoliation you swap the steps around. Toner is really important after exfoliation as it helps level out the skins PH level after the disruption of cleansing and exfoliating. It also prepares skin for deeper penetration of the products. 

There are basic things people don’t do that cause black heads, i.e. going to the gym wearing your full face of make up. To further help prevent blackheads always cleanse your skin after exercising. 

Hormonal imbalances, cosmetics, clothing and even diet can be the cause of congestion in the skin. A healthy lifestyle often means a healthy glowing skin! Bad genes can also been a factor - some people just have no luck when it comes to skin!

A fancy word for blackheads is a ‘comedone’ so look for brands that state  their products don’t contain ‘COMEDOGENIC causing ingredients’ / are 'non-comedogenic'.

Don’t pick the blackheads either- this increases your chance of causing scarring on the skin. 

Thanks, BR Zoe!! I love having someone who knows all in such close proximity and from this day out I will cease my naughty squeezy habit…

So there we have it. I don’t know about you but I’m armed with knowledge. I’m ready to battle the blackheads and face the summer sun with clearer (sunblocked) skin. Like anything though if your skin issues are causing you real concern and no at-home treatment is working a trip to your doctor or a skin specialist may well be in order. And of course, if you do a try an at-home product and find you have a reaction. Stop. Immediately. And if the reaction is bad, talk to a health professional.

What are your tips and tricks for beating blackheads? The more info the merrier… 

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Comments

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29th February, 2016

I am really naughty and hardly ever exfoliate!! Yes I know, I'm going to hunt on BR right now and find a good exfoliator!!

27th February, 2016

Great article, I hate those pesky black heads. I try and ore net them with exfoliation, but I will use the above tips now.

25th February, 2016

I have never had problems like blackheads or whiteheads because I have normal skin. Night time if o am tired however I removed my makeup and put the the night cream on. On weekends I don't wear makeup at all( if I am going out for shopping then just eyeliner)

25th February, 2016

The wipes sound good!

25th February, 2016

I like to use an oil cleanser to go in my pores and cleanse out the dirt. Then a foaming cleanser to clean off the oil. I have been a big fan of chemical exfoliation for a long time so I love having skincare acids in masques and treatments.

23rd February, 2016

I am a new convert to stridex- seriously amazing for clearing up your skin. Now my skin has settled down after regular use of these I can get away with using them every other day and my skin is looking nicer than it has in ages!

23rd February, 2016

I don't get many now I'm older, but I had one recently and my beauty therapist squeezed it out - very painfully I might add!!!! At least it was gone after that :)

23rd February, 2016

Well while I don't get a lot of black heads, if it helps my skin I'll give it a go.

23rd February, 2016

Using the right products helps. Chemical exfoliation = yes, manually ripping your skin off = no. Most of the time 'blackheads' are just sebaceous filaments and totally normal. Besides, no one bar you is looking that closely at your face on a daily basis.

23rd February, 2016

I have never had a problem with blackheads although I have a dry sensitive skin so possibly not oily enough however I always remove make up before bed and do have makeup free days so maybe that helps.

23rd February, 2016

Use either a BHA or AHA (BHA goes deeper into the skin, AHA's do the surface of the skin) to help clear them up. Pore strips can damage your skin and wipes are bad for the environment as they don't break down.

Clinique Pore Refining Solutions Charcoal Mask is an absolutely amazing product at clearing up blackheads. It's a very tight mask though so some might not like it when it dries on the skin. No smell, no fragrance added, no irritating ingredients.

23rd February, 2016

Definitely agree with cleansing properly and salicylic acid use! I always double cleanse and use Stridex wipes religiously, along with other bits and pieces in my acne fighting arsenal, it really does make a huge difference!

Re 'non-comegenic' I think the term you're looking for is 'non-comedogenic'. It's important to note that any product can be labelled 'non-comedogenic' as there are no regulatory standards anywhere in the world for it. So in actuality you can't rely on labels, similar I suppose to 'healthy' food claims, you need to know what ingredients to look for in a product to know whether there are comedogenic ingredients.

23rd February, 2016

Ok I guilty of squeesing blackheads. It does leave scarring. I have many. I have stopped though . One month so far lol I seem to get them in the weirdest places. I saw one on my eye brow lol I just do a face mask at least once a week. I'd love to try a few of those other brands in that link.

Head Pixie
23rd February, 2016

Spelling mistake noted and changed - thank you :) x

Imoshen
23rd February, 2016

The same with "organic" and "natural". The beauty industry has a lot to answer for right?

Pifithrin
23rd February, 2016

This is my pet peeve. Along with claims like 'gluten free' and 'cholesterol free' on products that never have these things anyway. Just marketing buzzwords.

Kikikiana
23rd February, 2016

Imoshen, I did a quick google on BHA/AHA products in NZ, any you would recommend? I agree that pore strips can do some damage and yes wipes are bad for the environment! great points!!

Imoshen
23rd February, 2016

By damage I mean irritate and that is a big no no. I recommend Paula's Choice Skin Perfecting 2% BHA Liquid as a good starting point, it lasts forever and is good for all skin types but she has other options that you might want to look into.

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