Blackheads or open comedones are accumulated oil, dirt and dead cells in the pores. The pores remain open and the top of the accumulated mass oxidizes and forms a black or yellowish color on the top. The cause is not lack of hygiene. It is a common prejudice. Don’t obsessively wash the face because you will aggravate the skin condition. Excessive washing will dry out your skin and make oil glands to secrete more oil so it will be easier to create a blackheads even more. Facial skin should be cared every day.
After washing it is necessary to use a moisturizer for a face skin or natural oils so skin would be kept moist. Skin treated like this will not be dry and will not be forced to produce additional oil.
Causes of blackheads are:
- Overproduction of oil, as result of over activity in the oil glands and tends to occur in puberty more than other life periods
- Cosmetics
- Caffeine
- Smoking
- Alcohol
In addition to daily skin care and prevention, there are home remedies that can help to quickly and easily remove existing blackheads.
Steaming face for blackhead removal
Steaming will soften collected sebum and help reduce appearance of blackheads. Boil water and fill a large bowl. Cover your head with a towel and lean it over the steaming water for 15 minutes. Make sure that your face is not too close so you don’t burn your skin. After steaming, rinse face with lukewarm water and gently dry with clean towel. Apply moisturizer as usual.
Egg whites and honey mixture for blackhead
Start with clean dry face. Gently mix egg white and honey. Apply mixture in thin layers. Let each layer dries before applying another one. First and second layer is for the whole face and third one can be applied only to the affected areas. Let it dry for about 15 minutes. With wet, warm washcloth, scrub the mask very gently. Egg white is an astringent which means that your pores will be tightened. This will make good prevention for further formation of blackheads.
Remove blackheads with green tea
Green tea is found to be effective way to help remove blackheads. Boil a cup of water, add two bags of green tea into the water and let it steep for an hour until it’s completely cold. Then place it into the refrigerator to cold the tea even more. Apply it on the face skin with cotton ball as often as you want. Green tea can be also used as a scrub. Mix one teaspoon of dry green tea leaves with a little water to make a paste. Massage gently skin with the paste and rinse it off with lukewarm water.
Olive oil and lemon juice blackhead treatment
Mix equal amounts of olive oil and lemon juice, steering gently until mixture becomes homogeny. With a cotton ball, gently tap the mixture to the entire face. Concentrate on the affected areas. Treatment can be used every day.
Gelatin and milk blackhead extractor
Mix one tablespoon of milk and one tablespoon of plain gelatin. Heat the mixture in the microwave for 10 seconds or the on the stove keeping it from boiling. Tap into your skin with a cosmetic or paint brush and apply the pore strips. Pore strips can be a strips of gaze or a clean thin cotton strips made from an old t-shirt. Let it to dry completely before removing the strips. Along with strips, blackheads will be uprooted.
Honey and Cinnamon Scrub for blackheads
Mix a spoonful of honey with a teaspoon of cinnamon. Apply to the skin of the face. Wash with lukewarm water after 10-15 minutes. Cinnamon has antibacterial properties and honey helps to tighten the pores.
Oatmeal and yogurt treatment for blackheads
Mix together two tablespoons of oatmeal and three tablespoons of yogurt. Apply the paste to your entire face, leave for a few minutes and then rinse your face with lukewarm water.
Remove blackheads with baking soda and mineral water
Mix three teaspoons of baking soda with mineral water to make a paste. Massage gently affected areas with mixture. Let it dry few minutes and rinse it off with lukewarm water. Treatment should not be used more than twice a week.
Apple cider and water for blackheads
The natural acid from the apple cider is a good way to fight blackheads. If the apple cider has a high concentration of acid, mix it with water to lessen the acid. Tap it gently into the affected skin areas with cotton ball and leave it over the night. In the morning, apply skin care as usual.
