If you have a teenager in the house, you know they are obsessed with popping them out (my daughter actually loves popping other people’s blackheads too, which in my opinions is sick). Anyways, if you need to learn how to get rid of blackheads naturally, so your teenager will stop messing with her face, I’m here to help.
First, let’s find out what blackheads are: the Merriam-Webster dictionary says that a blackhead is “a small plug of sebum blocking the duct of a sebaceous gland especially on the face”. The dark “black” color is caused by the oxidizing effect of air on the sebum (grease) in the clogged pore, and not by dirt as many may think. If touched with unclean hands, blackheads could get infected and develop into pustules/boils.
The most common areas for blackheads is the nose, the chin and forehead. You’ll find some occasional ones on your back, or on your chest, and even on your legs and arms, but mostly they stick to your face.
There are several ways to deal with these unpleasant annoyances. First of all, keep your face clean, and your hands off your face to avoid infection.
How to Get Rid of Blackheads Naturally
- In the evening, after my shower, I scrub my face with fine corn flour. I do this 3 or 4 times a week: it removes the oxidized layer of the blackheads, and exfoliates my skin
- Once a week, usually on weekends, I give myslef a nice facial treatment: I do a few minutes of steam (boil some water, add a few drops of lavender essential oil, and cover my head for about 5 minutes to let my pores open up), and then scrub my face with a paste made of baking soda and water. I only use this once a week, becasue the baking soda can dry facial skin if used excessively. After this treatment, I rinse my face and pat it dry, and the use a nice moisturizing oil with some of my favorite essential oils (I love mixing lavender and frankincense with Argan oil for this)
- Occasionally, I use a homemade sugar scrub, when I want to really pamper myself 😉
- On rare occasions, when I have a large blackhead, I use a blackhead extractor, like this one
Now here’s a nice natural recipe to actually treat the areas affected by blackheads: cut a lemon in half, add a bit of sugar and some honey and rub it on your forehead, chin and nose areas. The lemon is an astringent and can make pores look smaller, the sugar helps exfoliate your skin, and the honey has antibiotic properties to keep your skin from getting infected.
Now you’re ready to enjoy beautiful glowing skin without blemishes 😉
