Blackheads - How to Get Rid of Them?

Blackheads are a common form of acne, but many a sufferer is still puzzled when it comes to finding the apt treatment. The key is to find an acne treatment method or product that loosens and softens blackheads to push them out of your skin pores. True, there are blackhead pore strips and blackhead extractors, but how about finding acne home remedies that are effective and economical? Read on to learn more on this.

A blackhead or 'open comedone' is simply a plug of sebum, dead skin cells, germs and debris that gets stuck in your pores. Normally, all these stuff would come out to the skin surface, so you can just wash them off. But, excess sebum on oily skin forms a clump in the pore and turns black as it gets oxidized. Your acne product must contain keratolytics, i.e. ingredients which loosen the dead cells that plug your skin pores. Over-the-counter keratolytic products usually contain salicylic acid, benzoyl peroxide and glycolic acid. Oil-based treatment products that tend to increase the clumping process are called comedogenic, and must be avoided. So, any blackhead treatment product must be non-comedogenic.

When it comes to home remedies for acne, honey is one of the best ingredients to treat blackheads. Honey can be used directly or mixed with other ingredients. To use directly, pat some honey on your blackhead areas using your fingers. Make sure that you pat briskly, so that the honey sticks to the plugs and pulls them out in the process. Alternatively, you may slather warm honey on the affected areas, leave on for ten minutes, and gently scrub it off your skin using cold water and a wash cloth. Additionally, honey has antibacterial and antioxidant properties, meaning that it hinders blackhead formation and prevents quick oxidation of any left out blackheads. So, it's a great way to get natural clear skin with a glowing complexion.

Honey can be mixed with other ingredients as well. Add a pinch of sea salt to a teaspoon of raw honey and use the mixture to gently exfoliate your skin in circular motions for a few minutes. While the salt cleanses your pores of impurities, honey attacks the bacteria and serves to moisturize and nourish the skin. A mixture of honey and lemon juice is also equally effective. Apply it on your face, leave on for about fifteen minutes and wash off. Lemon dissolves the debris plugged in the pores and also delivers a tightening effect, which serves to push the blackheads for easier extraction.

Before beginning your honey-based therapy, cleanse your skin with gentle soap, pat dry and steam your face, i.e. lean over a vessel of boiling water (covering your head with a cloth), allowing the steam to open your pores and speed up the exfoliation of dead skin. After your honey treatment, use a face mask, such as egg white mask to tighten the pores, and then moisturize. Once you find an effective method to remove existing blackheads, turn to blackhead prevention measures by incorporating a facial hygiene routine, exfoliating a few times a week, using facial masks regularly, and applying non-comedogenic moisturizers.