How to Get Rid of Blackheads

There are so many different forms of acne out there, with blackheads being one of them. Those small black bumps that pepper the skin can leave the complexion looking uneven and shadowed, so it only makes sense to want to get rid of them as quickly as possible.

How can you do this? Follow Celestolite’s top tips and it won’t be long before your skin looks beautifully clean and clear.

What Causes Blackheads to Appear in the First Place?

Before we talk about how to get rid of blackheads, let’s quickly go over why they’ve appeared in the first place. 

Just like other forms of acne, blackheads are caused when dead skin cells in your pores mix with excess oil. The resulting clog has an open surface, causing it to oxidize and turn black in color. In comparison, whiteheads have a closed surface, which is why they look white.

Getting Rid of Blackheads

There’s no denying how tempting it can be to try to squeeze and pinch a blackhead out of your skin. However, doing so will only damage your skin and will increase your likelihood of scarring.

Instead, to get rid of your blackheads safely, follow these tips:

Regularly Exfoliate

Since blackheads are caused by clogged pores, one of the best ways to get rid of them is to exfoliate your skin on a regular basis. Exfoliation gives the pores a deep clean, pulling out blockages and other impurities. Not only can a good exfoliant help to quickly clear the visibility of blackheads, but it can also prevent the appearance of new spots from forming.

When picking an exfoliant, go with a gentle formula. You don’t want to irritate your skin any further – the resulting inflammation will only make your blackheads worse. So, stay away from harsh scrubs and overly irritating acids. Instead, pick a milder formula, such as Celestolite’s Estrella Facial Peel. Not only will it thoroughly exfoliate your skin without irritating it, but the meteorite powder in this product will ensure that your skin looks positively radiant post-peel.

How often should you be exfoliating your skin if your aim is to get rid of blackheads?

No more than once or twice a week. It can be tempting to go a little overboard when it comes to exfoliating blackheads. However, over-exfoliating your skin will only make things worse, resulting in other forms of acne joining your blackheads.

Keep Your Skin Well Cleansed

Exfoliation is a great way to pull dead skin cells and oil out of your pores. However, if you keep your skin clean, then there won’t be quite as many impurities settling into your pores in the first place.

Ideally, you should be using a cleanser every day, preferably in the evenings. This way, you’ll be able to remove any dirt and bacteria that have settled onto your skin over the course of the day. You’ll also be able to clear away any makeup that you were wearing – sleeping with this on will only make your blackheads so much worse!

In terms of the cleanser that you use, avoid formulas containing sulfates. These will dehydrate your skin cells in the long run, which simply encourages even more oil production. Instead, go with a formula like Celestolite’s Estrella Cleanser Mousse. It’s infused with amino acids to help your skin feel stronger and more resilient after each cleanse.

Once you’re done cleansing, follow up with the Estrella Facial Toner. It’s a great way to replenish your complexion post-cleanse, which is when the skin can feel a little vulnerable. 

Add Vitamin A to Your Skincare Routine

As you know, clogged pores lead to blackheads. This is why regularly exfoliating and cleansing is so important – they prevent the pores from becoming clogged. However, there’s also a much-loved skincare ingredient that can help to keep your pores feeling clear; vitamin A.

Not only can vitamin A help to get rid of, and prevent, the appearance of blackheads, but it will also help to reduce the visibility of skin aging. If you’ve been struggling with skin that looks creased and wrinkled, vitamin A can help.

There are several forms of vitamin A, or retinoids, out there. The more powerful the retinoid you use, the faster you’ll see results. However, the downside to this is the purging and irritation that the potent retinoids can cause, which can lead to the appearance of your blackheads temporarily worsening before they improve.

If you’d like to avoid this but still tackle the visibility of your blackheads with vitamin A, look for a serum that contains retinyl palmitate, such as Celestolite’s Cosmic Firming Serum. It’s a much gentler form of the ingredient, but it still provides the same level of visible results when used consistently. 

In addition to vitamin A, this serum also contains lactic acid. It’s an alpha-hydroxy acid, meaning that it has an exfoliating effect on the skin. It will work in conjunction with vitamin A to keep your pores feeling clear and clog-free!

Try a Clay Face Mask

Cleansing and exfoliating aren’t the only ways to remove excess oil from your face; applying a clay face mask will have a similar effect. Clay has the ability to draw impurities away from the skin, and that includes sebum. It’s also a great ingredient for mattifying the complexion. If you suffer from blackheads, then you probably have oily skin, making clay a great ingredient to add to your routine.

At Celestolite, our bestselling clay mask is the Luna Lava Mask. It contains kaolin, which is gentler than most other types of clay. In addition to helping to exfoliate the skin, kaolin also soothes the feeling of inflammation. This is good news if you’re trying to get rid of blackheads. Calming how inflamed your skin feels will help to clear up your complexion so much faster.

What makes this mask even more special is its long list of vitamins and plant extracts. From arnica Montana extract to vitamin C to coffee seed extract, this formula will leave you looking radiant yet beautifully matte.

Professional Extractions

Recently, so many anti-blackhead products have entered the market. From pore strips to at-home extraction tools, these all promise the clear skin that people with blackheads are seeking.

And sure, in some ways, they may help. Many of these products effectively remove excess oil from the skin. However, that’s not all that they take away…

They also interfere with the skin’s natural protective barrier, and can even damage hair follicles. Extraction tools in inexperienced hands can tear and damage the skin. 

All of this ends up irritating the skin. This sends it into survival mode, stimulating it to produce even more sebum, meaning that you’ll be even more likely to experience more blackheads.

This doesn’t mean that you should avoid extractions completely. When carried out by a professional, they’re a great way to get rid of blackheads. Get extractions done regularly and not only will you be able to clear up any blackheads that are currently on your face, but you’ll also prevent new ones from forming, without causing any damage to your skin.

Medical-Grade Chemical Peels

Chemical peels work in a similar way to exfoliation. They remove the outer layer of dead skin cells and oil to clear up clogged pores. However, they contain a more potent blend of acids than at-home exfoliants, meaning that the results you’ll see from a professional chemical peel will be more dramatic.

While some chemical peels only make use of alpha-hydroxy acids, the best chemical peels for blackheads will combine these with salicylic acid. This beta-hydroxy acid will dive even deeper into the pores to unclog them at a much lower level. 

As an added bonus, a chemical peel will also help to refine the texture and tone of your complexion, while smoothing away the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles.

The only downside is that you’re likely to need regular chemical peels to keep those blackheads away. After all, they’ll keep forming unless you follow some of the preventative tips that we’ve shared.

Use Non-Comedogenic Skincare Products

Have you checked to make sure that all of your skincare products are non-comedogenic? This essentially means that they don’t contain any pore-clogging ingredients. While it may not help much with the blackheads you’re currently struggling with, it will certainly go a long way in preventing new spots from forming.

How can you check if your skincare products are non-comedogenic?

In some cases, the packaging will tell you. However, if it doesn’t, then you’ll need to take a close look at its ingredient list. A quick search will tell you where each ingredient falls on the comedogenic scale, enabling you to make the very best product choices for your skin.

Eat the Right Foods

Although adjusting your diet isn’t going to have an immediate impact on your blackheads, you should notice that they start to occur less and less if you incorporate more anti-inflammatory foods into each meal. Cold water fish, such as anchovies, salmon, and sardines, are packed with anti-inflammatory compounds, along with fatty acids that keep the complexion soft and supple.

Of course, it’s also vital to cut back on foods that trigger inflammation in the body. Sugar is a big culprit, with this forming a large part of the modern-day diet. Try reducing your sugar intake and you should notice that your skin stops producing quite as much excess oil, meaning that blackheads become less prevalent.

Finally, try to add more vitamin B2 to your diet. It’s a vitamin that you don’t hear about very often, but it works in conjunction with zinc to keep the skin clear and prevent acne, including blackheads. You’ll find vitamin B2 in foods such as spinach, mushrooms, and eggs.

Summary

From exfoliating your skin and applying a clay face mask to visiting a dermatologist for a professional extraction, you have quite a few different options when it comes to getting rid of blackheads. However, once you’ve accomplished that, make sure that you also put some extra effort into preventing new blackheads from appearing. This way, you’ll be able to enjoy a clear and refreshed complexion in the long run too!

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