Blackheads and whiteheads, as many of us know all too well, are some of the most irritating blemishes you can get. While they are completely harmless they can also be extremely unsightly. In this blog I’ll be talking you through some of the best ways to get rid of them without resorting to professional help.  

Whiteheads are formed when clusters of dead skin and sebum block the hair follicles. Blackheads occur when these are exposed to the air through breaks in the skin, whereupon they oxidise and turn black.

Now I’ll show you three easy methods you can use to remove these unwanted blemishes!

The easiest and possibly most effective treatment is a facial steam. Luckily, these are very easy and safe to do at home by yourself! Simply boil a pan of water, add some lemon rind (optional, but recommended!), cover your head with a bath towel (first making sure the steam isn’t hot enough to scald you) and lean over the pan. Don’t overdo it – if you feel like you’re going to choke you should move away. You should be able to stay in place for at least two or three minutes at a time, though. This treatment will soften and open your pores naturally, allowing your skin space to breathe and giving the blackheads less chance of survival.  

Another thing you can try is deep cleansing using baking soda. Mix a small amount of baking soda and purified water together, adding a dash of lemon juice. Mix into a paste. Be careful not too use too much baking soda – if your skin starts to tingle try again with a more ‘watery’ mix to reduce the alkalinity. Rub this mixture onto your face and scrub with a circling motion. Rinse off with cold water after a few minutes and dry yourself off. This facial exfoliation should have a great effect in scrubbing away impurities, leaving you feeling remarkably fresh!  See here for more information!

I love this one! It leaves your skin feeling somehow ‘green’ (without actually looking green, of course!), and you can even drink the green tea you don’t use in the mask while waiting for it to take effect. Mix green tea powder (Matcha) or green tea leaf grains and rice flour with purified water. Mix into a paste and apply to the face, leaving it in place for around 15 minutes. Rinse off with warm water, splash cold water on to clean the pores out and see the difference! Green tea is full of antioxidants, so will leave your skin glowing as well as blackhead-free.

That’s about it for now. There are several more really good treatments you can use for blackheads and whiteheads. The best thing is, most of them are actually fun to do! I’ll be back with a future blog to tell you more about them. Until then, remember to persevere with these treatments – you will see the difference!