Beauty Blog #12 - Why do we get blackheads & what is the best way to get rid of them?

So I was asked to answer this question for a Blog Post and I thought it would only make sense to post it on here for all you beauties to read! 

Having blackheads does not mean you are dirty or do not wash enough! 

Blackheads are formed by the clogging of natural skin oil and dead skin cells in our pores and opening of hair follicles. They form a bump in the skin which is open allowing air to get to it, causing the blackness on top. 

Blackheads can be treated in many ways, you can buy over the counter treatments and gels, my favourites are the nose strips with witch hazel which dry over the skin surface and extract the blackheads. You can also have black heads manually extracted by a dermatologist. It advised that you don’t try to extract them from home, as if you apply too much pressure to the skin you can burst blood vessels under the skin and push the sebum (clogged oil and skins cells) further into the derma-layers of your skin, causing infection and an outbreak. 

You can also get medication from your doctor to help reduce the oil and collection in your skin caused by hormones. 

A cost-effective and easy treatment from home would be to buy an exfoliating sponge, a good facial scrub for your skin type, a peeling face mask and a witch hazel and tea tree gel. Exfoliate your face with the scrub and sponge, using warm water then rinse throughly with clean warm water and pat dry. You can then use your peeling face mask to help extract any impurities from the skin and, finish with apply the treatment gel before bed.