What are blackheads? Facts and The Best Treatments
Did you know that you can easily treat and prevent blackheads naturally at home? You can, and I will tell you how you can easily start today. Before you worry about getting rid of blackheads, it’s essential to know what blackheads are and what causes them. Okay, so what are blackheads?
What Are Blackheads?
Blackheads are raised bumps on the surface of your skin due to a clogged hair follicle. These bumps are called blackheads because they are dark, yellowish, or black-colored. Blackheads are a mild form of acne and do not cause inflammation.
Fun Skin Fact: Blackheads are commonly found on the face but can also be found on the back, chest, neck, ears, shoulders, and arms.
What Causes Blackheads?
Blackheads form when there is a clog in your skin hair follicles. Each hair follicle on your skin contains one hair and one sebaceous gland. Sebaceous glands produce oil. This oil, called sebum, is your body's natural moisturizer. It helps keep your skin moisturized and soft.
When your skin sheds dead skin cells, they can get into the hair follicle mixed with hardened oil and other debris. Once a hair follicle is filled with an excess of oil and skin cells a plug develops and pushes to the skin’s surface. These bumps that form are called comedones. When the skin over the bump opens, the comedo is exposed to the air and oxidizes. This oxidation causes the comedo to turn dark or black.
Fun Skin Fact: Blackheads may look like specks of dirt trapped in your skin, but they are not! Blackheads have very little to do with your skin being dirty!
What Causes Blackheads On Nose?
Your nose can have more blackheads than the rest of your face because it has a higher concentration of hair follicles and oil glands. These hair follicles are very close together and can fill up quickly and form a blackhead.
Fun Skin Fact: There are about 5 million hair follicles on the adult human body, and men have a few hundred thousand more than women.
What Is The Difference Between A Blackhead And A Sebaceous Filament?
You now know that a blackhead is a clogged hair follicle containing skin cells, oil, and other debris. So what is a sebaceous filament, and why does it matter?
A sebaceous filament:
A naturally occurring part of your skin is designed to bring oil to its surface to help protect it keep it soft and well moisturized.
It is similar to open comedones (blackheads), but the difference is that sebaceous filaments are mainly solidified impactions of oil without the cell matter.
They are most often found on the nose.
Fun Skin Fact: Your skin needs sebum (oil) to keep it soft and moisturized. Having oil is a good thing. Maintaining skin balance is crucial, so the sebaceous glands don’t go into overdrive and over-produce sebum. This over-production can clog pores and cause blackheads.
How Can You Tell The Difference Between A Blackhead And A Sebaceous FIlament?
Blackheads tend to be darker than sebaceous filaments. Blackheads are typically dark or black, and sebaceous filaments are lighter and gray.
Blackheads are not as common as sebaceous filaments. If you notice a fairly even random pattern formation. Blackheads tend to be solitary eruptions.
Nothing can be done to get rid of sebaceous filaments, but blackheads can be extracted.
Blackheads have a raised rim where it is clogged, but sebaceous filaments usually feel smooth to the touch. Sebaceous filaments only become visible when the lining of pores fills with sebum.
Blackheads tend to be larger and easy to see, whereas sebaceous filaments are smaller and usually only visible when looking close up in the mirror.
Blackheads vs. Whiteheads vs. Pimples
Okay, you definitely should be getting a good idea of what a blackhead is. But what about whiteheads, and pimples, and milia… oh my!
A whitehead is pretty much the same as a blackhead, but it is a closed comedo. This means the opening of the hair follicle remains closed and air and light do not reach the clog, and the plug remains white.
Milia is also pretty much the same thing as a blackhead and whitehead. Milia are whiteish, pearl-like masses of sebum (oil) and dead skin cells under the skin. Milia is more common in dry skin types and forms in much smaller pores. Because these pores are tiny, the buildup of skin cells and oil gets trapped in the hair follicle with no way to get out.
Pimples, also are known as pustules, are inflamed blemishes filled with a white or yellowish center containing pus, a fluid consisting of white blood cells, bacteria, and other debris produced from an infection. Pimples are usually swollen and red lesions filled with pus on the skin.
Are Blackheads Bad?
No!
Having blackheads doesn’t mean that you are dirty or don’t care for your skin. They aren’t a serious medical problem, and you should not worry about them. Because guess what, almost every single person gets them.
They are pores that get filled with skin cells, oil, and other debris. This is just how the skin works. You don’t have to love it, but please don’t hate it. There is no need to feel embarrassed or ashamed of your blackheads because it isn’t a sign of you doing something wrong or bad. It’s just your skin’s natural process of dealing with follicles that get clogged.
Stop obsessing over your pores to see if they’re clogged or not. Definitely turn off the magnifying mirror because everything, I mean everything, looks way worse at 10x zoom. People have a hard time seeing those bumps with the human eye, so don’t let your self-esteem plummet because of them.
If you see advertising or a skincare product making you feel like you need to be worried, ashamed, or grossed out about your blackheads, then don’t pay them any mind. They are just trying to make money off your insecurity. Guess what? Fear sells.
Fun Skin Fact: The development of blackheads is most often NOT related to the cleanliness of the skin.
Blackheads Treatment
You now know all about blackheads. What they are, how they’re caused, and how to distinguish between blackheads and other skin blemishes. Now you need to know the best way to treat blackheads.
Even though blackheads aren’t a nasty problem that you need to dread, you should always do your best to have healthy and balanced skin. Taking care of your skin and following good skincare practices is wise.
Fun Skin Fact: You can’t permanently get rid of blackheads. Nope. Never. If you were to do so, you would have to either remove hair follicles from your skin or seal them shut. Neither is an option because your skin would die. That is way worse than having blackheads, trust me.
Keep Your Skin Moisturized
Blackheads are formed because too much oil is built up in the pore, and it gets clogged with skin cells and other debris. So you want to be sure to keep your skin moisturized, so it is balanced and doesn’t get too dry.
Why is this important?
Dry skin is when the sebaceous glands aren’t producing enough oil to moisturize themselves, and this can cause them to kick into overdrive and start pumping out extra sebum. This excess oil can clog the pores and cause a blackhead to form. Find a moisturizer that works for your skin type, and be sure to keep your skin hydrated, moisturized, and balanced.
Don’t Over- Cleanse Your Skin
Did you know that over-cleansing your skin can dry it out, create an unbalance, and do more harm than good? Yep. It’s true. Over-cleansing your skin can strip it of the necessary oils to moisturize itself. And you know that this does, right? You got it. Dries it out.
Since we learned earlier that blackheads aren’t dirty skin or caused by having dirty skin, there is no reason for you to feel like you have to cleanse your skin a bunch to “clean them out.” Washing your face a lot will create more blackheads by drying out the skin and producing more clogging oil.
Don’t Scrub Too Much
The same can be said for scrubbing your skin too much. If you exfoliate your skin too often, it can be stripping, irritating, and cause more problems, just like over-cleansing. It is important to exfoliate in moderation to help remove dead skin cells from your face and help reduce blackheads. Usually, once or twice a week with a gentle exfoliating product is beneficial for blackhead treatment.
Add BHA And AHA’s Into Your Skincare Routine
Another great way to exfoliate your skin gently is using alpha and beta hydroxy acids (AHAs and BHAs). Both work by removing the top layer of your skin, cleansing your pores, and helping make your skin softer. A common AHA is glycolic acid, and salicylic acid is a common BHA.
Avoid Pore Strips
Pore strips may seem enticing because they promise to get rid of a massive area of blackheads in one go safely and efficiently. Seem too good to be true? Because it is. Sure, pore strips may help remove gunk from your pores. They also remove things that actually help your skin. Including the oil your skin needs to remain moisturized and balanced and hair follicles.
Removing these oils can cause your skin to dry out, become irritated, and be unbalanced. When this unbalance happens, your sebaceous glands panic and produce more oil, which results in more blackheads. No good.
Another harmful side effect of using pore strips is that you can actually break the blackhead in half while pulling it out. When this happens, the hair follicle can become irritated, inflamed, and cause a pimple to form. So yeah, you can turn a harmless blackhead into a painful blemish. Don’t do that. Not worth it.
Skip The Benzoyl Peroxide
Benzoyl peroxide is best used on inflamed acne, including cysts and pustules. It helps get rid of bacteria in pimples. Since blackheads do not have bacteria or inflammation, benzoyl peroxide is useless and won’t do much good. If anything, they can cause the skin to become too dry, and you know what that means—a chance for more blackheads to form.
Use A Clay Mask
As a clay mask tightens and dries, it draws up dirt, excess oil, and other debris deep from your pores to the surface of your skin. Clay masks stimulate circulation and temporarily contract the pores of the skin. Which is cool, but they also loosen and remove clogged pores. It is best to use a clay mask once a week.
Take Off Your Makeup Before Bed
I know a bedtime routine can be hard to stick to, but taking off your makeup before bed is crucial for skin health. Of the many benefits, taking your makeup before bed helps keep blackheads at bay. Sleeping with your makeup on can create more blackheads because if left on overnight, the non-comedogenic makeup can clog your pores.
Choose Non-comedogenic Skincare Products
What is non-comedogenic anyways?
Comedogenic products tend to clog follicles and cause a buildup of dead skin cells, resulting in comedones, also known as blackheads. So non-comedogenic products are skincare products that won’t clog pores or cause a blackhead. Be sure to check ingredient lists and search for more products that are labeled as non-comedogenic.
Get A Facial
Getting a regular facial can be very beneficial for blackhead treatment so you can have a professional safely extract your blackheads for you. This way, you will ensure that there is little chance for irritation, scaring, and knowing the difference between a blackhead and a sebaceous filament.
How To Prevent Blackheads NaturallY
There are ways that you can naturally prevent blackheads from forming as frequently. Follow these guidelines to help keep blackheads at bay.
Clean Up Your Diet
Eating a nutritionally well-balanced diet will have a positive effect on your skin. Try to avoid unhealthy processed foods that could impact your hormones which can cause skin unbalances.
If you eat foods high in fat and sugar, this may slow cell turnover, which can cause pores to clog more, which means more blackheads. Foods high in vitamin A and beta-carotene may help increase cell turnover resulting in healthier skin and less chance for clogged pores. In general, if eating more nutritiously, the more balanced and nourishing your skin will be from the vitamins and nutrients that these foods provide.
Wear Natural Fabrics
Wearing tight clothing can hold heat and moisture against your skin, causing skin irritation. The sweat, heat, and moisture can cause blackheads to form. Wear loose-fitting clothing to help keep your skin dry and comfortable. This will help prevent blackheads from forming.
If you are prone to more blackheads on your body, wearing natural fabrics such as cotton may be a good idea. Especially if you have sensitive skin, avoid scratchy materials to help further avoid irritation.
Use A Dry Facial Brush
Use an exfoliating facial brush to help sweep away blackheads out of the pores. Using a dry facial brush on dry skin is invigorating, clearing, and is stimulating. Use gentle pressure and move the brush in circular strokes to help unclog pores.
Cleanse With A Facial Scrub Towel
Use an exfoliating towel to help clear the pores of blackheads gently. You don’t want to create more pore-clogging oil or irritation by over scrubbing, so use your towel a few times a week instead of daily.
At-Home Remedies For Blackheads
Do you prefer a more DIY approach to skincare? Here are some great at-home remedies to treat your blackheads. Pick a few to try and be sure not to go overboard. You don’t want to do much and irritate your skin.
Use Green Tea On Your Skin
The high antioxidant content in green tea helps cleanse pores without drying them out, which you want.
How To Use:
Boil a cup of water and steep two tea bags in a covered container for an hour.
Then dab the green tea liquid onto any blackheads on your skin
Leave to dry
You can do this daily.
Mix Raw Clay With Apple Cider Vinegar
I don’t want to buy the expensive pre-made clay masks. No problem. You can make your own. There are benefits of using a store-bought mask for the yummy choices, but a homemade clay mask can pack a punch.
All you need is clay and apple cider vinegar. Preferably “with the mother.”
Types of clays to use:
Bentonite
Kaolin
Rhassoul
French Green
How To Make It:
Mix equal parts clay and raw apple cider vinegar until the texture is smooth
Spread the mixture over areas with blackheads evenly
Let the mixture sit and dry on the skin for 15-20 minutes
Once the mix is dry and beginning to tighten, rinse with warm water or use a warm washcloth to wipe away
Apply diluted apple cider vinegar to close the pores
You can use this mask weekly to help with blackheads.
Steam Your Face
Applying steam to your face can help soften blackheads and dead skin cells on the surface of the skin, which can make extraction easier. You can use a facial steam machine, warm towel compress, or using a medium-size bowl of warm water to help bring blackheads to the surface. The steam helps open up the pores and loosen blackheads to extract the blackheads from the pores safely.
Sugar Scrub
Sugar is a great exfoliant, and when added to a carrier oil, it helps clear out clogged pores and treats blackheads.
What To Use:
1 cup white or brown sugar
1 Small wide mouth mason jar or any small air-tight container
½ Cup Carrier oil
Jojoba oil
Almond oil
Olive oil
Apricot kernel oil
How To Use:
Mix all ingredients and store in an air-tight container
Use one tablespoon as needed on a damp skin
Massage the mixture onto your skin using your fingertips, gently scrubbing in a circular motion
Rinse well with cool water
Use this scrub up to three times a week, but be sure not to do more than that, as using an exfoliator too much can irritate your skin.
Blackhead Removal
Usually, it is best to leave blackheads alone, but you may need to do some blackhead removal in some cases. If you have a large or stubborn blackhead that won’t disappear, you can safely remove it with a comedone extractor tool or use the pads of your fingertips.
How to Remove Blackheads:
Cleanse your skin
Steam or use a damp, warm towel on the areas you want to remove blackheads. Leave on for 5-10 minutes to help soften and loosen the blackheads. Gently pat skin dry.
Wrap fingertips with a tissue and apply firm pressure on the skin directly surrounding the blackhead to lift the blackhead from the follicle.
Or use a comedone extractor tool. Place it over the blackhead, then gently apply downward pressure while pushing the tool forwards. Be sure not to apply too much pressure, which can traumatize the skin.
Only try this once because if it does not work, then it means that the blackhead is not ready to be removed. Never force extractions! You could cause the follicle to rupture, spilling debris into the dermis, which can lead to more blemishes.
Not quite ready to try yourself or want to watch a professional do it? Check this out for some fun info and videos on blackhead removal.
Bottom Line
Getting blackheads and congestion isn’t always the best thing to happen to your skin, but know that there are treatments that can help you better deal with your breakouts. You can take control and start practicing wise skin care to keep your breakouts to a minimum. You got this!
