6 Simple, Affordable, and Effective Blackhead Hacks

 They are unsightly, unwelcome, and perhaps worst of all, they show up right in the middle of your face. Black heads can be one of the most frustrating things we deal with when it comes to how our skin looks and feels, but luckily there are some easy and all-natural ways to make them disappear.

It’s hard not to go crazy when we see a batch of blackheads on our noses, but out of all the ways to deal with them, natural and gentle ways are the best. Blackheads are a blockage of the hair follicles and pores by excess oils, rogue bacteria, or dead skin cells which becomes oxidized.

When we pick at or squeeze these spots, the skin and hair follicle are likely to get irritated, causing much bigger problems than the blackhead itself. At best, red and splotchy skin can occur from picking, and in worse scenarios, the blockage can be driven deeper and cause longer lasting (and more painful) repercussions.

A common blackhead misconception is that blackheads are caused by pores which are too big. Many expensive creams advertise to shrink pores, but the problem is not only the size of the pores, but the fact that there is a blockage which makes it more visible. Instead of buying fancy cremes and tonics to shrink pores, you can use all-natural, very simple, and much more affordable ways to keep your pores clean, tighten them up, and therefore make them less visible.

Check out these 6 simple and affordable blackhead hacks to start looking great and feeling comfortable in your skin.

1. Keep fresh with regular rinses.

A gentle rinse is enough to make a difference when it comes to blackheads. Simply use water to help flush away dead skin and other debris that could clog pores. Try rinsing your face with water two times a day.

You’ll want to keep makeup to a minimum if you wear it, and make sure the rinses are at opportune times. Before you go to bed and after you wake up are great, but the time during the afternoon when you may also have the days’ grime on your face could be another good opportunity.

After rinsing, dab off the moisture with a clean, fluffy towel. This will help to remove any impurities that the water has loosened up. If you are prone to dry skin, pair this activity with a simple and natural moisturizer to avoid dry flakes.

2. Tone up with lemon juice.

Blackheads are black because the blockage in the hair follicle or pore has become oxidized and therefore is black in color. Shrinking the size of your pores won’t necessarily keep them from getting blocked once in awhile, but it will help with that as well as allowing the oxidization process.

Toners are astringent treatments which can dry up and tighten the skin. An easy and cheap astringent to try is some lemon juice. To prepare, just squeeze some lemons into a bottle and pop in the refrigerator for safe keeping.

For a tightening treatment, simply rinse your face with water, pat it dry, and use a cotton ball to distribute a little bit of lemon juice to the problem area. Since it can dry out your face, make sure not to do this more than 3 to 4 times a week. Depending on how dry or oily your face is, you will also benefit from using a moisturizer.

3. Allow your skin to sweat.

Sweating can help flush out your face. No, sweat does not emerge from your hair follicles, but a good sweat can still serve as a thorough rinse to these pores.

In this method, it’s of utmost importance not to wear makeup while sweating and to wash your face both before and after. A combination of sweat and makeup will only mean that a further distribution of blockages is likely. When you make sure your face is clean before sweating you protect your pores from ending up with even more clogs than when you started.

To get started, get yourself to the gym, out for some summer activities, or into a sauna. Again, make sure to rinse your face and keep it clean. Then, get your sweat on with your own preferred method. After the sweat session, rinse your face again and pat dry with a fluffy towel. Moisturize accordingly.

4. Use steam to clear the way.

This method is very similar to the sweat option. Steaming your face can reduce the appearance of blackheads by softening the bacteria or dead skin cells that are creating the blackhead. These softened blockages are therefore mobilized. The gentle heat may get you sweating too, which is an added bonus as that sweat can help to more thoroughly rinse out this softened debris.

To try it out by getting a pan of water boiling. You don’t want to overheat your face as that can be an irritant, so let the pan of water cool for awhile until it’s a warm but comfortable temperature. Next, cover your head with a hand towel and lean over the warm water for 5 to 15 minutes.

After this, be sure to rinse your face with warm water and then pat to dry with a fluffy, clean towel. This rinsing and pat-drying is necessary as that is the time when the blockages are finally removed.

Moisturize accordingly and repeat this process a few times a week.

5. Treat with baking soda.

Baking soda is one of the handiest antiseptics, and a clever DIYer will already have plenty of uses for it around the house. When it comes to fighting blackheads, you can trust baking soda to help you out here too.

This remedy will rinse the follicles and pores in a new way: by entering the pore, drying, and then taking any dirt or debris out during the rinsing process.

Mix about a tablespoon of baking soda with only enough water to make a paste-like substance. Apply this directly to your problem areas and allow it to dry. Once the solution has dried, gently rinse off with warm water.

Moisturize as needed and try this treatment only 1 or 2 times a week to prevent flaky skin.

6. Try an epsom salt rinse.

Many all-natural remedy connoisseurs will know about the power of epsom salts to ease muscle pain, but a lesser-known use for epsom salts is as an effective skin rinse. Epsom salts help not only to wash away excess oil from the skin but also to unclog pores.

Rinse your face with water and pat-dry with a towel. Then, mix and stir together one teaspoon of epsom salts with a half cup of warm water and a few drop of iodine. Dip your finger in the mixture and then distribute thoroughly to problem areas. Allow the solution to sit and dry completely. Then wash your face with warm water and pat to dry.