BLACKHEADS / WHITEHEADS

Blackheads are like an annoying ex. No matter what you do and no matter how hard you try, they just keep coming back! Everytime you squeeze one of them away, you find dozens more to get through. (How’s that for a fun visual).

As satisfying as it is to squeeze a blackhead or whitehead in that moment, it’s not a long-term solution.

Luckily, there’s no shortage of remedies and approaches to get rid of blackheads and whiteheads once and for all. It all comes down to finding the best treatment option for you.

What are blackheads & whiteheads?

Before you try and rid the skin of these pesky little demons, it helps to understand what they are first. Blackheads and whiteheads are subtypes of acne and referred to as comedones.

Blackheads look like little black dots that have formed into your skin and are ‘open comedones’. In the case of blackheads, it consists of the follicles beneath your skin to have large pores. These large pores become clogged with sebum, dead skin cells and bacteria and turn black when oxidised.

A whitehead meanwhile is acne formed when sebum, dead skin cells and bacteria become trapped within one of your pores as air isn’t able to enter the follicle. Usually whiteheads are slightly raised and feature a white tip.

Both comedones can feature anywhere on your body from the T-zone, chest, back, shoulders and arms. Acne can occur in men and women, at almost any age.

Skin care treatments for Blackhead & Whiteheads

Clogged pores are the main cause of both blackheads and whiteheads. Blocked pores can result in a number of reasons- hormonal changes, overly sensitive skin and and oily complexion are the most common triggers of acne.

When it comes to blackhead and whitehead skin care, maintaining a consistent treatment regimen can work wonders to prevent the pesky closed and open comedones from coming back. Here are a few tips that can easily be implemented into your current routine -

• Washing your face once in the evening with a mild, non-fragrant soap
• Use lukewarm water for cleansing
• Exfoliating only a few times per week
• Avoid harsh scrubs- they cause irritation, redness and flare-ups
• Keep hair products away from the face

Shopping tips for Blackhead & Whitehead skin care

Whether you have combination skin, oily, mature or sensitive skin, the severity of your blackheads and whiteheads is dependent on the individual. So, you need to be extra selective shopping for your beauty products, whether it’s moisturisers, non-clog makeup to facial cleansers. Luckily, Boniik may have the skincare brands you need to fight off stubborn blocked pores.

First thing’s first. Let’s talk about the importance of exfoliation.

Exfoliation is crucial to prevent future blackheads and whiteheads from forming, ridding the pores from impurities and reducing the skin’s overactive sebum production. Exfoliation is also crucial to draw away dead skin cells, leftover makeup residue, dirt and dead skin that could turn into blackheads.

While exfoliating is important, the key to clearer skin is to not go overboard as tempting as it is. Over-exfoliating causes damage to the layers of your skin, causing dryness and irritations. Our beauty experts recommend exfoliating twice a week to maintain your skin’s natural oil production.

Secondly, find skin care that doesn’t clog your pores, and dissolve impurities and dead skin cells. Look for lightweight foaming and cleansing micellar waters that feature salycic acid, AHA (Alpha hydroxy acid), or BHA (Beta hydroxy acid). The following blackhead & whitehead skin care treatments can break down the impurities and dead skin cells deep within the pores, and draw them away from the follicle.

It is also important to avoid using heavy and rich moisturiser that can easily clog your pores. Try using light day and night creams infused with tea tree oil to balance your oil production, maintain your skin’s natural hydration levels, and calm inflammation. A night time masqe infused with soothing natural enzymes could also help tidy dead skin cells naturally without unnecessarily causing damage to the skin’s surface.

Read more to find out how you can gain healthy glowing skin for any skin type here >>