How to Get Rid of Blackheads and Exfoliate Your Skin Properly

Many people look at many different ways on how to get rid of blackhead and in this article we will look at a number of methods that this can be used.

But first of all lets look at what blackheads are. They are caused by pores of the skin becoming partially blocked and they appear black not because of dirt but because of the oxidising effect that the air has on the sebum (oil) in the blocked pore and also by the melanin pigment that comes from dead skin cells.

The best way of removing blackhead is to remove the cause which is excessive sebum and dead skin cells. It is important that you use only natural ingredients that are not too astrigent for your skin as harsh products can strip the skin of oil and this will only produce more sebum which will then result in more blocked pores (more blackheads).

So do not be afraid to use those products which contain natural oils such as jojoba or coconut oil for cleansing your skin and because they are close to our own body's natural oils they will not block the pores. Also it is important that you use a gentle exfoliator each day to remove dead skin cells which can also block pores, but be gentle as over exfoliating can only exacerbate the problem of blackheads. It is important that the exfoliator you use does not contain any alcohol, isopropyl mystate, lanolin, sodium lauryl sulphate, sodium laureth sulphate, propylene glycol, mineral oil or parabens.

Nor should you extract your blackheads forcibly using either your fingers, fingernails or a comedone (blackhead) remover as this can cause permanent damage to your pores and will stop them from working properly. You might be able to squeeze some of the blackhead out but you may also end up forcing some of it even deeper into your skin and this may in turn lead to an infection or permanent damage. So touching your skin should generally be avoided in order to prevent cross infection