I have a bizarre confession to make—I love watching blackhead extraction videos. Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you must’ve seen an extraction video. They’re the ultimate definition of “oddly satisfying”, and if you don’t agree, I know you’re lying (C’mon everybody loves Dr Pimple Popper!). Even though blackheads make your skin look bumpy and discoloured, you have to agree that using pore strips and watching them get extracted is super satisfying. However, I recently found out that these standard blackhead removal methods can be very damaging to your skin. So not wanting to put my skin at risk, I gave up my precious pore strips and started looking for other methods. Fortunately, I found a routine that’s simple and works wonders! The best part about it is that it’s only 3-steps and you only have to repeat it twice a week. Have a look at it:
1. Steam
You may think this step is unnecessary but steaming your face will prep your pores for the subsequent steps. So you can either invest in a facial steamer (which is what I recommend), or you can boil water in a pot and use its steam. Steaming will open up your pores so that your skin is prepped and you get the most out of the mask.
2. Mask
The next step would be to use a mud or a clay mask, basically anything that will draw out the toxins, excess sebum and dirt from your pores. My personal favourite is the supermud mask from Glamglow. This mask contains activated charcoal that helps purify my pores and leaves my skin feeling fresh and clean. I’ve seen a significant difference when it comes to my blackheads after I included this mask in my routine.
3. Tone
After washing off the mask, it’s time to shrink the size of those pores! I like using an exfoliating toner with ingredients like AHAs and BHAs. The one I’m currently using is by Paula’s Choice, and it contains salicylic acid which helps unclog and shrink pores, hence preventing more blackheads.
Doing this blackhead routine twice every week has significantly improved my skin. Will you give this routine a try? Let me know in the comments below.
Follow @missmalinibeauty on Instagram for more updates.