DIY Beauty: keeping blackheads at bay
Wednesday, 8 October 2008
I believe most of us are plagued by some amount of blackheads or whiteheads on parts of our face. These are called comedones by dermatologists and these facial pests are a result of the waxy oil that accumulates on our skin. When a minuscule globule of sebum collects at the top of a pore, a whitehead develops. When the waxy oil hardens, plugs the pore and is exposed to air, it turns black through oxidation and becomes a blackhead.
Our nose area is a prime spot for such “skin worms” and the best way to get rid of them is to have been squeezed out although some like to use the pore pack nose strips to do the job instead. I’ve been experimenting with some homemade beauty remedies and found that there are some natural ways to keep them at bay.
Baking soda
The texture of moistened baking soda is slightly abrasive and hence is good for exfoliation. With about a 1/4 of a teaspoon of baking soda, I added some water and then gently massaged all over my nose area before rinising out. My nose immediately looked quite clean afterwards but the only problem was that the baking soda seem to cause a brief sneezing effect so I wouldn’t recommend using this too frequently. Once a week is good enough for me.
Tomato
I read that tomato contains vitamin C plus an acid that removes dead epidermal cells, thus helping to clear whiteheads and prevent blackheads from turning into pimples. You can simply cut a slice and rub it on your nose area or anywhere else you have blackheads. What I do is to use the mashed pulp, rub it on my nose area and leave on for about 10 minutes before rinsing off. In fact, I found that using the baking soda to scrub prior to rubbing on the tomato pulp is the best.
Homemade remedies must be used regularly for results
However, don’t expect either of these remedies to keep you totally free from blackheads. I still have blackheads, but a lot lesser. If you have a lot of blackheads to begin with, I suggest you extract them first before starting on these remedies. And you have to use them regularly to keep those blackheads away. Like I mentioned, I use the baking soda about once a week but I rub the tomato pulp almost every other day on my nose.
It’s a cheap and easy way to keep my blackheads at bay!
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Posted in Homemade/DIY | 24 Comments »
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October 8th, 2008 at 10:53 am
Thanks for this great tip! I usually depend on scrubs and then pressing them out one by one. This is definitely a cheaper and less painful way.
Penny: You may still have to press them out first before you start on the remedy. After that, you should find lesser blackheads if you use these regularly.
October 8th, 2008 at 3:37 pm
Thanks for the tip!
Would you happen to know about milia though? Is it similar to whiteheads? Cause I have these small bumps on the temples of my face…It doesn’t have a head and there’s no way of extracting it out.
Rachel: I wrote about milia seeds here. It’s not the same as whiteheads and are more difficult to extract.
October 8th, 2008 at 4:38 pm
hmm i like this tip since it doesnt require much preparation. hehe. me lub porepack! the satisfaction is just..too overwhelming
prettybeautiful: Haha…I remember your piece of art…
October 8th, 2008 at 11:32 pm
Another thing that works is crushed aspirin mixed with yoghurt, applied on the area for 15 minutes, not more than twice a week. But do use your sunscreen afterwards since aspirin (and tomato and I imagine the baking soda as well) make the skin more sun sensitive !
eternalyoyageur: Hey thanks for the tip! I haven’t got my hands on aspirins as yet. I must try this when I get the chance.
October 10th, 2008 at 3:31 pm
huh… that’ll help a few things out
thanks for the heads up
mooncougar13: You’re welcome!
October 10th, 2008 at 4:25 pm
voila sesame.. thank for your great tIPS… but i have yet to buy the baking soda not sure what brand shd i buy ?
miyo: There is only one I’ve seen around and is widely recommended. The Arm & Hammer Baking Soda. I got it at NTUC supermarket for under $2.
October 12th, 2008 at 4:17 am
[...] Viva Woman shows you how she gets rid of her blackheads and whiteheads with simple home remedies. [...]
October 13th, 2008 at 12:23 am
[...] Viva Woman shows you how she gets rid of her blackheads and whiteheads with simple home remedies. [...]
October 14th, 2008 at 11:23 am
THAT IS SUCH A FABULOUS IDEA! I WILL DEFINITELY TRY THAT.
Miss Mac: Hope you’ll like it.
October 14th, 2008 at 11:26 am
FOR ANYONE INTERESTED PLEASE JOIN ME AT MACITTUDE.BLOGSPOT.COM AND LEAVE COMMENTS OR FEEDBACK IF YOU’D LIKE
Miss Mac: I’ll check it out soon…
October 23rd, 2008 at 12:40 am
[...] Viva Woman shows you how she gets rid of her blackheads and whiteheads with simple home remedies. [...]
October 23rd, 2008 at 7:34 pm
That’s a great idea; I can finish up tomatoes quicker that way before they rot. And in such a good way too
Tine:
October 27th, 2008 at 2:38 am
Love these tips! Cheap and easy too.
Thank you.
mag: You’re welcome!
October 29th, 2008 at 11:12 pm
I wonder if the bake king soda is possible too… cant seem to find the arms and hammer one at my shop and save
Jun: Should be fine as long as it is baking soda.
November 18th, 2008 at 11:37 am
[...] for me has been the almost complete eradication of the blackheads on my nose. I have stopped using baking soda or tomatoes so I’m sure that the blackheads were removed due to my new cleansing routine. And it’s [...]
December 11th, 2008 at 4:28 pm
I had been using the body shop blue corn scrub mask which works okay for me. Some people says using sea salt as a scrub? Not sure about this one.
June 10th, 2009 at 8:56 am
Wow! that sounds great, i’m going to raid my kitchen to find some baking soda!
by the way, how would you extract blackheads first?
=)
sesame Reply:
June 10th, 2009 at 12:04 pm
I just use a tissue paper or cotton wool to help me.
July 12th, 2009 at 12:25 am
i have alot of blackheads and whiteheads arownd ny mouth wht do i do?? plz help waht should i use plz
July 12th, 2009 at 11:51 am
Wow, thanks for all the advice! Another thing that I’ve heard that is similar to the asprin scrub, is geting an asprin and get it wet (not enough that it disolves) then putting it on your milia (rubbing it sort of). From those I’ve heard, the milia just pops off! And I’ve heard from those that did the scrub that it felt like it was opening (so maybe we won’t need to use pins on our face!)
The most important thing though is make sure that the asprin is UNCOATED. if its coated it can actually increase acne, and I think we’ve had enough of that. Great website btw!
sesame Reply:
July 12th, 2009 at 1:13 pm
I’ve never tried aspirin on my face – only used it as a lip scrub mixed with brown sugar.
July 12th, 2009 at 11:53 am
Omg, i though I was on the article about milia, sorry about that above post!
July 12th, 2009 at 7:44 pm
i m having lot of bleak heads and white heads on my face. plz help me out how to get rid of this………
September 16th, 2009 at 4:25 pm
I got thrombo plabitis and a deep vein clot in my leg after doing the tomato trick, problem was i left the the tomato on between showers, show – rub tomato one face and shoulders let dry and leave on until following morning when i take next shower. repeat. did it cause the thrombo- i’m not sure but i wont use it anymore.