The Blackhead Annoyance

Everyone has blackheads, it's what happens particularly in the nose area where you start seeking black spots on your nose. For myself personally I never noticed them until I started to get into makeup which was senior year of high school to be quite honest I never had a problem with them until that year. Here's what I did learn from a beautician when I was getting a facial one time where they were taking a humidifier machine or something along those lines and practicially squeezing all of the dirt and blackheads out. Your blackheads and the dirt in your pores and build up to the point that it becomes a mole and when it get to that level, then it will become very hard to get out.

So senior year of high school I went through a whole process, some products I put into my daily routine and some I used on a weekly to occasional basis.

On a daily basis I used Clean and Clear Blackhead Cleanser

  Honestly I have to say, I just liked it for the fact that it was a good exfoliating cleanser and it got rid of all of the dead skin sells whenever I had dry skin. Now for any reading this, my skin has it's extremities but in all boggle down to how much water I am drinking. During the winter due to the combination that it's dryer weather and I'm replacing water with warm drinks like tea (FYI for ever cup of tea you drink your should be adding two cups of water back into your system because tea is good for you but it also takes away water in your body), my skin becomes dry to the point that I can use up a tube of Bath and Body Works lotion in two weeks. During the summer because the weather is hotter, I drink more water and because it's more humid I use less lotion because my body seems to just sweat a lot more so the skin becomes more normal.

Irregardless to whether it winter or summer my face will still get dry to the point that I need a good exfoliation simply because of dead skin sells. So when I used this cleanser as my everyday cleanser it worked great in keeping things in check and just making my face stay clean. However, I don't think I will personally go back to it because there are so many other cleansers out there and nowadays I'm looking for a gentler exfoliation to use.

On a weekly basis I used Clean and Clear Blackhead Eraser Cleansing Mask

Now this baby was AMAZING. I loved the minty tingle it had on my skin and each time after I used it my face felt refreshed and my blackheads were more toned down. Sometimes I think I just need to go back to start using this again but I have so many other masks that I'm trying that I have yet to make a round to go back to it. Now apparently it's designed to loosen blackheads so it doesn't cleans it all the way out however at the time that I used it, I didn't have huge blackhead problems so it worked great to use just as a pick me up when my face felt dull.

The product does have salicylic acid in it to help fighting acne which is why I felt the tingle and now that I think back to it, it was probably the major reason that during that time in high school, I didn't have a lot of pimples even through all the stress of signing up for college, AP exams, and prom.

However when it comes down to it, my secret weapon is Biore Deep Cleansing Pore Strips

This works like a charm every time but it's is on the more pricy side and if you use this on a regular basis, it does add up. Now I am a college student so money is always tight and I will ration these out. I generally would use one every two weeks or once a month depending on whenever I am in the mood.

I love it because you get a chance to just see after you peal it off to see all of the dirty little things that were in your pores. I have tried a knock off weird asian brand that I found while I was in China, I still have some packets and it does take out some of the dirt but I wouldn't recommend using them because the smell is horrible. It smells like chinese medicine and the Biore pore strips are made of clothe so it's easier peel and you don't have to wait as long. It is apparently made out of natural bamboo and "so on" as written on the packets although I've noticed a lot of grammar mistakes so I'm not to keen on it the english translation that the have on the packaging.

The Chinese knock off brand is similar to the DIY version of pore strips however I suggest using the DIY version for the sole reason that you are using natural products that you would have normally consume. Below is a video tutorial from the famous Michelle Phan explaining the whole process. I have yet to try it out because I am still working on the Chinese knock off brand.

So whether you need a scrub, mask, or pore strip, it is still good at the end of the day to cleans your pores because that is what clearing blackheads mean, you are stripping your pores from the dirt and bacteria it has collected over a period of time.

Best,
Ren