BLACKHEADS! (And what I learned from giving my 7-yr-old her facial...)

Being plagued by blackheads as early as the age of 7 (I was unfortunately born and raised in Hong Kong, a very humid and polluted city, until the age of 10 with combination skin), I was always on the look out for blackhead clearing products.  I had tried many many ways to clear away blackheads, from extraction (ouch!), to pore peels (still ouch, but less painful) to clay masks for many years.  Finally, I think I've found the answer to clearing away these pesky little black dots: PATIENCE and PERSEVERANCE.

I learned this from my 7 year old daughter who developed some blackheads on her nose during our recent trip to Hong Kong.  As she is still very young, I did not want to use the extraction method on her for fear that it will leave her pores very large.  I did not want to use pore peels on her either because she cannot stand even a little bit of pain (and truth be told, pore peels also make pores larger).  So the only option left for me to do was to use clay masks on her.  In Hong Kong, the Japanese brand FANCL House is easily available everywhere.

Though the price is a bit steep, at HK$150 (approx Cdn$19) for a box of 8 packets (to be used at a suggested rate of 1 packet a day), that is like Cdn$2.40 / day down the drain just to use on clay packs that do not show as obvious a result as pore peels; but on my little girl's otherwise flawless skin, I thought it was worth it.  (I also found out that one packet of the FANCL House Pore Cleansing Pack is good for at least 3 to 4 applications if you keep the opening small and seal it as tight as you can after use... Ha!  There you go, that means I can get about 30 clay masks for Cdn$19!)  But what surprised me was that after daily application on my daughter's nose for a few days, her blackhead problem almost entirely went away.  Well, for sure it went from "OMG!  That's really obvious!" to "Let me check with a flashlight, hmm... I think that is still a small one, but it's hardly noticeable."  And from then on, I realized what I've been doing to myself for the past 20 odd years were WRONG!

First of all, I'd like to apologize to "clay masks" which I've always mistaken you for being useless when in fact it was I who didn't use you enough that makes the result way less than satisfactory.  Now here are the list of my blackhead clearing tools in the order of most favorite to least:




Washable Clay Masks ♥♥♥♥♥
(Gentle, effective, BUT you must not be lazy)

Love them for their gentle yet effective quality.  Besides the above FANCL brand, which honestly is not very easily accessible where I live; I also use Innsifree Jeju Volcanic Pore Clay Mask which I can buy from my very reliable on-line distributor at a really reasonable price.  (Pretty sure that I can get more than 30 applications with one jar of the Volcanic Pore Clay Mask, and it costs the same as 8 packets of the FANCL House version.  To me, the Korean version works just as well.)

To use:
Simply apply the clay to the affected area after cleansing.  Leave on for a few minutes (no harm to wait longer), then wash off with warm water.  If your pores are larger than you wish to see, you can also follow with a pore reducing mask like I do.




Pore Peels ♥♥♥♥
Great if you want fast results, BUT you must use a good pore reducer afterwards.

For a very long time, I was a believer in pore peels.  What's not to love about them?  They're easy to use, does the job well (if you choose the right brands), and not very expensive.  I have two favorite brands which coincidentally are of two different types: sticker and cream (that dries up and allows you to peel off).

 

To use:

* The sticker type adheres only to wet skin.  Apply the sticker to wet skin after cleansing.  To make it even more effective, splash the affect area (in this case, the nose) with as high temperature water as you can handle or steam your face before hand to open up the pores.  Let the sticker do its job for about 10 to 15 mins.  You will know when to peel off when the sticker is hard and dry.  Start loosening up from the sides of the nose and peel on both sides toward the middle in an upward motion.

** The cream works on dry skin, so you will need to pat dry your skin after cleansing before you apply the cream.  I try to apply a generous layer, because even though it takes longer to dry when the layer is thick, it is also more effective than a thin layer.  You may also want to make sure that you have the cream on nicely, so that it does creep into the little pores where the blackheads lie.  Leave on for as long as required (usually the time suggested on the packaging is a bit off, especially if you're using a liberal amount) and peel off like you do with sticker pore peels.

I was in love with these for the longest of time because they are really effective.  They even clean out the hard to reach places like the tip of the nose (which will be very painful to extract) and they also take out the fine hair that is trapped within the pores.  However, I also learned that with pore peels, you need to have a good pore reducer at hand so that you can reduce the sight of pores afterwards.  Even though a lot of these products claim that they have pore reducing agents that tightens the pores after the blackheads / sebum is removed, I still fine that not enough.  To proof, I was shocked to see obvious pores on my nose after using pore peels every 3 days for about 2 weeks.  (Okay, you may think what I was doing using these pore peels every 3 days, but what is the point if I can only use them once a month or twice a month while blackhead is building up every single day.)  So, for someone like me, who is very sensitive about the sight of blackheads on my nose, this type of product is really not very suitable for me.  BUT if you are pressed for time and want to get rid of them quick for a special event, this is the way to go.

Blackhead remover solution ♥♥♥

(They do work to loosen up the blackheads so that extraction is easier, but a needle is still involved).

I've also tried loosening up my blackheads with a solution so that it makes extraction easier.  After being told of the possible side effects of pore peels by my facial lady (she said that the action of peeling may loosen up the skin that's being pulled up, therefore pore peels should only be used once a month), and that the extraction method is a far more safer way to remove blackheads than pore peels, I decided to give the Etude House Blackhead Final Kit a try.

My verdict:  If you are into extraction with a blackhead needle, this product is a MUST.  It really helps loosen the blackheads (though you have to do a little extra than what is explained on the packaging... instead of applying the solution with your hand or a cotton swab, you should apply the solution on a thin cotton pad and then place the wet pad on the affected area for 20 mins.  If your cotton pad is on the thick side, you may want to gently separate it into two layers.  This way, the solution will not get absorbed into the pad and hence you will not need as much to soak the cotton pad.  To judge, the pad should feel wet to the touch.).  But a note of caution: when using extraction needle, know your limits.  Even though this product makes it less painful to extract the blackheads with the needle, your nose may still peel the next day if you over do it.  So stop before you get too obsessed with a perfectly clean nose.  I'd rather do it more frequently than trying to go for a blackhead free nose in one go.  Also, if you have a really effective pore reducer, I would recommend you use that instead of the one that comes with the kit.  In this case, you may ask if it is still worthwhile to buy this Etude House kit?  I'd still say that for the effectiveness of the remover solution, this kit (complete with the remover solution and soothing cream) is still worth its price.

Blackhead Needles ♥

(Does the job, but boy does it hurt and leaves a mark the next day)

And when your nose peels (the next day, but sometimes it could happen same day), no amount of BB cream can cover up the trace.  And sometimes it's not just the peeling but also the redness that makes me think twice about extracting with a needle again.  I only use it when the blackhead is really big and obvious (which, if you're diligent enough with the clay masks, it should not have happened in the first place).  Also, bear in mind that when someone does this for you at the facial spa, they also disinfect the "wounds" after with a special tool.  I truly doubt that most of us at home have this equipment.  So there is an added risk of infection if the tool is not sterile.

Blackheads Dissolving Agents ♥

(No idea if it works or not)

Probably the most expensive product of all in my possession in regards to blackhead removal (I don't quite remember the price exactly, but Dr. Jart is always far more expensive than Missha, and Missha is also more expensive than Skinfood / The FaceShop / Etude House / Tony Moly, ... so you do the math.  This product, as I was told, can be used up to twice a week, to be applied on the nose for 10 mins and then massaged for a bit before rinsing off.  I used this product diligently for a few weeks but I don't see any improvement whatsoever.  True, the blackheads did look lighter right after use (but that happens too after normal cleansing), but they always come back looking as annoying as ever.

I still have quite a large quantity left and I may still use it from time to time.  But would I buy it again?  I don't think so.  I will just stick to my clay masks from now on and probably use the Blackhead Final Kit from time to time if I encounter some stubborn blackheads that I need to extract.

To be honest, I do visit facial spas regularly to have my face cleaned by the professionals.  I think that is very important even though I do a pretty thorough skincare routine daily at home.  From experience, facials can only help clean out blackheads every once in a while, but they always come back.  It is with daily cleansing / clay masks done at home that you can hope to be rid of those for good.