Get rid of Black Heads

The best way to reduce the appearance of blackheads is to do the following, twice a week:

1. Wash the skin using a gentle, natural exfoliating product and pat the skin dry
2. Fill a bowl/basin with boiling water, and a few drops of tea tree oil
3. Steam your face for about 5 minutes to open the pores and soften the skin
4. Apply a clay mask, such as bentonite clay or seaweed clay mask
* These masks will attract and absorb the oil in the blocked pore.
5. Let the mask work for the allocated time (10 minutes to an hour)
6. Rinse off with warm water and pat the skin dry
7. If you have scars or red marks from previous acne, this is a good time to apply a good scar treatment

Blackheads Explained

Blackheads are caused by partially blocked pores. The "black" appearance of them is not caused by dirt, but by the oxidising effect of air on the sebum (oil) in a blocked pore and the melanin pigment from the dead skin cells.

The best way to get rid of blackheads is to remove the cause of them — excessive sebum (oil) and dead skin cells. Use only products made with natural ingredients that are not too astringent. Harsh products can strip the skin of oil, causing it to produce more sebum which leads to more blocked pores. Don't be afraid of using cleansing products containing natural oils, such as jojoba or coconut oil to cleanse the skin. These oils are close to our natural oils, so they don't block the pores. Use a gentle exfoliator every day to remove dead skin cells so they don't block pores. Just remember to be very gentle, over exfoliation can exacerbate the problem. Avoid products containing the following: alcohol, isopropyl mystate, lanolin, sodium lauryl sulphate, sodium laureth sulphate, propylene glycol, mineral oil and parabens.

Do not to try and extract them forcibly, either using your fingers, fingernails or a comedone (blackhead) remover. This can cause permanent damage to the pores and stop them working properly for ever. You may squeeze some of the blackhead out, but you could also force some of it even deeper into the skin, which may lead to infection (large spots, pimples or even cysts) or permanent damage. Touching your skin should generally be avoided to prevent cross infection.

What is Acne?

Acne is a skin condition that shows up as different types of bumps. They include whiteheads, blackheads, red bumps (pimples), and bumps that are filled with pus (cysts). What causes these annoying bumps? Well, your skin is covered with tiny holes called hair follicles, or pores. Pores contain sebaceous glands (oil glands) that make sebum, an oil that moistens your hair and skin.

Most of the time the glands make the right amount of sebum, and the pores are fine. But sometimes a pore gets clogged up with too much sebum, dead skin cells, and germs called bacteria. This can cause acne.

If a pore gets clogged up, closes, and bulges out from the skin, that's a whitehead. If a pore clogs up but stays open, the top surface can get dark and you're left with a blackhead. Sometimes the walls of the pore are broken, allowing sebum, bacteria, and dead skin cells to get under the skin. This causes a small, red infection called a pimple. Clogged-up pores that open up deep in the skin can lead to bigger infections known as cysts.

You can check pictures of acne here