The Blackhead Remover Routine That Skips the Squeezing

Pore strips arrived in American drugstores in April 1997, and by the end of the year they were the best-selling skin care product in the country. It is easy to see why. You press a strip onto a damp nose, wait, peel, and see exactly what came out. That little show is satisfying, but it is only part of the answer. A good blackhead remover routine combines a quick fix with the slower work that stops pores filling up again, and it never involves squeezing.

 

Blackheads are pores clogged with oil and dead skin that darken where they meet the air. They are not dirt, so scrubbing harder does not help. Strips and tools lift the top of the plug. Acids dissolve what is underneath.

 

For the quick fix, Bioré's Original and Charcoal Deep Cleansing Pore Strips come from the brand that started the craze in 1997, and Sephora Collection's Purifying Charcoal Nose Pore Strip and Mario Badescu's 2-in-1 Deep Cleansing Pore Strip are the same classic peel off kind. Peace Out's hydrocolloid strips are gentler, meant to be worn for a few hours to absorb oil. Benefit's POREfessional Degunker is a mask system for pores, and Clinique's Blackhead Solutions extractor is a self-heating gel with salicylic acid that warms as you massage it in.

 

DERMAFLASH's DERMAPORE+ is an ultrasonic pore extractor, a small spatula that vibrates to loosen what is in the pore, and it doubles as a skincare infuser.

 

Use a strip no more than once a week, on clean, damp skin, and peel slowly from the edges toward the center.

The slower, more lasting part of the routine is BHA, also called salicylic acid. It is oil soluble, so it can get inside a pore and loosen the plug from within, which strips and scrubs cannot do. Used a few times a week, it keeps blackheads from coming back as quickly.

 

Paula's Choice's 2% BHA Exfoliating Toner is a simple liquid you swipe on after cleansing. Glow Recipe's Watermelon Glow toner pairs PHA and BHA and is gentler. Dr. Dennis Gross's Alpha Beta Universal Daily Peel pads combine AHA and BHA in pre-soaked pads, and Kate Somerville's ExfoliKate is a stronger AHA and BHA treatment for once or twice a week.

 

Cleansers are the easiest way in, since they rinse off. The INKEY List's salicylic acid cleanser, Murad's Clarifying Gel Cleanser and Tata Harper's Regenerating BHA cleanser all fit into a normal routine. Leave the lather on your nose for thirty seconds before rinsing.

 

The Ordinary's AHA 30% + BHA 2% Peeling Solution is the strongest here, a ten minute peel for experienced skin only. Start with once a week, and never use it on broken or irritated skin.

 

Start slowly with any acid, every other night, and build up if your skin is happy. A little dryness is normal at first. Burning or peeling is not. Wear sunscreen every morning, since exfoliated skin burns more easily, and a sunburned nose shows every pore. Give any new acid two weeks before deciding whether it suits you.

Clay masks soak up oil from the surface and can make pores look smaller for a day or two. Use them on the nose and chin, where oil collects, rather than the whole face if your cheeks are dry.

 

innisfree's Super Volcanic clay mask is made for oil control, and Origins's Clear Improvement uses active charcoal. Benefit's POREfessional Deep Retreat is a kaolin clay mask, and Kiehl's Rare Earth clay mask is made for pores and uneven texture. Dr. Jart+'s Pore Remedy is a purifying mud mask, and Sincerely Yours' Face To Face Time is a gentle, whipped clay mask. The Ordinary's Salicylic Acid 2% Masque combines charcoal, clay and BHA.

 

Caudalie's Pore Minimizing Instant Detox Mask is a pink clay mask, and it is the one I would pick for a nose that is oily but easily irritated.

 

What I would skip: squeezing with your fingers, or pressing a metal extractor at home. It can push the plug deeper, irritate the skin and leave marks that take longer to fade than the blackhead would. I would also skip letting a clay mask dry until it cracks. Rinse it while it is still slightly damp, since clay that dries completely can leave skin tight and flaky. And skip using a strip, an acid and a clay mask all on the same night. Pick one.

 

A warm shower first softens the skin, so clay and strips both work better afterward. Follow a mask with a light moisturizer.

Put it together in a simple week. Use a BHA toner or cleanser three or four nights, a clay mask once, and a strip or tool once at most, on a different night. Moisturize every night with something light, since acids and clay can leave skin dry.

 

Give it a month. Blackheads form slowly, and so do the results. If you have deep, painful spots or blackheads that never budge, a dermatologist or facialist can extract them safely and suggest something stronger. Take a close-up photo of your nose in daylight on day one, so you can compare honestly after four weeks. Change your pillowcase often, and keep your phone screen clean, since both touch your face every day.