Best skincare routine to prevent blackheads

I have oily skin; my T-zone has never been great, and the blackheads have been obvious since middle school. In the early days, I have tried a number of different products and had seen no results. For me, good skin cannot have blackheads. 

Over the years of trial and error and researching, I found out blackheads can be only alleviated but not necessarily eradicated. If you establish the right routines and find the right products, you can minimize their appearance, and to some extent prevent some of them over time.  The best and easiest way to deal with them is to build them into your skincare routine. 

There are several good ways to build a skincare routine to prevent blackheads. 

Use a good cleansing oil (for daily cleansing)

The basic principle of cleansing oils is “binding oil with oil” to dissolve oil-based makeup and excess oil on the face. The ingredients used in cleansing oils are critical to how good of a cleansing job the product would do. Daily cosmetic products, such as foundations and face powders, contain fat, powder, etc., which easily combine with the skin’s metabolic sweat, fat, and outside dust to form oily dirt that cannot be taken off by general cleansing products. That’s why it’s extremely important to find a good cleansing oil.
 
Read our guide on skincare routine if you want to find out more about double cleansing and its importance to your skincare.
 
Any skin type can use a gentle and non-irritating cleansing oil to remove their makeup. If you happen to feel the more you use cleansing oil, the oiler your face becomes, then I can tell you it’s not because of a bad cleansing oil, but because there wasn’t enough moisture and hydration applied after cleansing.
 


Sale BOSCIA MakeUp-BreakUp Cool Cleansing Oil - Vegan & Cruelty-Free - Oil-Based Face... @ Amazon

boscia’s MakeUp-Breakup is a gentle but effective botanical cleansing oil.  It does a fantastic job of removing all traces of makeup and built-up dirt without leaving an oily residue. Rose Hip, Green Tea, Avocado, and Olive Fruit Oil are rich in Vitamin E, which protect against free radical damage. It will purify, brighten, and invigorate your complexion.

Apply to dry skin and massage onto the face. Add water to emulsify into a milky cleanser; keep massaging, rinse clean.

Try Mario Badescu Silver Powder

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This is how I use the Mario Badescu Silver Powder.  After I am done with the mask in my skincare routine, I usually just take some of the powder into my palm and mix it with a little bit of water until it is a paste-like texture.  You can also just dip a damp cotton pad into the silver powder and pat it onto your T-zone. 

I apply this paste to my nose and leave it on for about 15 minutes.  Then I would massage some Neutrogena blackhead scrub (another favorite of mine) into my pores on my nose.After about a minute, blackheads started appearing as if by magic from my pores. At this point, I stopped massaging with the scrub and used a cotton bud to gently remove these white spots.  If it feels like it’s going to dry up then I add some more scrub.  I would do this for about 10 minutes, then rinse everything off nicely. 

Blackheads are caused by blocked pores and the skin’s oxidation, so you can assume that if the white part of it came out then the black part had come out already too.
 

philosophy purity made simple pore extractor mask

philosophy purity made simple pore extractor mask @ Amazon

It is worth it to introduce this pore extractor mask into your routine.

This creamy mask fires gunk out of your pores and scrubs away blackheads with a smooth-feeling face. Your skin will appear virtually blackhead-free, drawn out by a clay-based formula and salicylic acid. It also conditions skin with natural exfoliants to remove dryness for an even brighter appearance, making it a winning product for all skin types. 

Gently massage onto clean, dry skin. leave on for 5–10 minutes, or until the clay is dry. Rinse with warm water.

Use azelaic acid gel

If your blackhead problem is not severe, then Azelaic acid should help along with refining pores as well as evening out your skin tone.  Azelaic acid reduces acne-causing bacteria that are responsible for inflamed acne breakouts. It also reduces plugging of the follicles, which led to blackheads, whiteheads, and inflamed blemishes in the first place.


Paula's Choice BOOST 10% Azelaic Acid Booster Cream Gel, Licorice Extract &... @ Amazon

This Paula’s Choice Azelaic Acid Gel has a 10% concentration.  In addition, it also has salicylic acid for gentle exfoliation and comes in a lightweight, oil-free texture.  Not only does it reduce the look of blemishes and acne, while also helping to fade brown spots and marks from previous acne breakouts. It is a highly effective multi-action powerhouse. 

To use the azelaic acid gel, apply a hot towel to open your pores. When applying the gel to blackhead-prone areas of your nose right after a shower, you can also apply a hydrating sheet mask to other parts of your face. Leave the gel on for about half an hour; this is so that your skin has enough time to absorb the active ingredients in the gel.

Silk’n Revit – Blackhead Remover

Silk’N Revit - Blackhead Remover Vacuum - Microdermabrasion Machine -... @ Amazon

The Silk’n ReVit is a pretty cool tool that combines gentle microdermabrasion exfoliation with vacuum stimulation to reduce the appearance of blemishes and imperfections. 

This machine is primarily a diamond microdermabrasion device that gently removes dead skin cells and stimulates new cell production. But it does vacuum as well and will help with blackheads.

Lastly

Remember when you are trying to deal with blackheads, avoid really rich and oily moisturizers in blackhead-prone areas as they are more likely to clog the pores. Instead, opt for gel, and other lightweight moisturizers and lotions in those areas.