Instructions

• Step 1: Don’t pick them Don’t try to remove blackheads either with your fingernails or with any kind of instrument. Both can lead to infection and scarring.
• Step 2: Steam your face Boil a medium pot of water, add a few drops of tea tree, eucalyptus, or lavender essential oil, and place it on a table. Sit with your face over the pot for five minutes, with a towel draped over your head to trap the steam. The combination of steam and those particular oils will loosen existing blackheads. Repeat weekly.
• : Keep your face at least 12 inches from the water to prevent burning.
• Step 3: Wash your face To prevent future blackheads, wash your face daily with warm water and a mild soap or cleanser that is color- and fragrance-free.
• TIP: Replace your face cloth with a natural sea sponge, which exfoliates skin better.
• Step 4: Moisturize Slather on an over-the-counter moisturizer containing the collagen-booster retinol every night after you wash your face. If you have sensitive skin, only use it every other day.
• TIP: Retinol increases skin’s sensitivity to the sun, so use a sunscreen with SPF 30 daily.
• Step 5: Clean up your makeup act Always use oil-free foundation, never put makeup on a sweaty face, remove makeup at night with a cleanser that contains glycolic acid, and clean makeup brushes and sponges with baby shampoo monthly.
• Step 6: Put on a mask Use a facial mask once a week. Clay masks are especially good for drawing impurities out of pores.
• Step 7: Go to a pro If new blackheads keep developing, consider going to a dermatologist for a medical facial.
• FACT: The 'black' in 'blackheads' isn’t dirt. Your skin’s natural oils turn black when they oxidize after getting trapped in clogged pores.

You Will Need

• A medium-size pot of boiling water
• Tea tree
• eucalyptus
• or lavender essential oil
• A large towel
• A mild soap or facial cleanser
• Moisturizer containing retinol
• SPF 30 sunscreen
• Oil-free foundation
• Facial cleanser containing glycolic acid
• Baby shampoo
• Facial masks
• A dermatologist
• A natural sea sponge