I believe beauty bloggers shouldn't write only about pink nail polishes and fluffy brushes, but also about beauty troubles which, with no doubt. we all face. However, sometimes it is hard to find information about such things on 'western' blogs (most Asian blogs are packed with information about this!), which made me think I might as well share as much as I know myself.
One of dreaded beauty issues is definitely blackheads. In a number of posts I will try to introduce you to a routine which I've developed over past year or so to deal with these little monsters. (And do not fear that this is going to turn into some explicit black head exhibition, I definitely do not plan on taking detailed pictures of my nose hehe!)
My whole routine, which I do about 1-2x in a fortnight includes the products in the picture above:
- Soap & Glory - Greatest Scrub of All
- Etude House - Black Head Off Oil Ex
- Shiseido - Naturgo Mask
- The Face Shop - Black Head Ex
- Liz Earle - Superskin Concentrate
My routine starts with facial scrub. It is important that you get rid of any dead cells before you start tackling any 'deeper' skin issues. So far the best facial scrub I've discovered is Soap & Glory's Greatest Srub of All (review here!), because it is not too harsh on my skin, but does the job very well. After I scrub and dry my face, I put my hair up (this is going to be a messy one!) and use Etude House's Black Head Off Oil Ex treatment on the areas which need to be treated (it really depends on your needs here, I concentrate on forehead, nose, cheeks and chin, but you can have blackheads on your chest area, temples, ears and even on your back).
This oil comes in a pump, which is very convenient, as the consistency is unbelievably runny, I would say even watery to be honest. It does not have an amazing smell to it, but it is not too strong, so you might not even notice it.
All you need to do is rub the oil into your skin in circular motions and when you feel it is rubbed in well, leave it on for 15-30 minutes. Now, this oil is basically a really soft oil cleanser with lemon and grape seed oil, which smoothens skin and hydrates. Apparently, it also has got coal (is there any other coal than the black coal? I'm slightly confused here!) ingredient, which 'draws out' dirt from within the pores and dissolves it. As the information on the label is only in Korean (excuse me here, might be other Asian language), I found this information on-line, and I really can't get my head around it, so if anyone knows more, feel free to comment! The point is, that is really does the job! After a few seconds you can feel that it actually is working in your pores (how scary does this sound? hah!). It starts 'tickling' your nose, as the blackheads dissolve and are 'drawn out' from your pores. Plus you can actually see them (enough for the description right).
After 15-30 minutes, you wipe your face with a cotton pad or a wipe and can splash water over your face to get rid of any excess oil (use warm water if you are going to use a face mask after this step or cold water if you are blackhead-easy and this was enough to get rid of any blackheads).
After using this for the first time, you won't see much difference, give it at least 3-4 go's to see if it works for you or not. I use it as a prep-stage for face masks and it works great for me! It is hard to get your hands on this product in the UK, but you can order it on E-bay for prices ranging from £5 to £15 for 60ml bottle (it is worth waiting for a good offer, as these products are often hit/miss for certain skin types). Neverthless, this product is not agressive on my skin, it does do what it is meant to do, however if your skin is not close to perfection regarding blackheads, I suggest using it in conjunction with more products, such as face masks (a post will follow soon!).
How do you beat blackheads?
Have you tried this oil before?