How To Get Rid Of Blackheads In 6 Steps

Want to find out how to get rid of blackheads naturally? Me too! I’ve had blackheads since I hit puberty and my skin hit its oily peak.

I’ve tried scrubbing them and squeezing them, but the stubborn bastards just keep coming back!

Think you can rely on pore strips to remove and prevent blackheads?

Think again – these just rip off your skin and allow more bacteria to enter into your skin, which means more blackheads!

I’m not sure I’ll ever totally be rid of blackheads, but I have found ways to reduce them in 6 easy steps.

*this post contains affiliate links*

But First, What Are Blackheads?

Blackheads are annoying tiny black spots/bumps that are commonly found on the nose, but can show up on other parts of the body too. Blackheads form when the opening of a hair follicle (a.k.a. a pore) becomes clogged or plugged with dead skin cells and oil – gross!

The exposure of the oil and dead skin cells to air causes this nasty mixture to oxidize and become black in appearance. Pores that are simply plugged with oil, but are not black in colour, are called sebaceous filaments.

1. Exfoliation with AHAs and BHAs (especially the BHAs!)

Daily exfoliation with alpha hydroxy and beta hydroxy acids is key to preventing and reducing blackheads and sebaceous filaments. If your skin cannot handle daily exfoliation, try exfoliating with a chemical exfoliant 2-3 times a week instead.

Alpha hydroxy acids (glycolic or lactic acid) help exfoliate the top layer of skin and remove dead skin cells that can get trapped in the pore to create a sebaceous filament – which can then turn into a blackhead.

Beta hydroxy acids, like salicylic acid, are oil-soluble and therefore great for deep cleaning pores and removing oil.

BHAs reduce the probability that a sebaceous filament will turn into a blackhead.

Some of the liquid exfoliants I’ve used to treat blackheads in the past are:

–Nip+Fab Glycolic Fix Extreme Night Pads: Includes glycolic, lactic and salicylic acid all in one. I love these pads and use them daily. My detailed review is here.

–COSRX Blackhead Power Liquid: A Korean BHA toner that includes 4% betaine salicylate (similar in strength to 2% salicylic acid, but gentler).

–Paula’s Choice Skin Perfecting 2% BHA Liquid Exfoliant – a cult classic! Read my full review here.

The Ordinary also has a great salicylic acid serum that you can apply directly to your problem areas to target blackheads and clogged pores.

2. Retinoids/Retinol Or Bakuchiol To Prevent Blackheads

Retinoids, or retinoic acid, is very effective in treating a host of skin conditions, including acne and blackheads.

Retinoids work in the deeper layers of the skin to increase the rate at which new skin cells are pushed to the surface. It also minimizes pore size and helps unclog pores to help reduce or prevent blackheads.

My favourite retinol at the moment is Paula’s Choice Clinical 1% Retinol Treatment and it has definitely helped to reduce my pore size and blackheads, as well as my overall skin tone and texture.

If you are new to retinols, I highly recommend that you read my post 11 Things You Should Know About Retinol, as retinol can cause dryness and irritation if you don’t know how to use it properly or have never used retinol before.

A gentle retinol product that I’m in love with is the Pixi Beauty Retinol Tonic (review). If you have sensitive skin, have never used retinol or are pregnant/breastfeeding, you should consider using Bakuchiol to treat your blackheads instead.

Bakuchiol is a gentler alternative to retinol that is great for treating acne and blackheads while improving overall skin texture.

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3. Mechanical Exfoliation

Mechanical exfoliation comes in the form of scrubs, creams or gel cleansers with micro-beads or aluminum oxide crystals mixed in.

These exfoliants remove dead skin cells when physically rubbed across the skin and are a great way to prevent blackheads. I love using a mechanical exfoliant once or twice a week (more than that is too much!) to brighten my skin and tighten my pores.

My current favourite mechanical exfoliant is The Body Shop’s Drops of Youth Liquid Peel (I know it’s referred to as a peel, but it’s really a scrub!) – this peel is amazing and removing dead skin and seriously destroys clogged pores to allow your skin care products to penetrate even better.

Be sure you do not purchase any scrubs that include pumice or nut shells in them, as they can be too harsh for skin and create small micro-tears in the skin or cause redness and irritation.

Over-exfoliation with scrubs can cause skin to peel, especially on the nose (trust me, I know) so don’t overdo it; your skin will hate you.

Another form of mechanical exfoliation comes from cleansing brushes. I highly recommend using a silicone-bristled pulsing cleansing brush to keep pores clean (I personally find silicone brushes much more gentle than the cleansing brushes with bristles).

I use the FOREO LUNA mini 3 cleansing brush at night and found that it helped remove blackheads and made my skin smoother within a couple weeks of use! 

If you plan to use a cleansing brush, DO NOT use it with an exfoliating scrub. Simply apply a blob of a gentle foaming cleanser, add water and go!

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4. Weekly Clay Mask To Remove Blackheads Naturally

I use a clay mask once a week to de-gunkify my skin and prevent blackheads. Clay masks are great for soaking up dirt and oil that collect in pores; the clay acts like an oil magnet to suck every last drop of oil out.

Tip: I like to leave a warm, damp face cloth on top of my face for 30 seconds before applying any clay or pore-clearing mask to prep my skin and allow the mask to penetrate a bit deeper.

Most clay masks start out wet and gradually dry within a few minutes.

While clay masks are effective at removing oil from pores, this also makes them a bit drying on the skin. I usually remove these masks once they start to dry out to reduce the tight feeling they can leave behind and avoid too much oil being removed.

I also only apply the mask to the oily parts of my face (t-zone). I’m currently loving the effective (and affordable) Aztec Secret Indian Healing Clay mask. This bentonite clay mask is super-hyped from beauty bloggers and vloggers alike due to its deep-cleaning ability. The clay can be mixed with water or apple cider vinegar for intense, pulsing, pore-cleaning action.

The Formula 10.0.6 Pores Be Pure mask and the Formula 10.0.6 Draw It All Out peeling mask are two pore cleaning favourites of mine that are less drying on the skin and the Rebirth Activated Charcoal Mask is full of amazing ingredients to deep clean and nourish skin too.

The Ordinary also has a salicylic acid 2% mask that I’m dying to try out!

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 5. Gentle Manual Extraction & Oil Cleansing To Remove Blackheads 

You may want to consider getting your blackheads professionally extracted by a well-trained esthetician. Extraction is a great temporary relief from blackheads/filaments since it allows the sebum to be manually removed from the pore.

Once removed, you can more easily deep-clean the pores with the AHAs/BHAs recommended above.

Make sure you find an esthetician that is experienced in extraction; you don’t want untrained hands on your skin to make matters worse!

Extraction is not a cure for blackheads/filaments, as the pores will usually refill themselves after extraction. However, it is a nice treat when you can look at your blackhead-free nose right after.

If you plan to self-extract to get rid of blackheads naturally (which is not recommended, but most people can’t resist, me included) make sure you do it properly to avoid peeling, scarring or infection.

Skin and hands should be well cleansed. Apply a warm face cloth to the area to soften the skin first. Apply gentle pressure to the area you want to extract and don’t use your nails – they can tear your skin, increase the risk of infection and/or leave a scar!

If you can, find a blackhead extracting tool (pictured above). These are great for getting at blackheads in those hard to reach areas (like the spot on the outside of your nostril).

Again, if you’re going to use a blackhead extractor, apply gentle pressure to avoid tearing the skin. If the gunk you are targeting doesn’t come out with gentle pressure – DROP THE EXTRACTOR AND STEP AWAY.

You can find a variety of videos on extraction using this tool on YouTube. Warning, they are super gross!

Looking for a more gentle way to get rid of blackheads naturally? Try the oil cleansing method. I go through this method in more detail here, which involves using an oil-based cleanser to latch onto oil and blackheads for clearer skin.

I know it sounds crazy, but check out the details in my linked post first to find out why it works before you skip it. I also provide 15 great oil cleansers to browse to get you started.

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6. Pore Strips

I’m not a fan of pore strips to get rid of blackheads, but undoubtedly many people still use them.

Pore strips are a quick fix for blackheads. When applied to the area, they work like clay masks to suck out sebum from the pores when peeled away, but they only really work of the blackhead is sticking out above the surface of the skin.

While effective, pore strips also rip away some skin when you remove them. This can cause skin peeling or irritation and allow more gunk to get into your pores, so beware!

I don’t use pore strips anymore, as they are the best way to naturally get rid of blackheads, but it is gratifying to see all the crap they remove and are great the night before an event you would like to attend blackhead-free (just be careful – they can be irritating for dry/sensitive skin!).

I’ve tried the BIORE Pore strips for face, 8 Count and they work well, but don’t use them too often.

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How do you prefer to get rid of blackheads naturally?