‘Blackheads’ – sound like a scary face monster, don’t they. Actually, we like to think of blackheads as rather interesting things, a totally natural result of cell processes and hormone activity. We’re a big fan of celebrating imperfections, but we also understand blackheads are not who you want stealing your thunder. The good news is, the appearance of these troublesome hangers-on can be reduced by choosing the right products and getting into some good face care habits. We’ll share some of our troublesome skin wisdom and help you feel like you’re becoming a skin-whisperer – with a complexion that feels refreshed, cleaner and clearer.
Pores that contain hairs and sebaceous glands are in fact all over our body, but blackheads are mostly on our face because there’s the higher concentration of sebaceous (oil) glands around our t-zone (forehead, nose and chin). Blackheads sometimes pop up on our chest, neck and bum too. Cheeky! Sebum (oil) lubricates our skin and keeps it healthy, but sometimes we produce extra sebum, which stretches the pore so it appears larger than normal and creates a fertile environment for blackhead formation.
Our lovely hormones control how much sebum we produce, and it may be no surprise that at puberty, it’s very normal for sebum production to go up 500%. It’s just nature doing its incredible thing. Stress, menstruation and pregnancy can also affect our hormones and sebum production. So, if you experience more blackheads around this time, don’t worry, it’s a very normal fluctuation in the natural processes in your body.
Ready to learn the gentle art of blackhead negotiation? Reducing the appearance of blackheads might be a more enjoyable process than you imagined. You can try these tips on their own or together as a kind of blackhead whispering ritual.
Get a nice big towel and a big bowl of steaming water or fill up your sink with hot water. Take care not to touch or splash very hot water. Then put your face over the steaming water, pop the towel over your head to keep the steam around your face, taking care it’s not too hot. Do this for 5-20 minutes and your pores will open up and start to release the blackheads.
As if tip 1 wasn’t enough fun, this next method using our handy little innovative Blackhead Remover to negotiate with your blackheads. First up, always make sure you either steam your face with a bowl of water for at least 5 minutes or pop a hot flannel over your face for a few minutes. This softens your skin and helps open your pores and extract the blackheaded plug. Ready? Now the super fun bit. Take the Blackhead Remover, a metal tool with a small hoop at the end, make sure it’s clean by washing with soapy water, then pop the hoop around a blackhead and press. Pop! The blackhead should just slip out in a super-satisfying way and you can wipe away with a cotton pad or tissue.
And now for the grand finale. Our Himalayan Charcoal Purifying Glow Mask. We can’t sing this tingling vegan clay mask’s praises enough – packed with bamboo charcoal from the Himalayan foothills and inspired by Ayurvedic traditions. Fortunately you lot do that for us! Perfect for using after a face steam or just on its own after you’ve cleansed your skin. Leave it on for 10 minutes. Being super absorbent it helps draw out excess oil and impurities, helping to leave your face feeling fresh and looking more radiant.
Jump in a nice warm shower and splash luke warm water over your face to help open your pores. Or a sink of warm water and a clean Muslin Cloth over your face for a minute or so will do the trick too. (Be careful not to use hot hot water.)
Next up our delightful Tea Tree Skin Clearing Facial Wash, squirt into your hands and run over your damp face, it foams immediately and cleanses blemished skin gently without overdrying. Wash off and pat your skin dry.
Now for a cooling wipe over with our Tea Tree Toner on a cotton pad, this helps remove impurities and excess oil.
Blemished skin needs to be moisturised just like all other skin types, the best way to do this and help prevent blackheads is to use our Tea Tree Daily Anti-Imperfection Solution. Massage 2-3 drops of this clever little lightweight pre-serum over your face, and it will help your skin feel smoother and healthier.
"I never knew the real reason for a toner until I used this product. I use it after washing my face with The Body Shop tea tree cleanser and it leaves my skin feeling so smooth and clean."
– Ruksadhil
About Tea Tree Skin Clearing Mattifying Toner
