Ways to remove stubborn blackheads

When I was in secondary school, I had pimples and blackheads. I didnt know how to remove them so my mom ended up pressing them out for me.
As I had little knowledge about stuff like that, I just let my mom remove them every week. Before I know it, the pores on my nose became really huge and deep.
Coz of that, more dust and dirt which sticks on my oily nose tend to accumulate in the pores. And now, I have this what people known as "strawberry nose"

It's really depressing, even make up couldn't cover them.
I thought there was no way of returning the elasticity of the pores. I had tried many products including nose strips, pore minimizing toner and all but nothing seems to work.

Then only I realize, this is a battle of hardwork and patience. It can't be achieved in few days, but takes months of maintenance.
The trick is you havta show some effort on your face everyday, not just relying on nose strips during the weekend.
So now I'm gonna share the products that i use right now in attempt to remove the blackheads and return the pores to normal size.

1) Removing make up
Usually, I only apply sunblock and concealer on my face to college. I felt like there was no need in using a make up remover to remove my make up everyday as it is not thick.
This is where i was wrong. Even sunblock gets into the pores right? And sunblock is actually water resistant which means washing your face doesn't actually remove them.
Therefore, I suggest using make up remover every night before washing your face. You can use a water based make up remover so that it is not harsh on your face but cleanse relatively well.

eg: Bifesta make up remover which I reviewed here. I actually using the range for dull skin now. Not oily at all! Love it!

2) Cleansing
This is the easiest and most important part. Don't be lazy and wash only with water. Imagine all the dust which are on your face after a long day out! Therefore I make it a point to wash my face right after returning home from college.

The cleanser I recommend:

Etude house AC clinic daily Acne Foam Cleanser

My favourite cleanser! I use this when I had acne last time. It worked really well in controlling sebum production. On top of that, It doesn't dry up the skin or makes the skin tight after washing.
Love this a lot and had been recommending it to my friends and family with acne problem.
The only problem was, when your face is oily and you wash it with this, the bubbles miraculously disappear and you had to apply more to cleanse it.
I don't really know why, but even if the bubbles are gone, it still manage to leave the skin feeling clean after washing. But I do suggest adding extra cleanser to make sure the face is really clean.


Etude house Baking powder pore cleansing foam

Bought this the other day. I found this really good! It's now my 2nd favourite cleanser now. It has minute baking powder which dissolves in contact with water. As it is pore cleansing foam, I felt like it really gets in deep into the pores to remove the impurities. Plus, It creates rich foam which consist of really tiny bubbles that penetrates into the pores better.
It doesn't have the disappearing bubble problem therefore I use this after college when my face is really oily and the acne cleanser in the morning when it is not really oily.
Will do a review on this along with the acne cleanser when I have time.

3) Exfoliating
Choose a gently scrub for daily exfoliating. Cleansing is not enough as dead skin constantly build up.
I love exfoliating! It leaves the skin really smooth~ but remember only use daily scrub if you plan to exfoliate daily so that you wont over do it and injure your skin.

What I use for exfoliating are:

Olay PRO x

Got this in Taiwan for a relatively cheap price with free extra brush!

Favourite exfoliating agent! Use this everyday with my cleanser and occasionally with the exfoliating cleanser they provide which doubles the cleansing effect! It also massages the skin.

Ginvera marvel gel

Used this before I got the Olay PRO x. Doesn't remove dark spots, but it does remove make up residue. It is really mild and gentle therefore daily use is okay for the skin.

Etude house magic bubble peeling wash

Haven tried this, it was on sale the other day. Got it for less than half the price? :D

NRK Konjac mild peeling gel

This is actually sort of like the Ginvera marvel gel. But is like harder to rub off and might cause a little peeling if you rub too hard. So i suggest using this only once a week or something.

St Ives Bright skin apricot scrub

These are a little harsh for the skin. The granules are very huge. But great when you feel like your skin is really dirty and coated with dead skin.

Biore pore strips
Daiso Pore strips

Daiso pore strips has more adhesive property. Pore strips and great in removing black heads but only superficially.

Therefore I went to buy this:

Sexy Look blackhead pore set

 Got this in a buy 1 free 1 promotion in Taiwan :D

This is how it looks like:

*

*

*
*
*

I know it looks ugly. lol~ nobody looks good in facial masks -.-

These are great as it is in a gel mask form which can adapt better to the skin and removes blackheads more effectively especially those areas of nose folds where nose strips always fail to remove. And it smell exactly like the strawberry yogurt I use to eat! Yum~
It even comes with softening serum and pore minimizing serum to close up the pores.

4) Toner
I'm still yet to find a good pore minimizing toner. Mean while still using Etude house wonder pore toner. You can read the review here.

Toner containing alcohol is good for minimizing the pores but not suitable for sensitive and dry skin. Prolonged used will coz thickening of skin too therefore daily exfoliation is crucial.

5) Make up base/ primer
To prevent make up residue clogging the pores, use a primer or make up base. There acts as a protective layer.
I using Rimmel fix and perfect pro primer which also smoothens my skin and makes foundation application much easier.

I'm still trying to minimize the pores and remove the blackheads. It takes time as the pores were already there for a long time. Hopefully this help you guys in choosing the correct products which suits you the most.

Thank for reading~~ xoxo!