For many women and men, a clear face from birth till old age is not possible. One of the most common culprits for that is blackheads. While these are not inherently harmful to skin or health, it does ruin how one looks and ultimately their confidence. So, they try to look for ways to get rid of them, and there are methods available for that.
In essence, blackheads appear when the natural oils in the skin start clogging up the pores. After that, the oil becomes hard and resembles a minuscule black dot. Generally, many people also call it sebum. To get rid of this, people use tricks like exfoliating regularly. More often than not, this does remove the black dots easily.
However, a lot of people look for quicker ways to get rid of blackheads. For this, they use things with a sticky surface like duct tape instead. These pull out the blackheads from the pores and leave the skin clear.
The steps you must follow to remove blackheads using duct tape are as follows:
1. Splash water
The first step to using this technique of blackhead removal is to use water to splash your face. The moisture would soften up the pores and skin, and make the next steps easier.
2. Use a face wash
Next, take a dime-sized portion of your face wash and lather it between your hands. Then, please put it on the skin at the places where the blackheads are more in number.
Of course, you must choose the right kind of face wash for this. Some products contain around 2-3% of salicylic acid. For the best outcome, check the label and select one such type of product.
3. Massage the region
When you are done applying the face wash onto the skin, you must massage the region well. Make sure not to do this harshly though; instead do it gently, but thoroughly.
Also, make sure to take some time with this activity. This time is essential because when you massage the area with the face wash, the soap can seep into the pores better. Furthermore, do not limit the area only at the points where the blackheads are visible but the surrounding region.
4. Wash your face
After that, take a lot of water and splash it on your face, again. This time, it would wash away all the excess soap from your face.
5. Towel dry your face
After washing your face, you need to dry it well. For this, use a soft and dry towel and dab it gently all over your face until your entire face is dry. However, make sure not to overdo this activity. If you rub too hard, that would hurt your skin pores and may also irritate the skin overall.
6. Cut duct tape pieces
Next, get a roll of duct tape and start cutting pieces of the tape. Of course, only cut out as much as is necessary. As for the shape of the pieces, strips of them would work for your task at hand. These strips would cover the areas where the blackheads reside on your face. So, cut strips that are long and thick, but not too much of it.
7. Place the strips correctly
After you have collected the strips, one by one place them on the specific regions. Take your time if you have to. You need to put the strips carefully at the right spots and leave a little bit of the end unpasted. For the rest of each strip, use your finger to rub it onto the skin. It must completely stick to the skin but do this particular step gently. Repeat this for all of the strips, if you used them in more than one place.
8. Put the strips off
Last but not least, you need to pull each of the strips off of your skin. Keep a slow pace to this part of the task, and use both of your hands.
Please take one of your hands and place it on the area surrounding the strip. Then, use your index finger and thumb to pull back the skin, on both sides of the tape. As a result, it would not pain you too much when you pull the strip off.
After that, use the other hand and quickly pull the strip off using the up-pasted end. Repeat the same for all of the strips and do it quickly. After all of them are removed, you would notice clear blackhead-free skin.
Do blackheads really go away using duct tapes?
Indeed, there are lots of beauty gurus and social media influencers who swear by using duct tape. After all, the item is readily available at everyone’s house, and the steps are simple. In theory, as well as practice, this is effective.
However, medical professionals do not wholly agree with this usage. Indeed, the adhesive in the duct tape can cause skin problems when a person uses it regularly. If you are practising this method, you must do so carefully and follow the steps accurately.
Conclusion
Using duct tape is an easy method to efficiently and smoothly get rid of blackheads in the skin. However, it is not the best method available; and thus, is not highly recommended. Yet, when you do try it, you should attempt all the steps mentioned here and do them cautiously. Also, contacting a dermatologist beforehand would help you know more about the right safety precautions and other alternatives.