Bye, bye blackheads: 3 home remedies to clear clogged pores

While tiny in size, blackheads can have a major impact on your skin confidence. As a result of congested pores and hair follicles, blackheads can often be found dotting your nose, chin, and forehead and like their pimple cousins, can be a major eye-sore. Fortunately, a few blackhead-busting hacks require only a few household ingredients. Use these three all-natural remedies to say ‘bye, bye, blackheads’ for good.

1. Lemons: when it comes to natural beauty remedies, lemons are a powerful and versatile fruit. The astringent properties in lemon juice are said to have antiseptic qualities that may kill acne-causing bacteria. Because of its high concentration of vitamin C, lemon juice can purportedly reduce redness and inflammation and help lighten leftover acne scars. To use lemon juice as an antidote to blackheads, combine equal parts freshly-squeezed lemon juice and water on a cotton pad and apply to affected areas. Follow up with a moisturizer as lemon juice is known to dry out the skin.

2. Manuka honey: in addition to its immune system-boosting properties, Manuka honey is a powerful antibacterial and skin-safe ingredient. When applied to the skin, Manuka honey’s antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory properties are said to fight and destroy bacteria. To apply the super-honey as a mask, combine it with equal parts of full-fat Greek yogurt and 1-2 drops of tea tree oil and leave it on for 20 minutes. You can also apply a tiny amount of the honey and use it as an all-natural spot treatment.

3. Baking soda: a commonplace but mighty kitchen ingredient, baking soda can be used as an exfoliant to remove dirt, oil and dead skin cells. According to Dr. Dane from Reader’s Digest, baking soda “helps to neutralize any pH imbalance your skin may have.” To use baking soda as a blackhead buster, mix equal parts of water and baking soda to create a paste, massage the paste onto the affected areas, and then rinse the mixture off. Follow up with a moisturizer and sunscreen.