Oil cleansing method to get rid of blackheads

[SarahVaughter]

Blackheads consist of oily sebum. It is impossible to dissolve sebum with water. Not even soap will dissolve it. Oils can however dissolve it!

   - Steam your face to open up your pores or do it at the end of a hot bath.

   

  - Pour some oil of your choice (test several to find the best working one for you)  into a cup and warm it "au-bain-Marie" (place the cup inside a pan of hot water), we need nicely warm oil. If you have a product with salicylic acid, add it to the oil.

   

  - Apply a lot of oil to your face and massage it in for 10-15 minutes or longer.

   

  - Wet a clean cloth with warm water and start wiping the oil off to loosen up the pore plugs that are now very soft.

   

  - If you are still too oily, clean the skin with a product that you normally use to clean your skin.

   

  - If your skin is very tough, you can use Scotch tape (wipe the oil off first) to pull the plugs out. Do it very gently. No abrupt movements with the tape.  Do not use a tape if you are on Accutane or have very sensitive or thin skin.

   

  - Rinse your face with very cold water to close the pores.

   

  The best product to use for this method is an ointment with salicylic acid. Salicylic acid penetrates the pores. Make it liquid in the microwave but pour it into a cup first because any metal in a microwave causes fire and can damage the microwave. Salicylic acid is oil-soluble and it will add to the dissolving ability of the oil to unclog the pores. Such ointments are sold for psoriasis or callus foot heels.

   

  Oil cleansing method may cause breakouts in some individuals. You have to test it.

 

  Repeated use is necessary to fully unclog the pores and maintenance is necessary.

If you clean your pores, they may slightly shrink in size.

Salicylic acid is the best for acne and blackheads-prone skin because it has a comedolyitic (de-clogging) effect. It penetrates the pores and disrupts the sebum that plugs them. There is a popular myth that blackheads consist of dirt and they are caused by poor hygiene. Blackheads are in fact a mixture of sebum (oily substance produced by sebaceous glands inside the pore) and keratin (a tough, protective protein in the outer layer of the skin). The dark color of blackheads is due to accumulated melanin pigment deposition. Melanin is a pigment normally present in the skin, making up our skin color. The blackheads are only pigmented at the tip.

  To get rid of blackheads, you have to soften the keratin-sebum mixture. It is not an easy task. Keratin is very strong and tough material. In combination with oily sebum, it basically forms "glue" that plugs the pore. Keratolytics are substances that soften keratin. Salicylic acid is a keratolytic. Prolonged exposure to warm water also softens keratin however, oily sebum repulses water, and moreover you cannot dissolve the plugs with water or soap.

 Salicylic acid is oil-soluble (contrary to glycolic acid and other Alpha Hydroxy Acids) and therefore can penetrate the oily pore and soften the plug. Prolonged contact with the skin is needed. Cleaning the skin with a product containing salicylic acid is good but not enough. Every now and then, you have to apply a higher percentage of salicylic acid, massage it into the pores and leave it on the skin for an hour or longer.

[Swan]

Hi sarah

can this also method work for non blackhead acne??? such as whiteheads or cysts???

[Swan]

Just to clarify:

I mean can the oil cleansing method help to PREVENT whiteheads and pimples forming, not just blackheads???

thanks!

[SarahVaughter]

Acne is more or less caused by excessive sebum production and blocked pores. Keeping pores clean should help reducing acne but once acne forms, it is not very likely that the oil method would help reducing existing acne.

  When you are acne-prone, make sure that all the oil used during the oil cleansing method is removed from your face when you finish.

[kazia]

Thanks for the information given cleansing have always been the remedy for treating blackheads especially that women are exposed to some dirt's that may cause to blackheads . A cleansing moisturizer can be an alternative remedy like I'm using now to get rid of blackheads breakout.

[Aeris]

If I keep up with this daily, will the oil cleansing process remove blackheads on it's own, or just loosen them for me to extract them manually?? I've been using a mixture of 1/2 olive oil, 1/2 jojoba oil, and a few drops of tea tree oil and rosehip seed. Is there a different oil or combination that you would recommend? (I have blackheads, whiteheads, and mature/sun damaged skin.)
Thank you

[SarahVaughter]

You can use it daily but I am afraid this frequency may lead to breakouts.
 
Our Tretinoin cream prevents the formation of blackheads and it keeps acne under control but it makes the skin dry so you have to moisturize a lot.
 
You can for example try using Tretinoin twice or three times a week and the oil method once a week.
 
No, I do not think it matters what kind of oil you use but you should add salicylic acid.

[FuturePerfect]

OMG Sarah! You are a wealth of great information!

When I started dermarolling. I was on a quest to take care of myself eating right and take care of my health and skin. I started dermarolling and oil cleansing method (OCM) around the same time (beginning of May 2013). Prior to dermarolling and OCM, I started using Tazorac around Feb 2013 with little success, but for real effect, it should take many months. Anyhow, when I started dermarolling, OCM, Tazorac, facial serums (with ingredients such as vitamin C, Vitamin B3, l-carnosine. l-carnitine, l-glutathione and Super Oxide dismutase and DMAE). I really see improvement. I cannot say that one of these solely responsible to the improvement, since I didn't do a scientific test with a control and introduce one factor at a time. But, I theorize that OCM really responsible for pores size reduction. I never dermaroll my nose and I've washed and used serum on my nose without seeing any changes in pore size until I started OCM. My nose is the place where I can deduce that OCM really works at pore size reduction due to unclogging of oily sebum by performing OCM.

First I tried mixture of castor oil and olive oil. I found out that my skin really doesn't like olive oil, as I would get a few small acne afterward. So, I tried mixture of castor oil and coconut oil. My skin likes this combination but the coconut oil keeps solidifying and make it hard to dispense. So currently I'm using mixture of castor oil and grape seed oil, and this combination really works for me. My skin loves it, but I like to wash my face afterward with facial wash with salicylic acid. After 5 months of doing, it really helps with my pore size. And, I can tell that the texture and discoloration of my skin really improve because of dermarolling, Tazorac and facial serums. I will give an update with pic on my skin condition after 6 months of dermarolling.

Lastly, thank you for hosting this site and the great products especially the microneedling tools.

[SarahVaughter]

Thank you very much for describing your experience!