Everybody has some sort of embarrassing obsession, and mine is pore purging. Whenever I'm stressed, pushing blackheads out of my pores always calms me. (Sick, I know.) Since the bacteria on fingers can exacerbate acne, I bought Sephora's double loop extractor ($16) to help me get the gunk out cleanly.
The double-ended, stainless steel, made-in-Germany tool is meant to help with both blackheads and whiteheads. The thin, narrow loop is for oozing whiteheads, while the wider one is for digging out blackheads. For at least 30 minutes last night, I alternated between the two, giddily cleaning out my pores. This sucker helps you declog everything, and with a little help from a magnifying mirror, I was even able to get rid of blackheads on my earlobes. Delightfully gross. For instructions on doing this at home, read more.
If you are similarly afflicted with this need to purge, here's what to do. Extract the blackheads after a shower, or prepare the comedones by placing a damp, warm washcloth on your skin. Then, apply gentle pressure on the clogged pores; don't force it, or you can cause redness and/or scarring. And don't even think about trying this with cystic acne, as it won't work. Clean the tool with alcohol after each use, and wipe skin with an alcohol-free toner or witch hazel when you're through. With regular use, you'll be able to improve the look of your pores — but be warned, doing so can lead to a mildly pathetic quasiaddiction.
Victoria Couture
Roksanda Ilincic
Mishumo
I would seriously not stop using it. I'm like that with tweezers, too - I just tweeze everything!
1I need one of these. I have a weird obsession with trying to get gunk out of my pores. I'd probably become obsessed with this and use it like an hour each day
2OMG, I'm not alone then. I do this every now and then. It is addicting!
3I really want one of these! I have a major blackhead issue on my nose. Does it hurt?
4I have one, but I've never tried squeezing anything- too scared. Plus, my dermatologist has scolded me for picking and I promised I wouldn't poke around anymore.
5OhmeetsBK, it shouldn't hurt. If it does, I'd think you were pressing too hard.
6I have this exact tool and love it! My problem areas are little bumps around my nose and on my chin and this works so well. I agree though, it is definitely addictive.
7I heart my extractor. But I got mine really cheap at Walmart. Still works great!
8I have one and it ROCKS!
9I've never thought about doing this (still not sure how it works) but I do have problem areas, especially my nose...
10I completely forgot that I wanted to get one. Thanks for the reminder.
11I totally do this all the time. The best is after a shower or after exfoliating... they come out so easily! And no scars or redness afterwards either. I figure, if my esthetician does it... why can't I do it for myself? Just have to remember to be gentle.
12Hmmm... this seems like a good investment.
13I've had 2 different versions of this thing. It works very well, just leaves a little circle wherever you used it. It goes away quickly though :- )
14Whoa. I could see myself getting very easily addicted to this tool. Might be better than my current method of squeezing the crap out of them, though.
15I'm buying one RIGHT NOW. Haha I've made kind of a lot of spur-of-the-moment beauty purchases in response to Bella's recommendations - but they've all proven to be good ones!
16i have seen those, but
17do they really work?
i always have trouble
in my nose.
bella... so funny. loved the article since i'm pretty obsessed myself.
18I'm obsessed w/mine too...I got mine @ walmart for $3
19Does this work on those annoying blackheads that always seem to be under the skin on your nose (or at least my nose!)? I've tried squeezing but I can't get them to go away and those dang pore strips don't really help either. On a similar note has anyone tried that new vibrating blackhead remover from Clean and Clear?
20OMG, I love my extractor! It feels so good to get my pores nice and clean.
21OO I love doing this, I am nuts. A good way of prepping is a honey mask. Weird, I know. However, it really does work. You take 2 tablespoons of honey and warm it in the microwave for 5 seconds (seriously, just 5 seconds else it will be way too hot to handle). Then spread this over your face and let sit for 10-15 minutes. After rining with cold water, all of blackheads are sitting on the surface of your skin, because the honey essentially hardens them and draws them out of your skin. Then, the extractor does the rest. I do this at least one a week, my guilty pleasure.
22ooh lovelie thanks for the tip! I have an insane amount of blackheads coverig my nose that never go away unless they're extracted. I used to get regular facials back home but here in the states they're insanely expensive, so I've been thinking of trying to do them myself. With these tips I'm off to a good start!
23I have one of these too, not from Sephora but it looks exactly the same. I've always been a picker, so when I saw one of these in the drugstore I thought it looked like the perfect tool to torture myself with. I was surprised that it didn't really hurt that much (unless you're trying it on a painful whitehead)and it does an AMAZING job. I make quick work of it by running it along my cheekbones (where I get blackheads) and over my nose.
24I'll have to try the honey mask trick!!
25i have seen these forever, and i just can't figure out how they are to be used. i'm probably just over-thinking it, but i really need to find a tutorial!
26I am totally buying one of these! I don't have much problems with blackheads or whiteheads but my husband does. And I am obsessed with squeezing his! LOL.
27I dont get how it works. Do you place the tool so that the blackhead/whitehead is in the center of the circle and just press down? I would love to get this, but have no clue how to use it.
28I love mine, but I won't lie...if you use on a sensitive area (nose, cheekbone, etc.), no matter how gently you press, it's going to hurt like hell!!
29Lisa, you can do it just like that, or sometimes I will also gently pull the tool along my skin to bring up plugs. I can't wait to go home and do it tonight. (Sadly, I'm not exaggerating.)
30OMG Bella you must have been reading my mind on this thing... I just searched this site for a tutorial like 2 days ago but couldn't find one!! I really want to get one but I don't get how it works... can't find any videos online or anything either. I just don't get it! Do you think it would be too embarrassing to make a video of yourself using it?
31thanks so so much bella! i am ordering one now
32Lol... I really thought I was alone. I'm obsessed with de-gunking my pores. If I stay at my boyfriend's house I go crazy because I can't exfoliate! I love this tool... genius!
33omg! this and a lighted magnified mirror - its on like donkey kong! seriously one of my most treasured tools!
34I have one and its great
35WARNING people!!
I too was sucked into the addiction of the extractor. I was so happily grossed out to push all the gunk out of the pores on my nose.
HOWEVER...I regret ever using it. My nose is now scarred with deep looking pores. Before, my pores were clogged but invisible. Now, they are huge and still clogged. The extractor should really only be used by a trained professional. I really regret ever using this thing. I never used to be self conscious about my pores or nose, now it's a struggle to even cover them up.
36I LOVE this, I have used it for years. I have the sephora one, and a cheap one from WalMart. I hate to say this, but the one from WalMart is actually much better, in my book. I prefer it.
I use this on my nose, and on whiteheads that look "ready." It really speeds up their healing process. It is important to not be too rough with it, or get carried away, because it can scar (learned the hard way).
One of my favorite things is when my husband lets me extract the blackheads on his nose. Heaven! (So romantic, too!
)
37So, I've never used this method because the curved sections are rigid. I mean, what if your thing doesn't cooperate with the sizing? Too big or small?
Anyway, if you have really precise tweezers, it's possible to grab the plug with the pointy tips and pull the whole thing out. It does no pore or skin damage. What's crazy is you can feel the length of the plug as it's removed. Yeah, weird. It's probably best left to plugs that are super ready to go, I wouldn't recommend trying to coax one out that isn't ready.
Like so many of us who find joy in picking at ourselves, I even pluck my underarm hair. weird.
38I have one of these and I am so obsessed with it. Nothing is better than cleaning out my pores. *sigh*
Just be sure you don't use excess pressure and make sure you clean it with alcohol everytime you use it. Also, make sure your face and hands are clean. Makes a big difference.
39I use a hairpin for this (the smaller, flexible kind - not the hard ones) - I don't get big blackheads on my face anymore, but when I do it is so satisfying to clear them out. Sometimes I get them on my back and then my husband gets to "mash it" - he LOVES it. But he has perfect skin so he never has any blackheads, darn him.
My 2 cents about whiteheads - when they're on the large side, I find that piercing them does more than squeezing. Sterilize a straight pin (I dip it in rubbing alcohol) and just poke a hole in the "head." Then the gunk can get out and the inflammation goes down faster.
40This is one of my favorite bizarre beauty rituals.
41OK, I seriously stopped by Sephora on my way home from work (ended up with much more in my shopping bag than I'd intended
) and got one of these -- and THANK GOODNESS. I showed my husband my treasures when I got
home, and he said oh, I just use your bobby pins.
EW!!!
42i think it's so weird and great to read all these comments and to find out that so so many ladies tweeze and pick- like, a Lot. i'm not an underarm tweezer, but just below my belly button, yes. my eyebrows are impeccable because i can't handle even one little tiny bit of hair. and i am going to walmart straight from work to get one of these things- if there's one thing i want, its a radically clean, small-pored complexion!
43oh my goodness, they used that on me when i went to the dermatologist yesterday plus some other stuff. it was called 'acne surgery', it hurt so bad, i was kinda tearing up. but i definitely would like to buy one (: after all, beauty is pain.
44I have one of these and totally love it. Although I find my skin breaks out less if I pick at it less, including using this doohickey. But for those times you can't stand NOT to get the gunk out, this tool is totally worth the money.
45hm. i just use tweezers for my blackheads, squeeze the clogged pore with tweezers and the blackhead gunk will come out like how piss does when you pop a pimple.
46I seriously grabbed one of these, plus some
, at Sephora
today. Bella you have started a serious addiction...
47Bella! hahaha This story made my day haha I am OBSESSED with degunking my blackheads on my nose.. I sit for 30 minutes at a time looking for pores to "clean" out haha and it's so grossly satisfying when I'm done hahaha I feel so much better knowing i'm not alone.. and I never thought about the bacteria on my fingers so I will def pick up one of these tools!! Thanks for the info on how to use
48ok, once, i started at midnight like 'just the ones that gunk up around the sides of the nose', yeah right i ended up going nuts with this thing and went to sleep at 3 am. the next day i was so red and raw. i over did it but it hurt so good.
49hahaha o wow... yeah it definitely "hurts so good", good way to put it haha it provides a sense of accomplishment when you finally get those hard to reach ones on the side of the nose.. hahaha
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