Many people try desperate measures to get rid of facial blemishes. Does toothpaste get rid of it? Let us find out, from the following article.
Late into my teenage years, I found my beautiful, blemish-free skin become a hot spot for acne and blackheads. I tried every trick in the book to get rid of it, which I assumed led to those ugly pimples. Blackheads are known as open comedones medically. They are usually black in color and sometimes appear as a yellow bump on the skin. They are made up of keratin and sebum. It is usually made by excessive oil accumulation in the duct of sebaceous glands. The sebum gets oxidized after coming in contact with air and turns into a dark color. The clogged hair follicles reflect light and thus, it appears black in color. So, how much ever you try to scrub your face, they never seem to go away. If you ask around for some useful home remedies, you may be advised to use a toothpaste. Let’s find out by reading through the following paragraphs.
How to Get Rid of Blackheads Using Toothpaste
I was advised by a friend who vouched that toothpaste helps. So, that night, I rushed to the bathroom, used the toothpaste for a simple task for which it was originally made for, i.e., brush my teeth. After my teeth were sparkling clean, I applied a small amount of toothpaste on my blackheads. With an old, unused toothbrush I gently scrubbed the blackhead area for about 5 minutes. Then, I allowed the toothpaste to dry off and went to sleep with toothpaste smeared over my face. Next morning, I washed off my face with a gentle, exfoliating cleanser. I examined myself in the mirror and found a little difference in the appearance. I gently pinched my skin surrounding the area and applied pressure underneath it. Then using an extractor tool, I was able to force the dried blackhead out.
Does Toothpaste Really Help?
The answer is a ‘Yes’ as well as a ‘No’. The toothpaste cannot help remove the blackheads that are superficially embedded in the skin pores. I had to use an extractor tool to force the blackhead out, even after application of toothpaste. All the toothpaste could do was dry out and reduce the swelling to some extent. Thus, it did help in a little way, but had no definitive role in getting rid of them.
Home Remedies to Get Rid of Blackheads
There are quite a few blackhead removal home remedies that may help in getting rid of them. You can try applying freshly squeezed lemon juice over your blackheads. The acidity helps in removing the excess oil in the area and reduces blackhead appearance. You can take orange peels and mix it with little water. Make a thick paste out of the orange peel and water and apply it on the blackheads overnight. There is another remedy that requires use of toothpaste. You need to wash your face with warm water, so that your pores open up. Then, take a washcloth and saturate it with almond oil or olive oil. To the same cloth, apply a little toothpaste and gently rub the toothpaste over the nose with the oily cloth. Massage the toothpaste and oil into the whole face and after about 5 minutes, wash off your face with warm water. Pat dry with a soft towel. Washing your face with concentrated salt water also helps as salt aids in scrubbing out the blackheads from the pores. You even get pore strips that are useful in clearing these zits from your face.
There is no conclusive proof to help us know if toothpaste does help in a major way. It does dry off the blackhead and reduces the swelling around it, but other than that, it does not make much of a difference. For me, it had not made any major difference. So, you can try it out if you wish, maybe it would do wonders to your blackhead problems.
