Effective Ways to Prevent Blackheads

Those annoying blackheads that appear on your face are not a problem that only happens to teenagers. They can appear at any age because they are just an accumulation of grease or dead cells, which close up skin pores. Because of pollution in the environment, those closed pores take on a dark color, which causes pimples or blackheads.
Effective Ways to Prevent Blackheads
Karla Henríquez

Written and verified by the doctor Karla Henríquez.

Last update: 09 October, 2022

In order to prevent these problems, there are some very simple tips that you can put into practice right now and learn how to prevent blackheads from coming back.

Wash your face to prevent blackheads

Woman drying her face with a towel

This is the most effective and simple way to prevent blackheads on your face: wash it everyday with warm water and a good antibacterial soap. It is important to keep in mind that after exercising and sweating, you should take a warm shower, so that your face is free of any bacteria that could cause the appearance of a blackhead.

Wash off makeup

Any kind of makeup that you use, as well as creams, sun blocks, bronzers, and lotions, can cause your pores to close up. Eventually, this will cause the appearance of those annoying blackheads.

Therefore, it’s very important to clean your face very well before bed. Also use a special cream to remove makeup.

You should wash your face very well with the antibacterial soap that we mentioned before. You can also use a special lotion to clean your face. Apply this gently and in circles with a clean cloth or a cotton ball.

We recommend:

Homemade Makeup Remover for Sensitive Skin

Protecting creams

Woman applying a face mask

Your skin is completely exposed to pollution in the environment. That’s why it is a good idea to apply creams that can effectively protect your face against some factors that are inevitably found in the air.

A good protecting cream can be a natural sandalwood based one. It has great moisturizing properties, as well as being germicidal; that can be a huge help when there are pollutants.

Use facial masks

There are some masks that are very effective for deep cleaning. This benefits your face amazingly because they prevent any kind of impurities from forming on your face. 

You can apply the masks two or three times a week and they can be very simple. Just applying honey and let it sit for twenty minutes before removing it with warm water.

Another highly recommended mask to remove and prevent blackheads is mixing yogurt with grated orange skin. Apply it to your face and let it on for ten minutes. Rinse with plenty of cold water after.

Exfoliate your skin with oats

Oats

Make a mixture of oats with rose water and gently massage it on your face. Let it sit for five minutes. Rinse it first with warm water and then cold. In this way, you will remove pre-existing blackheads.


All cited sources were thoroughly reviewed by our team to ensure their quality, reliability, currency, and validity. The bibliography of this article was considered reliable and of academic or scientific accuracy.


  • Habif TP. Acne, rosacea, and related disorders. In: Habif TP, ed. Clinical Dermatology. 6th ed. Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier; 2016:chap 7.
  • Titus S, Hodge J., “Diagnosis and treatment of acne”, Am Fam Physician. 2012 Oct 15;86(8):734-40.
  • Matiz G et al. “[Effectiveness of antimicrobial formulations for acne based on orange (Citrus sinensis) and sweet basil (Ocimum basilicum L) essential oils]”, Biomedica. 2012 Jan-Mar;32(1):125-33.
  • Russel M. Walters et al. “Cleansing Formulations That Respect Skin Barrier Integrity”, Dermatology Research and Practice, Volume 2012, Article ID 495917, 9 pages
  • Alexandrescu DT et al. “Effect of treatment with a colloidal oatmeal lotion on the acneform eruption induced by epidermal growth factor receptor and multiple tyrosine-kinase inhibitors”, Clin Exp Dermatol. 2007 Jan;32(1):71-4. Epub 2006 Oct 11.

This text is provided for informational purposes only and does not replace consultation with a professional. If in doubt, consult your specialist.