Whiteheads are part of acne because they clog pores just like blackheads and pimples. So the big question here is how to get rid of whiteheads?  Let us, first of all, know what exactly is a whitehead. The sebaceous oil glands are responsible for producing oil to keep your skin moisturized. But when the gland secrets excess of sebum such as during teenage period or due to hormonal imbalance, oil gets traps in the pores along with dead cells and dirt. This blocked oil wells into a white pustule known as a whitehead. Whiteheads are quite common for girls with highly oily skin. Apart from oily skin, the hormonal changes in pregnant women and teenagers also cause whiteheads.

Whiteheads generally appear on cheekbone, nose and chin area. The best way to get rid of them naturally is to follow a good skin care routine. In this article we will put light on how to get rid of whiteheads with the help of home remedies as mentioned below:

Preventive Measure

The first and foremost part are to prevent your these whiteheads from occurring. Here’s few preventive measures:

1. Before Touching Your Face Ensure That Its Clean And Washed

Avoid touching your acne, blackheads and whitehead because the germs or bacteria on your hands may aggravate the whitehead issues. Always ensure that you wash your hand with an antibacterial soap.

2. Make A Habit Of Cleaning Your Face Twice A Day

Use a good cleanser to clean your face in the morning and once at the night. It will minimise your chances of dirt and oil building up against the pores. Always pat your face with the towel gently. Avoid rubbing. Pick a cleanser with salicylic acid or alpha hydroxy acids to avoid getting whiteheads or acne.

3. Exfoliate Your Face Once In A Week

Scrub your face gently with a good scrubber according to the skin type. Exfoliating helps in removing the dead cells that are responsible for clogging pores. For the proper exfoliating process, follow the steps:

• Boil water and just when it is boiling, take off the pot from the stove and place it gently near you. Cover your head with a towel and lean to let the steam come on to your face. Steam for 5-9 minutes. Steaming helps in opening the clogged pores and makes it very easy to scrub the face.
• Rinse your skin with lukewarm water. You can use skin toner to immediately close the pores. Wrap the cotton cloth around few ice cubes and rub it gently all over the face to quickly close the pores.
• If you are not comfortable with steam, you can dip the towel in the warm water and squeeze it. Gently press the towel on your face. Repeat the process few times to feel the warmth all the face. This will open up your pores.
• You can also make an exfoliating product at home instead of using the one from the market. You can use curd and oatmeal mix and make it as an effective exfoliant.

4. Moisturiser

Both exfoliating and washing can keep your skin clean, supple and silky but at the same time both can leave it dry. Therefore, applying moisturiser keeps your skin well hydrated and soft. Dry skin is quite susceptible to the whiteheads and applying moisturiser on the face is a good option irrespective of what type of skin you may have. We highly recommend the moisturiser which is oil-free and contains salicylic acid.

5. Face Mask

Another way to prevent whiteheads is to apply an effective face mask. You may use clay face mask. It is used for removing dead cells. If you are finding it hard to get clay mask, then a thick homemade paste of water and baking soda can work as well. Apply the mixture all over your face and allow it to dry. Wash it afterwards and you will see the reduction in whiteheads all over the face.

6. Avoid Wearing Makeup To Bed

Makeup contributes to the occurrence of blackheads, whiteheads and acne by clogging the pores. Remove your makeup every night with a cleansing milk or a simple baby oil. Wash before sleeping and let your skin breathe the freshness.

How to Get Rid of Whiteheads?

1. Manually

Though it is recommended that you should not remove the whiteheads manually because it can lead to scarring and infection of the skin. However, if you still want to remove them at home, try to follow the below-mentioned steps with care:

• Start by washing your hands with an antiseptic soap.
• In order to remove whiteheads, first, open the skin pores. For this follow the steps as mentioned in the process of steaming.
• Take an extractor and sanitize the tip of it using alcohol because the tip is used for extracting the whiteheads. Position it on the whitehead and squeeze softly until the sebum is completely out. Avoid putting force on your skin if the Whitehead fails to extract easily. Forcing can lead to infection and scarring.
• Once you are done, wash your face and hands and rub ice cubes on the area affected with whiteheads. This act as a toner and also prevents the infection.

2. Medication

If you are still facing the issue of whiteheads, you can remove them by Benzoyl peroxide. The medicine absorbs oil and kills bacteria effectively. Leave the medication on your face for almost 5-10 mins before applying moisturizer. Benzoyl peroxide may cause redness, itchiness on few tries. If still, the whiteheads do not go away, it confirms that your skin is allergic to the acid. The only option that remains with you is to visit a dermatologist and check for the alternative medicine to get rid of whiteheads. There are few more acids such as salicylic acids, alpha hydroxyl acids and benzoyl peroxide which are recommended for the removal of whiteheads and acne. Use a cleanser and other facial products containing these acids.

3. Avoid Oil Based Products

When you choose moisturizer, cleanser, beauty products and make sure, make sure you use water based products than the oil-based. The oil based products end up aggravating whiteheads/pimples/blackheads due to excess oil in the pores. So, stick to water based products to get rid of whiteheads.

4. Stay Natural

Too much of makeup can ruin your face skin so avoid makeup whenever you get the chance. The products end up clogging pores which can lead to acne and whiteheads.

Few Home Remedies To Get Rid Of Acne And Whiteheads At Home

• Drink 8 to10 glasses of purified water every day. This helps in flushing out the toxins and further detoxify the entire digestive system and your skin. Water also keep your body and skin well hydrated and less susceptible to acne and other types of skin conditions.
• East vegetables and fruits in abundance. Include the diet full of rich Vitamin E and A in the diet to stay healthy and to keep your system clean and well nourished.
• Gently rub lemon on the face. The lemon juice has anti-bacterial properties and mildly acidic in nature. This would help in removing whiteheads and opening pores.
• Exercise regularly: Exercise gives out lots of sweating and remove excess oil from the body. It also helps in oxygenating the skin to keep it healthy and firm.
• Make sure you change your pillows and bed sheets frequently. This will prevent your skin from bacterias responsible for aggravating skin issues including whiteheads.
• Wash your hair in a timely manner because natural oil from hair can come on your face and cause whiteheads and pimples. Clean hair will prevent your face to get whiteheads.