How to Treat Blackheads Naturally at Home

Blackheads are a type of acne that appear on the skin due to clogged hair follicles. Our skin has hair follicles, which contain one hair and a sebaceous gland that secretes oil called sebum. The sebum helps to keep the skin soft. When dead skin cells, bacteria’s and oils accumulate in the opening of the skin follicles, the oil gets oxidised on exposure with air that makes it look black, thus it is called a blackhead. Sebum contains melanin, a pigment. It is the same substance that gives skin its color. Melanin turns dark (oxidizes) when exposed to air. Let’s have a look at a few natural home remedies for blackheads.

Lemon - Blackheads develops due to clogging of dead skin and oil in the hair follicles of the skin. Lemon juice contains alpha-hydroxyl acid (AHA), beta hydroxy acids and citric acid, which naturally removes dead skin and excessive oil making it perfect for unstopping clogged pores. Also, vitamin C in the lemon juice is anti-oxidant and stimulates collagen production to improve skin health and reduce scarring from acne.

Cinnamon - Cinnamon contains cinnamaldehyde and proanthocyanidins, which are known for their antibacterial properties. These ingredients act against acne-causing bacteria like P. acnes and S. epidermis. By removing these bacteria from the skin, cinnamon prevents the clogging of the skin pores and reduces the inflammation and increased sebum production caused by these microbes. Further, cinnamaldehyde is known to have anti-oxidant properties which protect the skin by removing harmful oxidants produced by dust collected in the pores. By removing these harmful free radicals, cinnamon can prevent further damage to the sebaceous follicles and the proteins of the skin.In addition, ground cinnamon or cinnamon powder can provide a microdermabrasion effect on the skin by sloughing off the top layer of dirt formed by sebum, bacteria and dead skin cells. This exfoliation is provided by the fine fiber of cinnamon powder which is capable of cleansing the skin and exposing a new layer of healthy skin.

Turmeric - Turmeric contains curcumin which is known for its anti-oxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. Antioxidants scavenge on free radicals responsible for causing cell death thereby slow down cell damage. As clogging of dead skin is one of the prime reason fpr blackheads, by slowing down skin cell death curcumin helps in reducing blackheads. Besides, curcumin, copper, zinc, vitamin C, etc. present in turmeric also act as anti-oxidants thereby helps in reducing blackheads by lowering cell damage/death. Further, turmeric contains copper which supports normal skin pigmentation thereby it helps in reducing pigmentation caused by blackheads and even out skin tone and helps to diminish wrinkles.

Ranjan P. is a blogger and a online marketer. He love to write on health and fitness category. He can be found on Twitter @padhi_ranjan