Still using nose pore strips? Here’s why you should stop using them

DEAR DREAMERS

Who doesn’t love watching nose pore strip videos? I know I do and there’s nothing quite as satisfying as watching it live in action on your own nose. However, you are making a grave mistake! What you think are blackheads getting stripped off might not actually be blackheads but something your skin needs!

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I’ve always thought that nose pore strips work way better than other products promising to get rid of blackheads because just by looking at nose pore strips, you can see all that “gunk” on the strip. However, have you ever felt that your nose feels quite dry after a good ol’ nose pore stripping?

Here’s why. What you think are blackheads might not be blackheads at all but are actually sebaceous filaments which are made of sebum and dead skin cells. Blackheads, a form of acne, are clogged pores that turn black upon meeting air, thereby oxidizing sebum. Sebaceous filaments looking grayish in color so if, like me, you were unaware of what sebaceous filaments are then it’s natural that you would mistake these for blackheads.

Why you should stop using nose pore strips

So, why should you ditch nose pore strips? Although nose pore strips can remove some blackheads, it cannot treat nor removed the root of the blackheads and in turn, it only strips your pores of its sebaceous filaments. Once your pores lose its natural oils, it will work overtime to replace your natural oils (this is actually why I prefer using cleansing oils even though I have really oily skin.

Apart from making your skin oilier by stripping too much natural oils, using pore strips can stretch your pores and these don’t go back to normal. A stretched pore leads to more buildup and bigger blackheads. Yikes! No wonder I’ve always had the nagging feeling that my nose pores look slightly bigger than before I started using them. Good thing that I stopped my regular use of nose pore strips since a few years back. The damage has been done but at least I’ve stopped while it’s not too late.

What can you use to get rid of blackheads?

If your nose pore strips are bad for you, what can you do to zap those blackheads? According to klog, “the safest and most effective way is by using chemical exfoliators like BHA’s.” However, I prefer using natural exfoliators. I recently discovered Althea’s A’bloom BHA Blackhead Blaster which uses natural BHA. It was because of this product that led me to discover all about sebaceous filaments which led me to ultimately ditching my stashed nose pore strips (sorry, not sorry). As a breastfeeding mom, I prefer using organic scrubs and exfoliators.

Why BHA?

BHA or beta hydroxy/salicylic acid works by cleaning the surface of your skin and inside your pores, which means it helps in preventing blackheads by keeping the surface of your skin clean while cleaning clogged pores. It also has natural skin-calming properties.

So the next time you see a blackhead or two pop up, ditch the nose pore strip and opt for an exfoliant that also treats your pore instead which is exactly what Althea’s A’bloom BHA Blackhead Blaster does. It uses both an exfoliant (white willow, a natural BHA) and a physical exfoliator (apricot seeds) which is gentle on the skin while absorbing dirt (charcoal). It also contains tea tree oil to prevent future blackheads and to calm the skin. You can read my full review on my A’bloom BHA Blackhead Blaster review.

Nose pore strips are a band-aid solution which doesn't address the root cause of your blackheads. If your sebaceous filaments bother you that much, there ways to reduce the appearance of sebaceous filaments and that's by addressing the cause of why your oil glands may be overproducing oil such as consuming too much oily food.