The 10 Best Blackhead Removers

For blackheads that keep coming back, the Paula's Choice BHA Exfoliant goes after the cause. Its salicylic acid dissolves in oil, so it slips into a pore and loosens the plug. A Cleveland Clinic dermatologist calls this acid her first choice for blackheads. You swipe it on after washing and leave it on, and it has no fragrance. Change comes over weeks, and it can sting or dry skin at first, so start every other day.

Differin Gel holds adapalene, a retinoid that once needed a prescription and is now sold over the counter. It speeds up how fast skin sheds, which keeps dead cells from packing into pores and forming new blackheads. A pea-size dab covers the face once a day. Expect dryness, flaking and sometimes a few extra breakouts early on, and the full effect can take about three months. Wear sunscreen during the day while you use it.

When you want a clearer nose before a night out, Bioré Original Pore Strips work in one sitting. You wet your nose, press a strip on, let it dry stiff for about ten minutes, then peel it off, and the gunk comes away with it. The effect is short-lived, since pores fill up again, and the adhesive can redden or irritate thin skin. Bioré says to use them no more than once a week.

A steady hand and a little patience are what the Tweezerman Whitehead and Blackhead Remover asks for. It's a stainless steel tool with a wire loop at one end and a fine point at the other. Pressed gently around a softened blackhead, the loop lifts the plug out. Wipe it with alcohol before and after every use. Pushing too hard can bruise or scar skin, and dermatologists prefer to do extractions themselves.

A rinse-off mask suits people who would rather not leave acid on all day, and The Ordinary Salicylic Acid Masque pairs that acid with charcoal and clay to soak up oil. You spread it on dry skin, wait about ten minutes and wash it off. The formula has no alcohol and no oil. It can sting or redden sensitive skin, so try it on a small patch first and keep it to a couple of nights a week.

People who can't stand the sting of a pore strip can try the Hero Mighty Patch Nose. It's a soft, nose-shaped gel sticker you wear for several hours or overnight while it soaks up oil and gunk from the surface, turning white as it fills. It peels off without ripping at skin. It won't pull out deep, hardened plugs, though, and each patch is used once, so a box goes quickly.

Mixing a low dose of salicylic acid with three acids that clear away dead skin, the Neutrogena Stubborn Blackheads Serum works on the surface and inside the pore at once. It's a light gel you smooth on once a day after washing, and the formula skips fragrance, oil and dyes. It can burn or tingle, mostly when stacked with other acids or a retinoid, so ease in slowly.

On a tight budget, the St. Ives Green Tea Scrub adds a little salicylic acid to a face wash, with ground bamboo for grit. You massage it over wet skin and rinse, and it's oil-free. Because the acid is rinsed away within a minute, it does less than a treatment left on the skin. A gritty scrub used every day can scratch and dry out a face, so a few times a week is plenty.

The JPNK Comedone Extractor Kit packs six stainless steel tools into a snap-shut case: loops, a lancet, a needle and tweezers. It's a cheap way to have the right shape for the nose, chin and back. Sanitize each piece before and after use, and skip anything red, swollen or broken. Thin tips can bend with hard use, and the needle and lancet are for careful hands, since a slip can leave a scar.

Short on time in the morning? The Medicube Zero Pore Mask from the Korean skin care brand dries in about three minutes, then rinses off. It blends three kinds of exfoliating acid with clays that pull oil from the surface, and the maker says it skips alcohol. Clay can leave dry skin feeling tight, so it suits oily faces best.