how do I rid myself of open pores and blackheads?

[Ifancyanewname]

Can anyone recommend any tips, should I be squeezing my blackheads to get rid of them? My skin is slightly oily. I hate my open pores on my nose, am I destined to have them for life or will they go with a bit of work?

OCM!

I have to second the OCM. I did it for years religiously and then for some reason, stopped. I don't know I stopped why as my skin was amazing during the period when I was doing the OCM, people would comment on it.

But I have noticed since stopping that I have developed open pores and am more spotty and my skin doesn't have that OCM 'glow'. I have started again this week and already see a difference in the quality of my skin.

Fyi I have dry skin, but no dry patches, and use 3/4 avocado and 1/4 castor oil.

Yup, OCM.

dare I ask what OCM is

I think it's Oil Cleansing Method - don't know how to do it though!

What's OCM?

I also like neutrogena pink grapefruit cleansing wash or cleansing cream. Seems to be rid of mine! I have used OCM too and agree that will also work. I am just lazy and like to be able to quickly wash my face in the shower!

Whatever you do, do not squeez, it leaves an open hole which will fill again and go deeper.. Vicious circle. I use l'Occitane's products, their milk rice line is fantastic for oily skins.

I did have a go at the OCM about a year ago but then found I didnt really have time to do the routine and ended up just wiping my face with a flannel day after day because I was too afraid to use anything on it!! I must dig out the castor oil again and remind myself how to do it. Does the OCM help with removing blackheads?

OCM doesn't seem rational to me. The skin has no sensors in which it is told to produce more/less oil depending on what is applied topically. As far as I am aware oil production is down to androgens.

I use the big guns: Clarisonic for cleansing, glycolic acid for treatment. I sometimes use that Neutrogena pink grapefruit cleansing cream that butterflylady mentioned. That+a good scrub with a flannel should help.

OCM - the castor oil does draw out the blackheads very well. It's an ingredient in a lot of mainstream cleansers. I've recently begun to use rosehip oil as well - massage in after cleansing - use in place of a moisturiser - and that helps with blackheads and enlarged pores as well

I use Clinique Pore Minimiser cream to cover them up. It works really well but probably is just superficial. Not noticed it making pores any worse though but I use a hot flannel with cream cleanser before bed.

What about those Biore nose strips to drag the blackheads out?

Anything with salicylic acid in. La Roche Posay Efflaclar astringent lotion is effective, or any of the Effaclar range. Effaclar Duo really helps mine. They've all got salicylic acid in. I also do a 10% home salicylic acid peel once a week from Bravura.

I tried Glycolic before, and it's not as good at de-clogging pores. Am waiting for Paula's Choice 2% Salicylic lotion to arrive, that's supposed to be very effective too.

Aspirin has salicylic acid. A couple of times I've applied a couple of dispersible aspirins to my face as a mask which does leave your skin really soft and may have slightly improved my pores.

I'm waiting for the rosehip oil to arrive as I've heard that it's amazing for pores! Though mine have been a lot better since I've been using Stila oil free foundation and tinted moisturiser :)

Manuka honey face scrub

Elemis pro/marine cream.

Clinique youth surge at night on top of rosehip oil.

I used to have really open pores on my face, now nothing.

I use Nutrogena pink grapefruit scrub as a weekly mask. It has a lot of salicylic acid in it and makes me look like I've been sunburnt but within a few hours my skin looks much smoother and fresher.

Caveat - am pretty sure you're not meant to leave it on your face like that, don't leave it on for more than a couple of minutes while you rinse your hair or whatever.

Tooth, can you expand on using dispersable aspirins? do you mix them with water? if so, with how much?

Just a teaspoon or two of water I suppose - just enough to make them dissolve.

I've ground them up in a pestle and mortar before and then added the water. I've also mixed them with natural yoghurt which works as well.

Like I say, not sure there is a massive difference to my pores but god it makes my skin soft. I leave it on about fifteen minutes - it tingles a bit.

Google aspirin face mask for more details. Like I say, I've only done it a few times but it does make your skin feel nice and I think it may have helped pores a little (and a pack of dispersible aspirin only costs 30p!)

Thank you for that, i will give it a go over the weekend :-)

I use hot cloth cleanser (the No 7 works for me), with Elemis papaya enzyme peel every so often. Works well, but the blackheads are all back the next day (so maybe it doesn't work well after all!).

Blackheads - hot flannel and a gentle squeeze with finger wrapped in tissue.

Open pores - pores are pores, I am not convinced anything shrinks them.

I don't do ocm everyday, i use olive oil only followed by a mix of almond and coconut as moisteriser.

Most of the time i just wipe with a wet sponge then use rose water on a cotton pad and moisterise.

Which moisturiser do people use? I get my skin ok-ish, then it's an oily, blackheady slick as soon as I moisturise!