I talked about these a bit in my article on how to get rid of blackheads, but I think it is worth spending a little more time talking about how to use a blackhead removal tool.

Let's face it. While everyone tells you not to pop zits and touch your face and just leave it alone, most of us pick. And pick and pick at our faces. And sometimes it just doesn't matter what else you try, using a blackhead extractor is the only way to finally get rid of blackheads that are buried deep in your pores.

If you really want to remove blackheads without wasting time and money, get a blackhead extractor. Biore strips and masks and exfoliating usually works fine for new blackheads, but for those ones that just refuse to go away because they've run a mile into your skin, you want one of these babies. They will pull all of the blackhead gunk right out of there.

You can buy a blackhead removal tool at any drugstore, Walmart, Target, etc. Or just order one on Amazon. They are quite cheap. Should cost you less than $10. They are also referred to as comedone extractors, since comedone is the fancy name for blackhead & whiteheads, etc.

So let's talk about how to do it the right way without leaving scars on your face or making your skin worse. Also, using a blackhead remover can hurt a bit on places like your nose, but if you do this right, it really shouldn't hurt that much and you should get fewer blackheads in the future, which means you don't need to use the tool as much.

Before you go prying at your skin with a piece of metal, there's a few steps you need to take that will prepare your face for extractions. You need to open your pores and loosen up the blackheads first and you want to make sure that you don't create infection or re-clog your pores.

So first things first, wash your hands really well. Then wash your face with a mild non-drying cleanser and exfoliate your skin.

Your next step is the most important. You want to steam your face. While you can probably get away with just keeping a really hot face cloth on your face for a few minutes, it is best to actually go to the effort here. So put the kettle on and once the water boils, fill a bowl with the boiled water. Grab a towel and drape it over your head and lower your face over the steaming water. Not too close though! You don't want to scald.

Stick with the steaming for at least 5 minutes. How long you keep going after that is up to you. Try up to 10 minutes.

Next it's time to get out the blackhead removal tool. If you have a magnified mirror, that should help you see what you are doing. Also, be sure to have some cotton balls with alcohol on hand, or some alcohol swabs. I swab the tool as well before I use it.

Now you are going to press the metal loop down over your blackhead and then PRESS. Yes, it hurts. Owww! Oh look at all that gunk. Gross. Works though, don't it? :)

If you are pressing and pressing and nothing is coming out, let up. That blackhead isn't ready to come out yet. You can hurt your skin by pressing too hard. Leave it for next time.

After you finish your extractions, you want to swab your pores with the alcohol. This will close up your pores and reduce any changes of bacteria getting into your pores.