The medical term for a blackhead is called an open comedo. A comedo consists of a widened hair follicle filled with a blackened mass of skin debris, bacteria, and an oil called sebum. A closed comedo is a whitehead.

Blackheads are the first stage of acne and a blackhead can turn into a pimple. They are most common with people that have oily skin. Blackheads start becoming a problem during puberty and they are most commonly a problem on your nose, chin and forehead.

I remember when I was young, watching my mother boil water and then sit at the kitchen table with a towel over her head, wondering what in the world she was doing. This became a favorite way for me to open up the pores on my face as well.

I would suggest that you clean your face well, boil water in a large pot, (let is cool for about 5 minutes), and cover your head with a towel as you lean over and let the steam hit your face for about 10 minutes and that will allow your pores to open up before you use one of the home remedies below.

There are several home remedies to help get rid of blackheads, these are just a few.

There are 2 over the counter items that you can purchase to help get rid of blackheads. The first is benzoyl peroxide, which will help dry up oily sebum. The second is salicylic acid which removes dead skin cells before they combine with sebum to clog pores. These would be two products that you could use together to fight your blackhead problem.

Honey is a natural moisturizer and can be used as a mask for 20 minutes. Mixing it with cinnamon will help break down the sebum.

I read that you can use baking soda and lemon juice and you can also add cinnamon to this as well. The only problem with this is that I read that it burns and itches.

Of course, you can always go to your local pharmacy and purchase pore strips. I think the last time I looked, a box was around $8.99. I used them when they first came out, but they dried my skin up and I chose to not continue with them.

There are many other home remedies for blackheads, these are just a few. Skin care is a necessity that helps prevent skin conditions that can be painful and/or bothersome.