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The Best Tools For At-Home Extractions — Plus Tips From The Queen Of Facials Herself
You’ve been told not to touch blemishes on your face, but let's face it: Often, the temptation can feel impossible to resist, and you wind up doing it anyway. In other words? If you're going to extract your own blemishes, you might as well learn how to do it properly. For expert guidance, Bustle spoke with celebrity esthetician Renée Rouleau, who shares her insights on the best comedone extractors and how to do DIY extractions safely, ahead.
To start, Rouleau recommends doing extractions immediately after a shower, when your skin temperature has been raised. “This will soften the hardened oil within the pore, making for easier extractions," she explains. Cleanse your skin using a gentle exfoliating cleanser (like Rouleau's AHA/BHA Blemish Control Cleanser) to remove surface dead skin cells, which will make purging the congested pore easier. As a trained professional, Rouleau uses her fingers to do extractions, but says a tool can make it easier for someone who isn’t as confident with their skills. After doing extractions, avoid using acid-based products for at least 24 hours, and always sanitize your tools before and after putting them anywhere near your face.
Keep in mind that there are some blemishes you shouldn’t touch, Rouleau cautions. “If you have a cyst, the infection will not come up to the surface. It will stay deep within the skin until the body eventually re-absorbs it.” In other words, if the pimple hasn't come to a head, hands off!
With that in mind, scroll on to shop the best pimple popping tools and blackhead removers you can buy on Amazon.
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1The Overall Best Comedone Extractor
This double-sided, stainless steel extractor from Tweezerman is designed to gently squeeze out blackheads and whiteheads without digging into skin. Constructed with a textured body to prevent slipping and small loops for precise blackhead removal, it doesn't have any sharp edges, so it's a good choice for beginners. And, like all Tweezerman's high quality tools, this should last you a lifetime if cared for properly.
Before and after using this extractor, be sure to clean it by wiping it down with alcohol and/or washing it with antibacterial soap and hot water. The same goes for every other tool featured on this list.
2The Best Blackhead Tweezers
Blackhead tweezers are another type of tool you can use to unclog particularly congested pores — and they tend to be a bit gentler, since they don't require any excavating or digging. Use them to press down on either side of the blackhead and grab the emerging sebum to gently pull it all out. These are handy for ingrown hairs, too.
3The Best Comedone Extractor Kit
For the more advanced at-home facialist, this six-piece set by Anjou is a worthy investment. It contains all the tools you'd ever need to extract any type of blemish, including a pair of precision tweezers, and even comes with a handy carrying case to keep everything protected and germ-free. You can buy the tools in three colors — rose gold, silver, and black — all made with stainless steel and designed with slip-proof handles.
4The Best Vacuum Blackhead Extractor
As its name suggests, the LAXCARE blackhead vacuum uses suction to suck the sebum and dead skin out of your pores just like a vacuum. It has has four different speed/power settings, comes with four interchangeable heads, and is handily rechargeable via USB. Impressively, it has a 4.8-star overall rating on Amazon, with over 90% of customers having given it a perfect five-star review.
5The Best Skin Spatula
One last comedone extractor/blackhead remover tool for your consideration: a skin scrubber, also known as a skin spatula. This clever tool gently exfoliates the outermost layer of dead skin and, with a little bit of pressure, can actually push out blackheads and scrape them all up. It has over 500 perfect five-star reviews from satisfied users, many of whom have noted that it works particularly well on the nose area.
Expert:
Renée Rouleau, celebrity esthetician and founder of Renee Rouleau Skincare.
