6 Beauty Experts Share Their Best Blackhead Techniques

You are not alone—everybody gets blackheads! The secret's out. And the experts have spoken: One of the best ways to keep blackheads at bay is to maintain a regular skincare regimen, especially at night and even more especially if you wear makeup. While blackheads can be a natural occurrence affected by what we eat or our genetics, clogged pores can exacerbate them. "We all get blackheads, but some more than others depending on their skin type. The only way to prevent them is by getting rid of buildup within the pores," said Cecilia Wong, celebrity facialist and founder of Cecilia Wong Skincare. Here, we spoke to four estheticians and one makeup artist on their insider tips for treating and preventing blackheads. Behold their tried and true pearls of wisdom:

"The best way to do this is by washing your face daily, especially at night. Never go to bed with makeup on! When you take good care of your skin, dirt, germs and bacteria are less likely to linger within the pores," Wong said.

Pro tip: don’t let clay mask dry, especially in the winter! It will leech too much moisture from your skin. Keep the mask wet by periodically spritzing with a little spray bottle of filtered water (Plug likes to hang on to a hydrosol or rose water bottle when it runs out and upcycle it for this purpose in particular. Plug recommends Laurel Whole Plant Organics detox mask or Evan Healy pink clay for sensitive skin.

For scrubs, Brady loves Acure’s Brightening Facial Scrub or Cocovit’s Besan + Turmeric Polishing Grains. She recommends following these with an AHA/BHA treatment, like Juice Beauty’s Green Apple Peel Sensitive (or Full Strength for brave beauties), or Goldfaden MD’s Fresh A Peel Multi-Acid Resurfacing Peel.

Denno swears by the Clear line from True Botanicals, and the oil from Jenette All natural skincare. You may also want to try double cleansing, which includes using both an oil-based and water-based cleanser—a skin-clearing step borrowed from the famous 10-step Korean beauty regimen.

First, don't. Try to resist! (You can do it.) "You'll never walk away from a picking session and think 'I just did a great thing for my body,'" Plug said. Every expert mentioned that it's best to leave it to the professionals to prevent scarring and additional inflammation. But if you're going to go there, Wong recommends the following steps:

If you're looking for more on acne, check out the incredible effects evening primrose had on one woman's hormonal breakouts, plus the best face oils for acne-prone skin.