Can toothpaste get rid of blackheads? My friend says it does. I want to try it.
Janean J., Kansas
Your friend isn’t the only person who claims that toothpaste gets rid of blackheads. Others have said toothpaste clears up pimples. It might work for you, or it might give you a rash.
White toothpaste usually has both peroxide and baking soda. These ingredients can treat acne. But toothpaste can also dry out your skin too much.
Instead of using toothpaste to zap a zit, there are lots of other home remedies that are gentle on your face. For example, if you have aspirin at home, it contains salicylic acid. Lots of acne medication is based on salicylic acid. This ingredient helps get rid of dead skin and clear out pores.
Grind up an aspirin tablet into powder. Then add water to make a paste. Dab that on your blackheads to make them go away. You can exfoliate with a paste of baking soda and water, too.
Eye drops take the redness out of your eyes. Put a drop on a zit to soothe the inflammation. Raw honey will do the same thing, but you’ll need to rinse it off after a few minutes. Even ice can shrink an irritated pimple.
You can read about other home remedies to get rid of acne here: https://www.tipsbulletin.com/how-to-get-rid-of-pimples-fast/ Toothpaste isn’t the best treatment, but there are lots of other things you can try.