First off, when use using any tool like this it is a good idea to get yourself a good magnifying mirror. Mine is 12X. The amount of stuff I get out of my pores with this thing is amazing, because with the mirror I can actually see what's coming out. This tool works better than any cheap one I have bought too, perhaps because of the shape. I am lucky that you can't see my blackheads if you met me, but you can sure see them with this mirror. This tool gets rid of them and I don't even have to press very hard. Then again, I have never used a tweezerman product that has not been great.

I had tried one of these a decade ago and never got the hang of it. My blackheads have steadily gotten worse and I used to (carefully) squeeze them with my fingers. I saw one of these on a clearance rack and decided to give it another try. With a little practice and a magnifying mirror, I got the hang of it and am astounded at the number of smaller blackheads I can now get with little or no evidence of redness to my skin. It's like a miracle! I just wish I had been more patient 10 years ago continued >>

This product caused my small blackheads to turn in to big red raging spots! i am never using it again, i have chucked it in the bin. Do not buy it! such a waste of money. I was so excited for it, thinking that finally i would have better skin, but how wrong was I! Very disappointing.

Got it at Target for about 20 bucks and also purchased a good magnifying mirror. I think that is the key because with the magnifying mirror you can really see where even the smallest blackheads are, and surprisingly, sometimes those small ones produce the most gunk. Good light is really important as well. I prefer natural light from sitting near a window, like one of the other reviewers said.
So, (just like all the other reviews) the biggest tip I can think of for using this...**always clean the tool with alcohol before and after** and as the sebum begins to come out onto the tool, I wipe it away with a paper towel and dip the tool in alcohol again as not to contaminate other pores. The last thing you want to do is infect a pore that you just forced open that may be a little damaged. Sometimes, I will wipe a little alcohol over the area after I've just cleaned to make sure no residual gunk is left behind.
Start slow and be patient. Like everyone says, best time for me has been after a shower when skin is clean and pliable. I think this type of thing would be very bad for dry skin because it seems like it would damage it.
If you spot a larger blackhead, try it on that at first to get an idea of how your skin reacts. If nothing comes out, try a different angle. Sometimes going at it from a downward or upward angle will make the blackhead just pop right out. Sometimes I put the loop thing right over it and it comes out, but sometimes all the little pores around it start to pop instead, particularly on my nose.
I have to press pretty hard on some areas, and my skin will be red for about 15 minutes, but if for some reason you have tried a few different angles and nothing is happening, give up. If it's not time for it to come out, then you will just make it worse, Come back to it a few days later and try again and it most likely will work. I usually do the process every 2 weeks.
I've used this for the past few months and my cousin said she noticed a difference in my skin. I feel like I have less blemishes in general because of it.
I've gotten one or two infected type pimples right after using it, but that's nothing compared to the amount of pores its cleaned and opened.
Just keep the tool as clean as possible and be patient. It's terrific once you get the hang of it!

I am not into salon/spa facials, prefer to do it all myself, and this extractor is awesome. I exfoliate, steam, and then use this. Very effective at getting pores clean.

I have tried "knock off" versions of this, at cheaper prices but they didn't really impress me. After reading rave reviews I thought I may as well give this a shot! I have a fair amount of blackheads on my nose and a few on my chin (ick), that no matter what products/techniques I used they wouldn't really budge. In fact, the only way I could get some of the sebum gunk of was to use my (clean) fingertips and squeeze, which I wouldn't recommend as it's not good for your skin at all or a bobby pin (the rounded end). Neither of those are ideal though.


This was just over $20 for me at a drugstore and I must say I was slightly put off by the price... I usually use this only after showering or having a bath to "open" up my pores, it does seem to work easier that way! The key to this product is being patient; I got frustrated because not all of my pores would magically or easily squeeze out the gunk. I guess some is just not ready, and if you push to much you could really damage your skin.


There are different techniques to use this tool, some work better then others but it depends on the person - experiment to find what works for you! I actually like the "whitehead extractor side (flat/spoon like) for zits. Instead of using my fingers, which again can be damaging, I will press firmly but gently so the zit is inside the hole part, and usually that will pop it with minimal effort or pain. (hopefully that made sense haha)


Overall I think it's an okay product, and I will use it until I find something better if that exist. For the price I did expect a little more of a miracle worker, but it still does make extracting blackheads a bit easy and safer.

I really like this little instrument because it helped me to reduce the huge amount of tiny little blackheads on my nose. Even my husband noticed immediately how clean my nose looked.
Here is how I used it: First of all I take a really long shower or hot bath to open up the pores and use an aspirin and honey mask on my face while I'm sitting in the bathtub for about 20 Min. Then I wash my face and step out of the bathroom to sit close to the window so I have very good light to see exactly where the blackheads are "sitting". The next step is to disinfect the tool with alcohol and to slightly press it over the affected arreas. Because the aspirin has opened up the pores so well the gunk easily comes out. As a result my pores are clean and only a little redness can be seen. I definitely recommend to take a long shower and use an aspirin mask beforehand because once I tried it without doing so and I ended up with no results but red skin.

i think it is misleading information to say that this tool is used for whiteheads because whiteheads are also known as closed comedones (skin color). actually, this tool can be used only for open comedones (with white or black head showing off) and i find it great for that. so i dont use anymore my hands to squeeze such a pimple. as opposite to what you do with hands, this tool does not damage the skin, and cleans out completely the pore. however, it does not work on blackheads for me. i use it only for pimpels which show off a white head and that does not happen very often

I got a knock-off of this (Sally Hansen/La Cross) for ONE DOLLAR at Big Lots. The shape is the exact same.

The key to this style of extractor is steaming - a lot. This style of extractor will NOT work without it. If you are just beginning, I would look into an extractor with a spoon style loop on each end. It's harder to bruise the skin as all you do to remove the sebum is press lightly. If it's not coming out on the first or second try - leave it be.

That said, it's a great tool if you know what you're doing. What I do is steam my face (10 minutes to begin and then increments of 2 minutes at a time in between areas). You have to be patient. You can use the tool in multiple ways (like a simple light press and drag for a pore close to the surface or a slightly more pressured drag along the nostrils from several directions).

Just take it slow and experiment with light pressure. Great tool!

works wonders, I think I have had my blackheads stuck around my face since grade 9, and this thing got a lottt of it out! =DDD can be quite painful the first time, well since I have small but stubborn blackheads/pores. make sure you hot compress/steam and cleanse your face first tho! I like the flat end the best even if it's just for blackheads supposedly, the other end is okay, but kinda harsh for me. I like the grip too. Got it from shopper's drug mart for $16 total, could've gotten it at the tweezerman store for $11, but I couldn't get there =( also remember to sterilize it (before, during, after)!!!!!

When I use it, sometimes I may have to drag it at different angles before the stuff comes out. usually dragging downwards is enough, but it depends. you may have to switch angles and do it sideways or from bottom-up. and don't press too hard! if it doesn't come out the first time, move on and then try again later =)

have fun!