Stephanie Montes

<p>It wasn't until the age of 25, when I received a writing assignment about hair color, that I got the highlights I'd always dreamed of. I strutted right out of the salon, ribbons of honey and auburn flowing, and never felt cooler. However, I never went back to retouch my new look. The upkeep was a lot for me. I switched my entire haircare routine to color-safe products and invested in some really expensive hair masks to keep my locks healthy. Although my highlights were subtle, my natural hair is so dark that the coloring process had caused some stripping. Those streaks felt a bit drier and more brittle than the rest of my hair (Mom was right!). </p>

<p>Afraid to put my strands through even more damage, I let them grow out so far that they eventually fell into a really pretty ombr. Then, after several trims, I was back to my virgin hair. I learned to love my dark hue, especially swimming in a sea of women in Los Angeles who colored religiously. But, I can't lie: A head of dimensionless brown strands gets boring after a while. That's why, four years later, I jumped at the chance to add semi-permanent highlights while leaving my virgin hair in tact.</p>

<p>Sounds impossible, right? Here's the secret: I-tip extensions. </p>

<p>I wore some extensions on my wedding day, but it wasn't until a meeting with the wig brand  <a href="https://www.bellamihair.com/" id="6f0906fc-bf0a-36ff-a9c5-492a2cd75b97">  Bellami </a>  that I thought about using them for highlights. Sitting with  , Bellami's head of education and hair extensions specialist, I learned that extensions can add color with zero damage to your hair.</p>

Before (left) and after (right) I-tip application. You can see theres more of a light ombr at my ends.

<p>"When lightening hair, youre removing natural pigments, which can lead to dry, damaged, and dull strands, Lewis says. What's more, on naturally dark brown hair like mine, it can be tough to achieve your target color. That means multiple salon visits and potentially more wear and tear on your hair. Thats where extensions come in. </p>

<p>"Using extensions gives you the ability to add color without chemically altering your natural hair," Lewis says. "There's no commitment to color whatsoever. Plus, you have the target color right in front of you. No surprisesjust beautifully blended hair thats ready to be applied."</p>

<p><a href="https://www.bellamiprofessional.com/collections/professional-i-tips-hair-extensions" id="ed8d798d-ff9a-3e04-ae42-fdb5253e0df2">  I-tip extensions </a> start at $105, and they look like a wisp of your own hair, but with a copper bead on one end. They're installed by looping each bead onto a few strands of your own hair, then set in place using a clamp (it looks like tiny pliers).</p>

<p>Bellami is a premium extensions brand, but you can find countless others from beauty-supply stores. Some other brands include <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Satin-Strands-Casablanca-Human-Extensions/dp/B004AGFA96" id="364f11ef-6115-3fa7-a147-c82266a4668a">  Satin Strands </a> , <a href="https://www.haircouture.com/clips" id="ad032cef-4dca-3e1a-a99b-190cb922288c">  Hair Couture </a> , and <a href="https://www.sallybeauty.com/brands/hairtensity/" id="30d9d01a-24ba-3c82-a9f7-de309d2130fc">  Hairtensity </a> . I liked Bellami's extensions because they have copper beads lined with a protective silicone that prevent snagging, pulling, or tearing.</p>

<p>When installed properly, they last up to six months, with the occasional maintenance visit to slide each bead up after your hair has grown out a bit (similar to a fill-in on acrylic nails). Plus, it's Remy human hair (which is considered the highest quality and most realistic-looking because its cuticles are kept intact and grown in the same direction). That means it can be curled, dyed, straightened, blow-dried, cutanything you'd do to your own mane.</p>

My natural hair before I-tip extensions (left), and after (right). Hello, highlights!

<p>After one hour of application, I had this head full of high-contrast blonde highlights distributed throughout. My hair looked thicker, fuller, and had tons of dimension. The same day, I took a swim in my new extensions, and I let them air dry. They looked and felt just like my real hair, down to the wavy texture. I barely felt the beads installed at my scalp, and nobody could tell where my hair ended and the extensions began. I finally had blonde highlightswithout sacrificing the health of my hair.</p>

How to Get Damage-Free Highlights on Dark Hair

Growing up, I wasn't allowed to dye my hair. No matter how badly I wanted lighter locks, my mom barred me from going to the colorist because she didn't want me to damage my strands.

'How I Got Sun-Kissed Highlights Without Damaging My Virgin Hair'

<p>Take it from celebrity esthetician <a href="https://www.reneerouleau.com/" id="ee4b4924-a16a-3278-a33d-b77eb840e5a6">  Rene Rouleau </a> , who says, "A Beautyblender holds on to bacteria, so when you use it in the morning, youre spreading germs and oil all over the face." Beyond spreading bacteria, she adds, Youre creating an environment in the skin where, potentially, breakouts could be exacerbated and the skin is not in optimum skin health.</p>

<p>Because a sponge is porous, it can be a cesspool harboring caked-in makeup, face oils, and even mold, all of which are transferred onto your face every time you use it. Plus, you can imagine that a dirty sponge simply won't work as well when it's soaked in layers of old creams and powders. First, the color of any past products can be accidentally transferred. Second, the textures of your products can be compromised by cross-contamination. </p>

<p>If your makeup sponge is so filthy you're not even totally sure what color it was when you originally bought it, it's time for a good suds session. Getting your makeup sponge to look brand new doesn't have to be a complicated nor time-consuming process. We found five of the best tutorials to help motivate you to finally clean your damn makeup sponge, ahead.</p>

<h1> Method One: Scrub it with a bar of soap.  </h1>

<p>Squeeze your makeup sponge under running water until it's completely soaked and expands in size. Using any bar soap, rub the sponge back and forth against the bar while applying pressure to build up a lather and deposit the cleanser inside. Once the soapy foam has turned into a bubbly foundation shade, rinse the sponge under clean running water until the water runs clear. </p>

<h1> Method Two: Massage it with olive oil and dish soap. </h1>

<p>Mix a two-to-one ratio of dish soap and olive oil and massage it into a dry Beautyblender. Once the makeup sponge has soaked up the mixture, rinse it under warm running water. Squeeze and rinse repeatedly until the water runs clear.</p>

<p>LADIES I PUT MY BEAUTY BLENDERS IN THE MIRCOWAVE FOR 1 MINUTE AND LOOK WHAT HAPPENED <a href="https://t.co/iT0448Mctq" id="d0b688ab-04c6-3446-ad8e-6004bb2e5476">  pic.twitter.com/iT0448Mctq </a>  (@TheLifeOfCoko)   </p>

<p>A quick zap can be just what you need to disinfect your makeup sponge. Nuke it in your kitchen microwave with some dish soap and say bye-bye to micro-organisms that may be growing on the sponge. First, mix a few drops of mild soap (dish soap or baby shampoo will work too) with water in a microwave-safe cup. Make sure there's enough of a lathered solution to submerge the sponge fully. Give the sponge a big squeeze in the water, then microwave the cup for about a minute. Wait at least 30 seconds for the cup to cool before grabbing it from the microwave.</p>

<p>The soapy water will transform into gross makeup stew, and your once-dirty sponge will look like new. Once the water cools off, rinse your sponge and wring it out under running water. Just be sure to never microwave a dry sponge, nor leave it in too long .</p>

<h1> Method Four: Use organic products. </h1>

<p>If you don't know  , you can thank us later for this tip. This certified fair-trade soap made with organic oils is cruelty-free, biodegradable, non-GMO, and vegan. It can be used for everything from washing your face to disinfecting your kitchen floor, but it's particularly great at removing stains from your Beautyblender. </p>

<p>Add a few drops of the liquid cleanser directly onto the sponge and begin massaging, pressing, and pushing it into the sponge under running water. Allow it to create a lather. Rinse and repeat. Once the lather turns white (and no longer contains makeup), you're ready to rinse and dry.</p>

<h1> Method Five: Throw it in a mini washing machine. </h1>

<p>If the only thing that will get you excited to wash your Beautyblender is a cute, novelty purchase, we'll take what we can get. This   went viral as an option for lazy girls to get their makeup sponges clean with almost no effort at allthat is, if you don't count the effort you'll put into documenting the process for Instagram. </p>

<p>Although it's technically not made to clean your beauty tools at all, this child's toy could actually pass for maintaining your sponges in a pinch. You'll still need to schedule regular deep-cleaning sessions like the ones above, but some dish soap and a battery-powered spin cycle is just what you need to freshen up your favorite sponge temporarily. </p>

<h1> PS: Don't forget about drying! </h1>

<p>Keep in mind, drying your Beautyblender properly is just as important as the regular cleanings. Tossing a damp sponge into a makeup bag or back into it's packaging with the lid on, will create mold. Let it air dry thoroughly before packing it away. Rouleau suggests, leave them out in the open (not in a drawer) where the most amount of oxygen can get to them. She also adds, Ideally, leave them to dry in the sunlight since they will dry faster but UV sunlight allows for some antimicrobial activity to help cut down on germs.</p>

<p>Above all, keep in mind that while regularly cleaning your sponge will help extend its longevity, these sponges aren't meant to last forever. Beautyblender suggests replacing yours after three months of useand it's a great rule of thumb for all your makeup sponges.</p>

Even if you spend a fortune on your skincare routinecleansers, masks, toners, serums, you name ityou might not be considering the unkempt Beautyblender you press into your face daily for months on end. Think about it: When's the last time you cleaned your blender? If it's not after each use, you're not cleaning it enough.

How To Deep Clean A Beautyblender So It Looks Brand New

<h1> First, how do blackheads form? </h1>

<p>Before you attempt to break out the magnifying mirror and remove every blackhead in sight, it's important you understand where they come from. Somerville explains, "Blackheads form when extra sebum accumulates in the pore, and mixes with debris or dead skin cells, which then oxidizes and hardens." </p>

<h1> What happens if you don't remove blackheads? </h1>

<p>Blackheads are a type of acne, and if left untreated, they can stretch out the skin around the pore. Somerville adds, "Blackheads can also be stubborn after extractions. Since the pore may not close up right away, it could lead to sebum filling the pore again and leading to another blackhead forming."</p>

<p>The best way to remove blackheads is to prep the skin with light exfoliation in the shower. Somerville recommends her own  , which removes the top layer of dead skin. It contains resurfacing ingredients like papaya, pineapple, and pumpkin enzymes, as well as lactic acid. "Additionally, steam from the shower helps warm the skin, which softens and opens up pores for easier extraction," Somerville adds.</p>

<p>"After you shower and dry your skin, wrap your fingers with tissue paper and gently squeeze the blackhead out of the pore," Somerville instructs. "If you're heavy-handed, you can squeeze the blackhead out with Qtips." Be sure to then treat the area with a witch-hazel soaked cotton pad to soothe the skin, she says. </p>

<h1> Are extraction tools safe to use at home? </h1>

<p>"I also don't recommend extraction devices, as they can be too abrasive and take off the top layer of skin," Somerville says of using tools instead of just your fingers. Step away from those pore strips, too. "The best way to fully extract the blackheads using your fingers. Pore strips and peel-off masks can often only take off the top layer of the blackheads and not fully remove it," she explains.</p>

<p>She also adds that the worst way to remove blackheads is pinching at it without any preparation. As she mentioned before, properly cleansing, exfoliating and steaming will open up the pores, making extraction more gentle. </p>

<h1> How do you prevent blackheads from forming? </h1>

<p>There's no big secretjust consistency. "The best way to prevent blackheads is a good, consistent routine of cleansing and exfoliation," says Somerville, who suggests a cleanser with sulfur for treating acne and drawing out impurities. She also notes that family genes can play a significant role in acne in general, including blackheads. "My mom struggled with blackheads, and I have struggled with blackheads growing up as well," she admits. You can't fight genetics, but with these tips, you'll at least have a leg up.</p>

This Is the Safest Way to Remove Blackheads

Pores get a bad rap, but these microscopic openings in your skin are actually vital for producing oils that moisturize and maintain a healthy complexion. When pores get clogged and form blackheads, however, all you want to do is get rid of them. Preventing blackheads entails much more than lathering up a cleanser and splashing some warm water on your face. Ahead, celebrity esthetician Kate Somerville, founder of  <a href="https://www.katesomerville.com/theclinic/" id="2a32fe92-cd6f-3ccc-a7fb-...

How to Remove Blackheads at Home Without Wrecking Your Skin

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Stephanie Montes

Articles written by the author

'How I Got Sun-Kissed Highlights Without Damaging My Virgin Hair'

How To Deep Clean A Beautyblender So It Looks Brand New

How to Remove Blackheads at Home Without Wrecking Your Skin