[REVIEW] Holika Holika Pig Clear Black Head 3-Step Kit (Before and After)

It’s been a while, but the ‘‘trying blackhead killing products’’ posts are back since I haven’t tried one in a while.

#1: Rire All Kill blackhead Remover Stick

#2: Tako Pore Blackhead Scrub Stick

#3: Etude house Bubble Pore Cleansing Patch

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[1]🐷Ingredients Breakdown [2]Instructions [3]Results VS. Claims [4]Before&After [5]Verdict

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• Price (use this link): 2.48$ (If you use my code: DEWILDE you can get up to 5% off on any YesStyle purchase at checkout)

• Texture: 1st step is of a wet wipe consistency, 2nd step a sticky paper, and 3rd step like a hydrogel patch.

• What you get: 1 pack with 3 steps.

• Cruelty-free: Very conflicting results: they state that the products aren’t tested on animals - but the ingredients could - and they do sell in mainland China, where it’s the law for products to be tested on animals. However, China can accept cruelty-free products and test them on animals, instead of the company doing it for them. My best bet is to say that this brand probably isn’t cruelty-free since it's so ambiguous.

+INGREDIENTS

🐖STEP 1: Holika Holika Pig Clear Black Head 3-step Kit:Water (Solvent), Hamamelis Virginiana (Witch Hazel) Water (Astringent), Butylene Glycol (Solvent), Sodium Lauroyl Sarcosinate (Surfactant), Salvia Officinalis (Sage) Leaf Extract (Surfactant), Viscum Album (Mistletoe) Extract (Soothing) , Juniperus Communis Fruit Extract (Perfuming), Arctium Majus Root Extract (Soothing), Mentha Piperita (Peppermint) Leaf Extract (Fragrance), Caprylyl Glycol (Emollient), Saponaria Officinalis Root Extract (Cleansing), Hypericum Perforatum Extract (Astringent), 1,2-Hexanediol (Solvent), Propanediol (Solvent), Illicium Verum (Anise) Fruit Extract (Perfuming), Citrus Medica Limonum (Lemon) Fruit Extract (Perfuming), Chrysanthemum Indicum Flower Extract (Soothing), Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract (Soothing + Astringent), Melissa Officinalis Leaf Extract (Fragrance), Rosmarinus Officinalis (Rosemary) Leaf Extract (Antioxidant + Fragrance), Aspalathus Linearis Leaf Extract (Antioxidant), Thymus Vulgaris (Thyme) Flower/Leaf Extract (Antioxidant + Sensitizing), Jasminum Officinale (Jasmine) Extract (Soothing), Vaccinium Myrtillus Fruit/Leaf Extract (Astringent), Saccharum Officinarum (Sugar Cane) Extract (Moisturizer),  Acer Saccharum (Sugar Maple) Extract (Exfoliant), Citrus Aurantium Dulcis (Orange) Fruit Extract, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice, Fragrance (Parfum)

🐷STEP 2: Holika Holika Pig Clear Black Head 3-step Kit: Water, PVP (Film former/Fixative), Dimethicone Copolyol (Emulsifier), Kaolin (Absorbent), Titanium Dioxide (Sunscreen + Colorant), VP/VA Copolymer (Film former/Fixative), Propylene Glycol (Viscosity Control), Methylparaben (Preservative), Citrus Limon (Lemon) Fruit Extract (Mild Exfoliant + Perfuming), CI 17200 (Colorant)

✨STEP 3: Holika Holika Pig Clear Black Head 3-step Kit: Water, Glycerin (Moisturizer), Propanediol (Solvent + Moisturizer), Sodium Hyaluronate (Humectant), Hydroxyethylcellulose (Viscosity Control + Emulsion Stabilizing), PEG-60 Hydrogenated Castor Oil (Emulsifying + Surfactant), Erythritol (Moisturizer), Trehalose (Moisturizer), Caprylyl Glycol (Moisturizer), 1,2-Hexanediol (Solvent), Disodium EDTA (Chelating), Dipotassium Glycyrrhizate (Soothing + Moisturizer), Illicium Verum (Anise) Fruit Extract (Perfuming), Citrus Medica Limonum (Lemon) Fruit Extract (Perfuming), Diospyros Kaki Leaf Extract (Antioxidant), Citrus Aurantifolia (Lime) Fruit Extract (Fragrance), Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice (Soothing), Vitis Vinifera (Grape) Fruit Extract (Soothing), Chlorphenesin (Preservative), Phenoxyethanol (Preservative), Fragrance (Parfum)

+how to use the Holika Holika Pig Clear Black Head 3-Step Kit

1. After cleansing, place step-1 on nose for 15-20minutes.   Remove it slowly and wipe off any blackhead or impurities from pores.  

2. Wet nose with water and place step-2 on nose.  After 10-15 minutes and slowly remove it from the edge.

3. After step 1 & 2, place step-3 on nose.   Remove it after 10-15 minutes and gently tap it for better absorption.

*Instead of wetting your nose with water for step 2, try wetting it with the excess liquid from step 1. The liquid contains all of the ingredients that are supposed to ‘open up’ your pores, so this will make the whole process more efficient.

+what does the Holika Holika Pig Clear Black Head 3-Step Kit do?

Claims taken from the HolikaHolika website.

1.Full pore control: Since the pack encompasses the action of dilating the pores, cleaning them, and then contracts them in the last step… You can’t ask for much more, so yes, I would qualify this pack as being able to fully control the pores.

2.Opens pores: It’s not that the first patch opens the pores, it’s more that it contains a combination of ingredients that lightly irritate the skin and dilate the pores, some of you will feel a slight irritation or tingling of their skin as the first step sits on their nose. Witch Hazel is the ingredient present in the highest concentration after water, it has astringent properties, along with other astringents and perfuming (which are usually also astringent) ingredients in the formulation like Juniperus Communis, Peppermint, and Hypericum Perforatum to name a few. While astringency in topical skincare hasn’t a lot of research detailing its exact mechanism, the general consensus is that these ingredients soak up oil and sebum from the skin and can be drying (which is why you’ll also find soothing ingredients in the first strip). Astringency has been studied when it comes to salivary glands and protein interactions. Polyphenols (usually responsible for the astringent properties of most fruit extracts) bind to proteins and other molecules present which causes them to aggregate together, leading to their precipitation (‘hardening’) - this happens by a combination of hydrophobic forces and hydrogen bonds interactions. My guess is that the precipitates are what you see on your nose after the application of the first step, as the majority of gunk seems to have migrated to the surface and hardened a bit - which will make it easier for the second nose strip to pick them up.

3.Removes blackheads: Yes! The combination of PVP and VP/VA Copolymer makes the second strip particularly adhesive and fixating, and there’s also Kaolin which is good at soaking up excess sebum. I’ve tried the strip a couple of different ways, and even when the nose isn’t completely wet, it still manages to pick up a good amount of blackheads (I was doing this for testing purposes, it makes no sense for you to try it this way). That being said, this won’t get rid of all of your blackheads in one go, you’ll need to use this a couple of times for a more dramatic effect. But it does do a great job at removing a vast majority of blackheads in one go. I’ve used a lot of blackhead products in the past and this is probably one of the most effective nose strips I’ve tried so far.

4.Removes whiteheads: No, whiteheads are closed within the pores and can’t be easily pushed out, so this strip doesn’t do much when it comes to removing them. Furthermore, I would not advise using this strip on whiteheads because if you have inflamed whiteheads, this will irritate them even more. Whiteheads should be treated with anti-acne products such as the Pyunkang Yul Acne Spot Cream, which will greatly diminish them, so try that instead.

5.Removes dead skin cells: Anything that pulls skin with it has a mild exfoliating effect on the skin, but the effect is extremely small. If you have a lot of dead skin cells on your nose, this will get rid of them for a few days, but you're better off with investing in light exfoliating pads like the NEOGEN Dermalogy Bio-peel Gauze Peeling Wine Pad, since these are less harsh on you skin, but more efficient.

6.Tightens pores: This does not tighten pores, but rather helps in soothing and closing them back to their original size, it’s not that the pores get tighter - the ingredients just don’t have these attributes - it’s just that some of the gunk in them gets absorbed so they look smaller, which gives you the illusion of tightened pores.

7.Smooths skin: If you have a lot of blackheads and dead skin cells, this will definitely smooth out your skin. Your nose will feel smoother, but again, this is a temporary solution, if you really have a problem use an exfoliating product specially targeted for exfoliation.

These pictures don’t do any justice to how clean my nose actually looked and felt. Your pores will still be slightly dilated after the 3rd strip, you can apply some ice through a cloth (or put the 3rd step in the fridge before you use it) to your skin if that bothers you. The real difference will be seen after your pores close back up (the 3rd image). As you can see there are still some blackheads left, but the majority of them are gone, and the skin texture is way smoother.

Now is this product worth the hype? I think it is. It does a great job at removing blackheads, and it’s more efficient than any product similar to it - mainly the more basic nose strips. However try to exfoliate your nose a bit after step 2 with a towel, this will get rid of even more blackheads.

I really want to point out that this is not something you should be doing every single week. If you have sensitive skin I would be really careful with these types of products. That doesn’t mean that you shouldn't use them at all, just be careful not to overdo them.

The best way to keep your pores looking as good as possible is to exfoliate on a regular basis with a chemical exfoliant, use some type of deep clay mask ( the Glamglow Supermud Clearing Treatment Mask is particularly good for pores and blackheads), and to use nose strips.

I’d recommend this to anyone who deals with a lot of blackheads, and whose nose texture really bothers them. If you barely have any blackheads, to begin with, this will serve no purpose, or you might be better off investing in something less time-consuming, like a normal drugstore 15 minutes nose strip or this one from Etude House that I particularly like.

+benefits:

1. A thoughtful product that treats skin before and after the extraction.

2. Actually works and gets rid of a lot of blackheads

3. Great quality/price ratio

-CONS:

1. Takes a lot of time

2. Step 3 tends to slide off the nose

🐷Score: 4.5/5 --- The only thing I could ask more of this product is for it to be more efficient - as to take out more blackheads - and less time consuming, which is why it won’t get a full score, otherwise this is a great pore strip product.

+AMAZON

+Yesstyle this link

(If you use my code: DEWILDE you can get up to 5% off on any Yesstyle purchase at checkout)