You may have noticed the words “skin” and “grits” showing up side by side with alarming frequency lately — especially if you use Reddit.
While skin gritting sounds like it could be the beauty industry’s next foray into DIY, food-based skin care, this is not a “Southern-style grits are the new turmeric” situation. (We cannot stress that enough. Please do not put cornmeal grits on your face.)
“Grits,” in the skin care space, are more commonly known as blackheads. And “skin gritting” is a specific method of blackhead removal, popularized by the adventurous souls of Reddit’s SkincareAddiction community.
You know when you get a facial and you brace yourself for the extractions by white-knuckling the sides of the spa table, but the pain of having the blackheads on your nose forcibly removed still takes you by surprise? (Just us?)
Well, thanks to skin gritting, there’s an easier — and gentler — way to go about it at home.
There are a few different gritting methods (which we’ll get into below), but they all involve the same basic steps:
- softening pores with an oil cleanser
- drawing impurities to the surface with clay, an exfoliating acid, or both
- dislodging blackheads with another coat of oil cleanser and facial massage
Once the blackheads are successfully massaged and dislodged, you’ll (theoretically) be able to see them on your fingertips: little specks of grey-black buildup. These, friends, are the grits.
Is this legit?
The skin gritting thread on Reddit’s SkincareAddiction page boasts quite a few images of successfully removed “grits,” but not everyone is convinced they’re the real deal.
There’s reason to believe that grits are nothing more than lint, dust, and pore buildup (cute, right?) — not actual blackheads.
Still, gritters unanimously and enthusiastically agree that their pores appear cleaner and clearer post-gritting.
And really, whether you’re extracting closed comedones (a true grit will have a black “head” and a whitish “tail”) or just getting the gunk out, aren’t clean pores always a plus?
No matter how you go about it, gritting is a multistep process. Different Redditors have had success with different methods. Oft-cited techniques include:
1. The oil-clay-oil method
The most popular way to get your grit on includes two products — an oil cleanser or pure carrier oil and a clay face mask — and three steps.
- First, use the oil cleansing method to cleanse your face.
- Next, apply the clay mask of your choice, let it set, rinse it off, and pat dry as you normally would.
- Finally, use the oil to massage your face for two to three minutes, at which point you should start to feel a grainy texture under your fingertips: grits.
2. The oil-acid-clay-oil method
To add some extra oomph to your gritting, Redditors suggest incorporating an exfoliating acid solution — typically one with beta-hydroxy acids, since BHAs are oil-soluble — before the clay mask. This serves to loosen dead skin cells and make way for grits.
- First, use the oil cleansing method to cleanse your face.
- Apply your BHA product (Paula’s Choice 2% BHA Liquid Exfoliant is a popular option) and let sit for 20 to 25 minutes.
- Without washing off the BHA solution, apply the clay mask of your choice, let it set, rinse it off, and pat dry as you normally would.
- Finally, use the oil to massage your face for two to three minutes, at which point you should start to feel a grainy texture under your fingertips: grits.
3. The oil-sleep-oil method
Those with sensitive skin, stubborn blackheads, or a penchant for lazy-girl skin care hacks, this method is for you. All it requires is a little (er, a lot of) oil and a good night’s sleep.
- At night, carry out your skin care routine as you normally would.
- Finish with a coat of face oil.
- Leave it on overnight while you sleep.
- In the morning, wash your face using the oil cleansing method. At this point, you should start to feel a grainy texture under your fingertips: grits.
Since skin gritting is a creation of internet enthusiasts and not, you know, trained medical professionals, there’s no official word on how often one is supposed to grit.
Considering that most methods include a clay mask and/or a BHA exfoliant — both of which can be drying if used in excess — it stands to reason that you shouldn’t grit more than once a week.
If your skin is sensitive or reactive, you may want to do it less often, like once a month.
For those dealing with chronic skin issues like acne, rosacea, dermatitis, eczema, or psoriasis, it’s a good idea to consult a dermatologist before gritting. Just in case.
For one, extended facial massage could result in burst capillaries if you’re not mindful. To avoid this, limit your massage to two to three minutes and don’t push too hard on any one area of your face. The idea is that the oil-clay combination makes it easy for blackheads to slip out, so you shouldn’t have to be aggressive to see results.
There’s also the risk of over-drying your skin with clay, BHAs, or both — although the fact that oil features so heavily in each technique should mitigate some of that.
So should I try it?
As long as you’re aware of the reward-to-risk ratio, go for it. As with all skin care, start slowly and gently. If nothing happens, work your way up in terms of time, frequency, or even potency of products. Back off if you feel any long-term stinging or uncomfortable can’t-move-my-face burning.
Otherwise, go forth and grit. Oh, and don’t forget to snap a pic of the grits you get. The SkincareAddiction community eats that up… no pun intended.
Jessica L. Yarbrough is a writer based in Joshua Tree, California, whose work can be found on The Zoe Report, Marie Claire, SELF, Cosmopolitan, and Fashionista.com. When she’s not writing, she’s creating natural skin care potions for her skin care line, ILLUUM.
