Clogged hair follicles on legs

by Janine Bettis-Daniels
(charlotte nc)

I have severly dry skin on my legs, it's a problem that I've dealt with since I was a young girl and I'm 28 now. You see, my skin is very flaky and I have these black bumps all over my legs I thought they were black heads but after I bathe i tried to pop them and saw that they have little hairs and dirt in them. Please help me with a home remedy, I'm a preschool teacher and a mom of 3 small children (I'm holding my 4 month old now) and I can't afford to go to the spa and my expensive cosmetics to fix this problem.

Dear Janine,

You seem very busy! Well, here are a few things you can do regularly to help unclog the pores:

Before taking a shower/bath: Use a big towel which you will soak with warm water to which a bit of milk is added. Wrap your legs with it and leave it on for 10-15 minutes. This will soften up the skin. Next, use a good body scrub (those with brown sugar and glycerin are the best), either store bought or prepare one of the homemade body scrubs on this site. Scrub the legs well, using circular motion and not much pressure. This will help the circulation, open up the pores and slough off that dry, flaky skin. When you are done, resume with the shower/bath.

Black bumps can be removed the same way as whiteheads. Read the advice about removal of blackheads here.

Moisturizing freshly scrubbed legs is a must in order to prevent dry skin. Use a good quality moisturizer or alternatively, apply shea butter or cocoa butter. The latter smells better but both are excellent moisturizers. Moisturizers that contain glycerin are a good choice since glycerin locks in the moisture and keeps the skin soft and nourished longer.

Nili Nathan