There are many things I associate with Reddit but skincare is not one; that's not to say there isn't forums full of great advice, it is more to do with the fact I tend to read up on unresolved mysteries over all else. Well perhaps topping the weirdest-things -list -of -Reddit -discoveries is skin gritting - a new and novel way to eradicate blackheads, that many are currently heralding as the ultimate quick fix for the problem once and for all.

To the best of my understanding, there are two methods to skin grit:

A, what I've affectionately dubbed as the cleanse sandwich: first you cleanse, dry skin with an oil cleanser, rinse, dry and apply a clay based mask before following up with another oil based cleanse.

B, or the AHA/BHA cleansing method: you use either a AHA or BHA cleanser, allow to dry and then double cleanse with an oil based cleanser.
What both methods have in common is: a deep cleanse, a lot of oil and skin massage - simple but apparently effective. The idea is that by doing employing such steps, you bring any trapped dirt, grime and sebum, to the surface of the skin via the mask or cleanser, and by combining the emollient quality of the oil you will loosen and free such trapped "grit".

Now I know you are have two questions: did I try skin gritting out for myself and was it effective" You can bet your Reddit-browsing-ass that I gave it a whirl; I decided to try the more traditional approach of using the mask and oil combination...