Aspirin masks (crush some uncoated aspirin and water together and spread that on) and the Queen Helene Mint Julep mask (like $3 at the drugstore) work well (though they need to be repeated once a week or so) for clogged pores on the nose and elsewhere.

I had my husband on the Clinique for Men stuff but it was relatively expensive and didn't work that well. He has sensitive skin but the Neutrogena for Men line (frequently in drugstores near the buzzer/shaving kits when its not in the same aisle as the face stuff for women) seems to agree with him. There are two particular products he uses that could be good for you. The "Skin Clearing Face Wash" which is oil free, has salicylic acid and "cleans deep into pores." And the "Razor Defense Face Scrub," also oil-free, which deep cleans and makes smoother skin pre-shave.

He also uses their "Skin Clearing Shave Cream" and their "Razor Defense Post Shave Lotion." These two would really only help you if you find you're prone to dryness during or after shaving.

I don't know what kind of skin toners are available in manly scents and formulas (other than Clinique's), but the right skin toner will diminish your blackheads over time and keep buildup away. Anything too abrasive is not going to help on a permanent basis and could give you the opposite problem (overly dry, flaky skin).

since some products that could be really helpful to you may be pricey, try doing face masks! you can make them at your house.

some are simple and easy and incorporate things you probably already have in your kitchen.

yogurt and oatmeal deep cleansing face mask:
this face mask is suited to all skin types.
1 tbsp finely ground oatmeal
1 tbsp live, organic yogurt
1 small tsp honey

1. Place the oatmeal in a bowl. Add the yogurt and mix to a spreadable consistency.
2. Warm the honey in a small glass bowl. Pour into the yogurt and oatmeal mixture and blend the ingredients thoroughly.
3. Immediately apply the yogurt and oatmeal mask to a cleansed face and rest for ten to fifteen minutes.
4. Wash off with warm water.

theres also masks you can make with milk, honey, and oatmeal.

theres a product i have from LUSH its a mask with honey oatmeal and crushed almonds. it smells amazing and leaves my skin feeling so clean and soft. theres a little trial container that around $7 and you get about 5-6 uses out of it.

as far as pores...man i feel you. i have the same problem. and its gross.

I normally recommend Desert Essence Face Wash with tea tree oil, but if you are really suffering from blackheads you might want to try something stronger and try their Desert Essence Castile Liquid Soap with Organic Tea Tree Oil which I get at Whole Foods for about $8 for a 32oz bottle. It really cleans your pores. I would also buy an exfoliating scrubby and wash my face using that, the plastic kind that you can throw in the washing machine and dryer because they do collect germs and bacteria so you'll want to wash it.

Cetaphil can do anything.

And often does!

Tweezerman whitehead&blackhead remover is really good to take out blackheads.. I use it on my chin all the time and I love it. As for skincare I would say definetly moisturize... though it may sound girly my dad does it and it keeps hiss skin really healthy and young-looking. http://www.tweezerman.com/scripts/item.cfm?gc=F&sc=SK&itemsku=2742-R

Awww! Gotta be good to that baby-face! ;-) I love any scrub/wash from Biore - the people that make the strips. You don't have to use much of the products, so even if they're $6 a bottle or tube it lasts a long time. No more than a dime or nickel-sized amount for your face. I use the Detoxify Daily Scrub (which is oil-free but also moisturizing), and the Pore Unclogging Scrub sounds good. My pores are HUGE and just using the scrub makes a big difference. Good luck, Dude!

all kiehl's products are amaze and super guy-friendly. i've been buying them for my fiance for years and he even saunters up to the kiehl's counter himself these days! the facial fuel line is highly recommended. good luck!

Elmer's glue. It helps with oil and blackheads. Plus it's cheap and a lot of fun to smear all over your face. You treat it like any other face mask: apply and peel off when it dries.

I really like Neutrogena deep cleansing wash or scrub. I also have oily skin and those for me keep the oil to a minimum.

I love neutrogena products! Wal-Mart has lots of different brands of facial cleansers for blemishes and breakouts. Maybe you should check there.

I'm a fan of Neutrogena's invigorating face scrub (about $6.00) and Lush's Angels on Bare Skin cleanser (about $10.00). :)

Hmmm... Blackheads are tricky. I used to have them on my nose in high school, but then I did the Biore strips twice a week for about three months, and I've never had a problem since then. But like you said, they can be spendy.

So, if you're concerned about price, Queen Helene makes good products that are usually under $5 - and get a Buf-Puf to exfoliate. The Mint Julep mask is good for blackheads and clogged pores. http://www.drugstore.com/products/prod.asp?pid=79218&catid=9386&brand=12498&trx=PLST-0-BRAND&trxp1=9386&trxp2=79218&trxp3=1&trxp4=0&btrx=BUY-PLST-0-BRAND&cmbProdBrandFilter=12498

It's nice to see a man reaching out for skincare advice! I suggest an oil-free, soap-free gentle cleanser (like Olay face wash). I agree that you need a mask to pull out all the gunk from your pores--I've found the Queen Helene mud mask to be the strongest. Be careful with the Biore strips. If you have very sensitive skin, it could pull some skin off.

In the shower I use a water activated gel cleanser, then a honey almond body scrub, and on the face an exfoliating gel scrub. Then I apply an herb-mint facial mask which I leave on for 10 minutes while I prepare the rest of my routine. I always use an after shave lotion with little or no alcohol, because alcohol dries your face out and makes you look older. Then moisturizer, then an anti-aging eye balm followed by a final moisturizing protective lotion.

Lol @Mikhail - is that from American Psycho?

u can try using oil blotting sheets from clean and clear . they cost around $5 and come in a pack of 50. u can get them at any drugstore. u just take the sheet and dab it on ur face and it absorbs the oil right of ur face, it changes colors too so u'll see how much oil u've taken off.

Whatever else you decide to do...this is a good regiman for simply washing your face. Never use a face cloth. Use very warm water and lather up well. Wash in circles with the palms of your hands. Use your fingertips around your eyes and nose...and be gentle (the skin is much thinner there). Rinse using just your hands with water cupped in them....warm water until all the soap is off....then splash on really cold water for at least 30 seconds. Use a towel to just blot off any dripping spots, then let the rest of your face air dry. If shaveing irritates your skin, do use a LIGHT moisturizer. To prevent lots of wrinkles later in life always stroke upwards when you wash or dry or apply anything to your face. Seems silly, but it makes a huge difference. Gravity is always pulling downward, so you don't need to help it out by stroking in a downward direction. The really warm water opens all your pores making sure the soap can get them really clean. The very cold water closes them, actually shrinking them for a bit. Air drying facilitates keeping your face hydrated. Two final tips: If you are going to be spending more than twenty minutes outdoors on any given day...between 10 a.m. and 5 p.m. be sure to wear a sunscreen of at least 15 spf....and make sure you wear one without the ingredient PABA, but one that says it protects against both UVA and UVB rays. Next....if your skin in the T zone (forehead and nose area) is oily...having your bangs down on your forehead usually makes it oilier. So make sure when you do your face regimen, you also get your bangs nice and squeaky clean. Finally, you should do the face thing in the morning and before bed.....but at first you might want to do an extra cleaning in late afternoon. It takes a little time, but if you make cleaning your face just like this a habit...you won't have to worry about your "luck" holding....unless you get a job where your face will get full of dirt or dust or really sweaty.

i like neutrogena's stuff, like the oil-free liquid face wash. it lasts a while too. as for blackheads, what the others were saying about that mint julep mask sounds like a good idea, i think i will even try it!

Hey, everyone! Thanks for all the great advice! I'll have to write everything down and hit up Target, hahah! I'll keep you all informed!

Lush have a great cleanser that is great for blackheads, Dark Angels. It's a black scrub, you're only meant to use it twice a week, but I use it everyday and it's really effective. The fact that you already use a face scrub is impressive though, so you do have some idea on how to maintain your skin, more than plenty of guys I can think of!

@mikhail lol, you're too funny

Am I too late! Remember it takes 6-8 weeks to see results with a new product (but even then it may be to small to see). And I haven't read everyones' response so forgive me if I repeat anything.

We're on a tight budget too (the hubby is a student and I'm a SAHM). I have oily skin and use Clean & Clear Foaming Facial Cleanser for Sensitive Skin and then follow up with Neutrogena Oil-Free Acne Stress Control, 3-in-1 Hydrating Acne Treatment. And then Olay's fragrance free Regenerist Daily Serum.

And I did research on these things too b4 I purchased. Here's a few places you may want to look:
ConsumerSearch.com
Buzzillions.com
and Beautypedia.com (my FAVE!) - use coupon code "cityline" to get a 2-day free subscription. People say that lady (the one that does beautypedia.com) doesn't know what she's talking about and doesn't have any formal education on reviewing products but she's probably read more research papers about it than anyone I know and what program lets you get a degree on reading and testing about beauty product?! (If you know about one, I want to know - so I can attend!). Anyways . . .

I think it's awesome that you care and are already exfoliating!

p.s. This may be a "No Duh!" but don't forget to look for coupons too (especially online) - coupons.com, redplum.com, brand website, etc, etc.

I'll echo @mikhail's first comment: Cetaphil (or the "Gentle Cleanser" knock-off @ Wal-Mart for 1/3 the price) works wonders. It cleanses and removes oil without drying out. My dermatologist put me on it... wow... about 20 years ago and I can't imagine washing with anything else. I still need to use some other acne products (prescription and over the counter), but those are really just as-needed for pimples. The important thing is that I don't have a problem with blackheads, which I attribute to the Cetaphil.

Like lavabunny I'm a fan of Desert Essences tea tree face wash. I buy the giant bottles of it. For exfoliating I use loofah pads that way my everyday cleansers can become exfoliating cleansers. My boyfriend is a fan of Clearsil products. I don't use the pore strips as I find they don't work at getting anything that is really in there. Gotta be careful with blackheads because you can really irritate your skin removing them. If you have a steady hand, I steam my face, use a remover to make them break the surface and use a pair of tweezers to pull it out. Luckily I only have to do this very rarely, but it does get 'em without too much irritation.