Updated equate Blemish Control Apricot Scrub Review (knock-off brand)

Update: 
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I ended up buying the St. Ives version, and it is basically the same as the knock-off. The kernels are just as rough, the product is the same consistency and texture. The goal of the product is to harshly exfoliate.

Impressions:
I blame these products for my skin's shininess. This is NOT good. Since I had a bunch of acne on my forehead, I decided to use this to get rid of acne scars (pitted scars). Instead, I am left with a shiny forehead (and nose) that shines even more when it gets oily. 

It has been 2 years since I bought this product, and after 2 bottles of apricot scrubs, I am not going to purchase anything like this again. That includes the Skinfood's scrubs (rice, black sugar, etc.) or any cleansers with microbeads. 

Note: below is completely my opinion and not at all based on any research. 
I attribute these kinds of products to how internally dry my skin is. I found this out during the winter--the skin on my forehead and nose would be peeling. Instead of still producing oil during the winter, my skin just decided to peel, and I had to use intense, thick creams to stop it. Scrubs make your skin soft, because it quickly evens out the skin by removing dead skin cells and exposes the new, baby-soft skin below. The baby-soft skin exposed to the air will quickly dry up and then to protect itself, produce a lot of oil. It is the same with greasy hair. Since you're producing more oil, you would want to wash it more often (which makes everything worse). The skin will have to constantly produce more oil, and of course, the baby-skin will eventually turn into dead skin which can clog up any pores. 

All in all, this product will lead you to want to use more of it, and more often. The more you use it, the more sensitive your skin will become and it could damage your skin-turnover cycle.

Note: again, this is my own opinion about how these products work. I didn't completely make it up, but it's mostly what I think.

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Disclaimer: I purchased this product and am using it by my own freewill. The results are MY results and may or may not apply to anyone else! I deem my own skin resilient enough to withstand the harshness of this product, but you should do a bit of research on "apricot scrubs" and "apricot kernels" before contemplating on making a purchase for this product. 

The Blemish Control Apricot Scrub by Equate! The original product is on the container under "Compare To"

I don't remember how much this one cost at my local Walmart, but it was about $1-$2 cheaper than the original.

I found out about this product (the original) on a Youtuber's favorites video, but what definitely caught my attention was that it could get rid of blackheads. I knew I could get it at Walmart, but I didn't want to spend too much on something that could potentially not work (and damage my skin). Thus, the knock-off version (which basically is like the original, but cheaper).

The Youtuber did state that this product is VERY abrasive! I agree!

It comes out creamy with tons of things looking like "beads" that are more like shards ready to mar your face. This is abrasive and aggressive, indeed.

I discovered that washing your face with just water is more than enough to clean it, especially if you think you have a huge oil problem. So I use my normal (exfoliating) cleanser probably only once or twice a week, if not less, and my skin doesn't produce as much oil anymore. 

So I was sure my skin needed a good exfoliant. But I mainly used this on my problematic areas (T-zone) where my breakouts.blackheads occur most. I am trying to recover from all of the deep acne scars I have, so a rougher exfoliant is probably what I need (the microbead one doesn't work for me). 

BE VERY GENTLE WHEN SCRUBBING (like, no force or pressure). And remember to wet your face! 

This is extremely harsh on the skin! If you have sensitive or dry skin, do NOT use this product! Also, if you're in your teens or around your 20s (or in any age group), unless you have had lots of problems and done a lot with your skin, then I don't even recommend this product. You would probably be much better off with a regular exfoliant, as apricot kernels are apparently the worse thing ever for healthy skin (look it up). 

I only use a pea size for my entire forehead and nose. 

After the first use, I didn't see a change with my blackheads. Some of them were more exposed to the surface so I could pluck them out, but it the scrub didn't do much.

A few days later, I tried it again, and it did get rid of some of my blackheads, and exposed more of them.

After my third use, wow, my blackheads are almost invisible. After a few hours though, I did see some more smaller ones pop up, so the scrub probably did just take the surface (the black parts) of them off. 

If I want to completely extinguish my blackheads, then I think I'll have to use this every day. But my skin on my nose was still super fragile, so it was difficult to use this even for a second time.

Overall:

Price: affordable, around $3-$4
Appearance: the container is nice and simple
Smell: a nice fruity smell
Repurchase: no

I would give this apricot scrub a score of 7/10 because it is extremely abrasive, but does help me get rid of my blackheads. No matter how gently I scrubbed, it still was "painful" and rough on my skin. It kind of made my skin soft, but I was more worried about the aftereffects of scrubbing hundreds of pointy objects on my face.

I think I will use this maybe twice a month or so, but I would NOT recommend it to anyone! In fact, people of all ages should not even go near scrubs like this because it could cause sensitivity and breakouts, as well as ruin your skin!

But if you do decide to use this, get a SUPER good moisturizer! One that will definitely retain moisture and heal your skin! (Find some aloe vera! Nature Republic Aloe Vera Soothing Gel in mask form!) This way, whatever damage the scrub did, the moisturizer will help keep the remnants of your healthy skin and allow it to repair itself.

I'm the only one that reads my own blog, so no sponsors for me. Though it is a bit unthinkable to be sponsored by Walmart.