Home Remedies For Acne
There are many different home remedies for acne that have been devised, some people who have used them have had their acne clear up, but it should be noted that in nearly all cases the treatments used were on mild forms acne, and it is quite possible that some of these treatments actually worked when used in a particular way with a strict skin hygiene regime, most of the items used are everyday items in most cases and the average user should have no trouble in preparing the ingredients for themselves.
The general thread running through all the various acne treatment recipes is thus:
It is very important that the skin is kept scrupulously clean, particularly the face, use an un-perfumed plain soap and wash the face every several hours, always pat the skin dry, do not rub the skin with a towel, this action will certainly help your acne and may prevent it getting worse and avoid any infections.
Home Remedies For Acne – General Advice and Tips
- Try not to touch an areas where the acne occurs with your bare hands, this can easily transfer grime and bacteria to the affected and make the condition worse.
- You can try applying ordinary ice to spots, this can certainly help with any swelling and may speed up the healing process, this is one of the well tested home remedies for acne, as well as for other bodily swellings.
- It is very important to keep the body, notably the skin in this properly hydrated, so therefore make sure you drink plenty of fluids, in this case fluids means plain water, tap or bottled, 6 to 8 glasses a day is recommended, according to the ambient temperatures, hot climates may require you to drink more, water also helps to flush toxins from the body so proper hydration has other benefits too.
- Although there is no scientific evidence it is also recommended by some experts that you eat plenty of Vitamin A- rich foods, but do not eat them to the exclusion of everything else, your diet still needs to be balanced, foods with a lot of Vitamin A include things such as cheese, eggs, oily fish, milk, yogurt, fortified low-fat spreads.
- Do not be tempted to pick, squeeze or otherwise interfere with your spots, doing this makes no difference to your condition and can leave permanent scarring to facial tissue.
Try to keep the affected area out of strong sunlight, this will almost certainly aggravate your condition. - Now this one is a biggie, stress, the bane of modern living, it is quietly insidious and can have far reaching effects on our health, not just acne, you must try and cut as much stress from you life as possible, even it it means getting help from a third party, you must try as many ways as possible to bring your stress level down, it really is important to your general well-being, and I can tell you I am speaking from personal experience here, do it, and do it now, it will make your life so much better in the long run.
- A medication containg benzoyl peroxide can be efficacious in curing your acne, but is important that this treatment is applied using a weak concentration product, if the level is to high it can cause adverse effects and irritation, follow the directions on the product for application, or if your condition is mild try out some of the home remedies for acne first as suggested on this page.
- Make sure you take regular outdoor exercise, this can also have an effect on general well-being.
- Make sure you are getting enough sleep, lack of sleep can slow body processes and also lead to stress, something you should avoid.
- Teenage girls and Women should avoid apply any form of cosmetics to acne, this can cause irritation and make the condition worse. Always remove all any facial cosmetics before retiring for the night.
Home Remedies For Acne – Helpful Recommendations By Fellow Sufferers
- Before going to bed wash the face and then gently rub in castor oil, leave on overnight, wash off in the morning, this one may cause a problem with your bed linen so you may need to use an old set.
- Open your facial pores with steam for deep cleaning, do this by filling a bowel with very hot water and putting a thick towel over your head and leaning over the bowel, after ten minutes or so apply a gentle facial scrub using one of the home remedies for acne recipes detailed below.
- It has also been suggested that Tea tree oil applied on to spots can be beneficial, this may well be true as it is known for its antiseptic properties.
- Try applying ordinary white toothpaste to your spots, apply some to each spot and allow it to become dry, wash off with warm water, do this every day.
- Some people recommend using a cooled tea bag against you spot or pimple for maybe ten minutes, this may be effective due to the chemical tannin which is contained in tea as it can help to kill bacteria on the skin.
- Very frequent washing of the face as mentioned elsewhere, may cause dryness and irritation, if this is this case, try instead using an over the counter cleansing agent that is specifically formulated for acne sufferers.
- Make use of a skin moisturizer, even if you are male, the type you choose should be as natural as possible, you want it unperfumed, and one that uses a base carrier ingredient that contains absolutely no oils of any kind, otherwise you may block the pores on your face with it which is what you want to avoid, with a little digging you can make up one of your own home remedies for acne treatments.
- Try applying an antiseptic cream such as Cetavlex, Germoloene or Savlon, these can sometimes help, as can Witch Hazel but they may dry the skin so use a moisturizer with them.
- Use tissues when drying you face, towels may harbor bacteria that you may then applying back on your skin, unless of course, you use a clean one each time
- Here’s another home remedy for acne idea, make a paste using ordinary baking soda and water, apply this paste all over the skin, leave on for an hour or so then rinse off with warm water, pat dry.
- Here’s another tip that is probably overlooked by most people, be sure to change your pillow cases the next day if your have gone to bed without washing your hair, a minor point but oils from the hair can be transferred to the face and in some cases may irritate acne.
- A tip for the girls here, be sure to keep all you cosmetic applicators clean, wash them in soapy water to ensure they stay free of bacteria, that may cause an acne flare up
- For a low cost acne face mask, that can help in keeping your face pores clean and blockage free, what you need to do is separate an egg, whisk it in a bowl, lightly wet the face and then apply the egg yolk mixture (not the white) allow time for the egg to dry, usually about half an hour, then you may be able to just peel it off, if not wash off gently with some water and dry.
- If you don’t like the thought of using eggs, a good alternative is to use oatmeal, this may be cooked an applied after cooling, or it can be mixed with honey, either way oatmeal is very good at drawing excess oil from the skin and makes a good mask.
There are also many different homeopathic or alternative home remedies for acne, but they are beyond the scope of this page, this subject is covered in this article [page link]
Home Remedies For Acne – Dietary Advice
- There is no scientific evidence to suggest that a persons diet is directly linked as a trigger for acne, there is much dietary advice given out but it cannot be proven, a well balanced diet is the key, as well making sure that you are getting enough of the right vitamins that promote healthy skin, Vitamins A, B3, B6 as well as zinc-rich foods are generally recommended, if you cannot eat the required foods then a vitamin supplement will help you get the required amounts.
- It is also recommended that you reduce your intake of caffeine considerably, and this is probably a good idea anyway as it is a powerful stimulant, I should know I drink enough of it to stay awake!
- Smoking is also very bad for the skin in general, if you smoke, now is a good time to quit as you can set yourself a real goal, to become acne free in 90 days, and at the same time you can try out some of the suggested home remedies for acne.
- It is also usually recommended diet to cut down on dietary fat, this does not mean you should cut it out your diet altogether, as fat is an important dietary constituent, especially for males, less so for women, but you at least want to cut out heavily processed food and junk food, this food is no good to you at all and usually contains a lot of salt, something else you should avoid. All of the things here are not home remedies for acne but the cost is zero, in most cases and they will make you more healthy in general.
- Some experts recommend giving up chocolate too, now this may be true in the case of cheap milk chocolate, but recent scientific research has indicated that plain dark chocolate is good for the heart and for stress, so I would be inclined to disregard any expert telling you to give this up, unless you know for certain it makes your acne flare up.
- Refined sugar is another product you should think about cutting back on too apart from other health aspects it is not considered good for acne sufferers.
- Try drinking some pro biotic products that contain acidophilus, you may find these beneficial to you, they are quite pleasant and some are very good for the digestive system as well.
Home Remedies For Acne – The Use Of Fruit And Vegetable Cures
- Cut a clove of garlic in half and gently rub the cut end over you acne spots, garlic contains anti-bacterial agents, the drawback with this one is the string smell.
- Put a tomato in a blender or otherwise crush it to pulp, apply this to the face for approximately twenty minutes, then wash face with and dry off.
- Extract the juices from, cucumber, lettuce and carrots and apply to the face, after ten minutes or so wash off.
- Do the same as the above using leaves from the mint plant.
- If you notice any ill effects from using any of these suggested home remedies for acne then you should stop their use immediately, and obviously if you know you have an allergy do not try that particular method.
Home Remedies For Acne – Conclusions
I would like to say that I have tried and tested all these home cures myself, but as I do not have the condition myself I am unable to vouch for their effectiveness, and it should be stressed again that they are likely to work only on the mildest acne, if your condition is more serious you should see your doctor.
I hope you enjoyed reading this rather large page, and that you have gathered some useful advice and tips to help you. If you have a question or comment or even your own helpful tip on home remedies for acne, I would love to here from you.