Natural Acne Cures
Published On: 11-12-2011 01:41am
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Category: Acne Care and Holistic Treatments
Most people suffering from mild to moderate acne, will choose to treat their acne by purchasing common, over-the-counter acne treatment products. The truth is, most of these products are full of chemicals which can actually slow down the healing of acne, and irritate your skin, further causing breakouts.
When an over-the-counter acne product has 20 plus ingredients listed, it can be hard to know if one of those ingredients is actually stopping you from having success. It can be even harder when you don't understand what the ingredient(s) is or what benefit it's suppose to have at healing your acne.
Most mainstream acne treatments, are not only much more expensive than common kitchen cupboard ingredients, but they also often aren't anymore effective than a treatment you can make at home. Therefore, I'd like to share with you some basic household ingredients which can work wonderfully on clearing up acne.
Baking Soda – A very cheap cooking ingredient that most people have in their homes already, baking soda can be used as a great scrub. The purpose of a scrub is to exfoliate the skin, removing dead skin that can eventually clog pores and lead to acne spots.
To start off, you’ll want to mix a small amount of baking soda with some water for form a paste. Baking soda is very effective as a scrub, so you want to be sure to be extra careful when applying it to your face. Gently massage the paste into your skin for ten to fifteen seconds. Then rinse the baking soda off, and pat your face dry with a clean towel.
Apple Cider Vinegar – Though most people that use vinegar to treat acne use the apple cider form of vinegar, you can also use plain old regular vinegar. Regardless of which type you use, vinegar can be very helpful with it comes to clearing up acne. It can kill off acne causing bacteria, balance your skin’s pH, and absorb extra oil on your skin.
Starting with clean, dry skin, apply diluted vinegar (eight parts water to one part vinegar) directly to your skin with a cotton ball, and leave it on. If you want, you can also use a stronger vinegar solution (say, 2 or 3 parts water to 1 part vinegar), and apply it directly to problem areas, rinsing it off after ten minutes.
Lemon or Lime Juice - can also be substituted for vinegar. Both of these juices are rich in citric acid, and can exfoliate your skin very well, halting the growth of acne spots, as well as fading previous, non-active acne quicker.
Egg Whites – Rich in protein, egg whites can be used as a mask to heal and rebuild your skin. It can also help to absorb excess oil from your skin.
To start off, crack an egg, removing the yolk so that just the egg whites are left behind. Beat these egg whites, and apply them directly to your face. Let it sit for fifteen minutes, and then rinse the egg off.
Oatmeal – As odd as it may seem, oatmeal can absorb unwanted oil and draw out impurities which reside deep in your skin. Cook some plain oatmeal like you would for consumption. Let it cool off, and rub it over your clean skin. Let it sit for a while, like you would a mask, and then rinse off. If you do this on a regular basis, you should begin to start noticing results soon. It may feel funny, but it works!
Tea Tree Oil – TTO is a commonly used all-natural household antiseptic, which you can pick up at most drugstores or supermarkets. You can apply TTO directly to acne spots to kill bacteria, or, if you strongly dilute it with another oil (such as jojoba oil), over your entire face.
Tea tree gel can be easier to apply than the oil, and many are made for applying over large areas of skin, so they aren’t quite as strong as straight TTO and do not need to be diluted.
Pantothenic Acid (Vitamin B5) – Pantothenic acid can be taken in large quantities for the benefit of acne reduction. B5 works by helping your body to metabolize fats which would otherwise be later turned into sebum (oil) and excreted through the skin. Small amounts of B5 won’t help though, and it has to be taken several times a day.
To help with acne, you will need to take 2.5 grams of pantothenic acid (the powder form is much easier to take), 4 times per day, for a total of 10 grams per day. Powdered B5 can be purchased from vitamin stores.
Aloe Vera – Aloe Vera has been used for many years in kitchens for topical application to burns. Another benefit of aloe is that it can prevent scaring, fade marks and help heal acne spots.
Garlic - Another home ingredient that you can use to get rid of pimples is the use of garlic. Get a fresh garlic and cut it in half. Use one of the half to massage or rub your acne for few times daily. This will help to cure your pimples fast.
Water - If you want to get rid of pimples from your body you will have to drink a lot of water as often as you feel like. You should drink at least 8-10 cups of water per day. There are some bad toxins that are in your bloodstream, and it will cause you to breakout. So, by drinking plenty of water, you are able to flush out the toxins from your body.
One very important thing that you should never do, is to pop your pimples when they appear on your skin. If you are the type that likes to pop his pimples you will end up spreading more acne around your body, and risk scarring.
You now have a list of some basic household ingredients you can use on your skin as natural alternatives to over-the-counter products, and those on our list often work better than many OTC acne products, and are much cheaper to use. This has only covered basic acne treatments, you can always take this to another level and include natural, internal acne support supplements.
Acne has been shown numerous times to be closely affected by the digestive system, so keeping your entire digestive system working as smooth as possible, can help reduce acne. Some all natural products you can take to help clear up acne are: cucumber, lemon and carrot juice, brewer’s yeast, and active charcoal pills are all capable of helping the digestive system function normally.
Since the digestive system is closely related with the health of the skin, these should help reduce acne breakouts. Flax seed can also be wonderful for helping your skin heal faster. In addition to making sure you are getting enough essential fatty acids in your diet, and those can be obtained by taking evening primrose or borage oil at 1000 mg. a day.
Serious acne sufferers should not discount seeing a dermatologist for more aggressive treatments. Getting acne under control is the first step in healing it. Therefore, if you suffer from severe acne, natural treatments alone may not be enough to control your breakouts.
However, mild to moderate acne usually responds to one or more of the suggested treatments above. Everyone's skin is different, and each person will have their own unique results with the various suggested ingredients. Trial and error maybe needed to find out what works best on your particular skin.
For products that are helpful and healing for acne prone skin, such as facial washes with glycolic acid, gentle foaming face washes, botanical toners, and other skincare products, visit our essensu shop.
