Surprising Natural Remedies for Acne that Work Better Than Over-the-Counter Treatments
There are many options for all natural remedies for acne. So, how do you choose which ones to try?
The ones I have included in my list of the top 10 all natural remedies for acne, are ones that I have found to work the best and are the most powerful! Everyone is different, and it may require some experimentation to find what works best for you! But most importantly, don’t give up!
After having acne for many, many.. and I do mean many years, I have tried nearly every possible remedy and treatment, even, I hate to say it, but, also prescription treatments. But, the funny thing is after everything I have tried, the natural remedies for acne have worked the best! Seriously!
My acne started around age 13 and only progressed to get worse. My mother always told me, just wait until after high school it will get better, those years came and went, then wait until after college, yep four years later it was only worse.
For some, it may be a temporary occurrence due to changes in hormones and with age it will improve, but for many that isn’t the cause!
Causes of Acne Your Doctor Will Never Tell You!
1. First of all, don’t trust anyone! By this I mean doctors and dermatologists will tell you that diet doesn’t matter, natural remedies for acne don’t work, that it’s just hormones and there’s nothing you can do but take their prescriptions. Wrongo!
2. What you eat matters! Of course it matters what you’re putting into your body. Avoid all processed foods, eat real foods, make sure to get enough fats into your diet, such as avocados and coconut oil. What exact type of diet works best is always up for debate, but we’ll save that for another post.
3. Get a blood test! Test your blood for every possible vitamin and nutrient to make sure you aren’t deficient in anything. Here are a few biggies to make sure you include; vitamin A, zinc, your thyroid, hormones (progesterone, testosterone etc.)
4. Allergens! Your acne may be a result of an allergy. Determine if there are any possible allergens that may be causing your acne, such as gluten or dairy, which may reduce the amount of nutrients absorbed.
10 Best All Natural Remedies for Acne:
1. Baking Soda- This is my absolute favorite natural remedy for acne! Surprising, I only discovered baking soda masks a couple of years ago, and oh boy is this stuff powerful at clearing skin! Baking soda not only helps eliminate breakouts and reduces inflammation it is also an exfoliator and helps remove dead skin cells. Because of this, it also works great to reduce any old scars or acne marks. To use it, just take a few teaspoons of baking soda and mix it with warm water until it forms a paste. Apply the paste to your skin, you may want to leave it on for only 10 to 15 minutes the first few times as it may feel powerful. You can gradually increase the time up to an hour or even leave it on over night (which is what I do). After one use you can see a great difference in your skin.
2. Apple Cider Vinegar- This natural remedy for acne is another powerful one, it has both antibacterial and antifungal properties. To start out, you may want to dilute a few teaspoons with half water or ¼ water as it can be quite powerful when applied directly to your skin.
3. Coconut Oil- Coconut oil is antibacterial and antifungal. Coconut oil is also extremely moisturizing and gentle. It helps fight the bacteria and reduce redness. Apply the coconut oil to your skin and massage it in. You can reapply a couple times per day. With coconut oil, there is no need to ever use a moisturizer again, it works so well and doesn’t clog your pores.
4. Tea Tree Oil- Tea tree oil is an essential oil and can be a very powerful all natural remedy for acne, as it is antibacterial. To apply it, mix a small amount of tea tree oil with an equal amount of water. Dip a cotton ball into the mixture and apply it to your skin. You can reapply throughout the day or leave it on under your makeup.
5. Egg Whites- For this, I’m not talking about eating them, they make a great natural remedy for acne when used as a facial mask! Egg whites reduce the oil and minimize your pores in addition to drawing out impurities. To use it, separate the egg white from the yolk, use a cotton ball or you can use your fingers to apply the egg white to your skin. After a few minutes you’ll start to feel it tighten, you can leave it on anywhere from 10 minutes to an hour. Afterwards, your skin will have an amazing glow!
6. Lemon Juice- For this one, you can either use lemon juice or a fresh squeezed lemon. Lemons have natural antibacterial and astringent properties to help clear your skin. Apply the lemon juice to your skin and leave on for 15 minutes to an hour.
7. Garlic- Not only is garlic a great natural antibacterial when ingested, it also works great topically. To use it, take a clove of garlic and thinly slice it. Rub the slices on your skin, particularly any problem areas, making sure the juice of the garlic is applied. Leave on for 15 minutes to 30 minutes.
8. Ice Cubes- Rub an ice cube on problem areas to help reduce inflammation. Not only, does the cold close your pores it also forces the bacteria out. You can also splash your face with cold water to achieve similar affects.
9. Cornstarch- Cornstarch is very soothing and gentle. This is a great natural remedy for acne when you have a lot of redness or irritation. You can apply the cornstarch to your individual breakouts or to your whole face. Sometimes I leave it on over night and find a huge difference in the morning.
10. Aloe- Aloe is very soothing and reduces inflammation and redness. To use it, apply the gel to your skin with your fingers, you can apply it several times a day. If you have an aloe plant, it would be even better as you get the aloe fresh, without any added ingredients.
I still continue to use these natural remedies for acne, typically, I use the baking soda mask and coconut oil once a day. My skin is now, 99.9 percent clear, if I have an unusually stressful week or stop using baking soda for a few weeks, I may get a breakout.
No matter what the cause is there’s no time like the present to try these natural remedies for acne and try to improve your skin to the best it can be. The good news is there’s a lot to try!
Have you tried any of these natural remedies for acne? What has worked for you?
Sources: http://www.naturalnews.com/024956_gluten_acne_health.html
Bentonite clay, http://www.bulkherbstore.com/Bentonite-Clay-Powder?s=bentonite is also a great acne remedy. Used as a mask, it draws dirt and bacteria from the skin, reduces, swelling, and leaves skin feeling smooth.
Thanks for adding that! That is another excellent remedy and it works fast too!
Witch hazel as a toner and honey and oat mask treatment
A big factor is also the health of your gut. I always struggled with my skin but ever since I started a diet full of probiotic foods and beverages, my skin has been so clear.
What are some examples of probiotic foods?
I drink kombucha everyday and take a good quality probiotic. There are several dairy products that contain probiotics, however, dairy can actually make acne worse in some cases.
Fermented foods provide beneficial bacteria similar to probiotics, such as sauerkraut.
The thing that worked best for my kids was vitamin B5, also known as Pantothenic Acid. It takes about a month to work, but it REALLY works! You take 1000 to 2000 mg per day. The acne clears right up. I have heard of cases where it didn’t work for somebody, probably because they had some other cause for the acne other than just normal teenage acne that couldn’t be overcome by the vitamin.
I found Rosemary oil to be of great benefit for blackheads, best applied in the morning, leave on for about 20 minutes. Shrinks pores, makes skin less oily and loosens blackheads, if used every day they will come out by themselves. 1 drop rosemary oil to 2 ml carrier oil.
Found lemon juice worked well for my acne.
Thanks for sharing, those are great remedies!
Curious about the rosemary oil. What do u mix with it and where do you find it?
Hi, what would you use if you have an angry red pimple? How would you get the inflammation down?
Ice really works…two minutes rubbing around. Do not hold on it b/c it can burn your skin. Aleve (the real brand name) also really helps if painful. I learned this a few yrs ago on a acne forum. Just do not over do it.
Whenever I have a break out, baking soda helps the redness and inflammation, also using the ice can significantly help reduce inflammation.
Cover your white pustule ( white head) with toothpaste and leave on over night. Gone in the morning! Also witch hazel!!!!
I’ve used raw honey masks, baking soda, Braggs apple cider vinegar (it has to be raw, unpasterized) bentonite clay, Oil of Oregano P73 by Herb and Spice does an amazing job at minimizing a huge pimple that’s deep. I rub some of the oil on at night, or even a couple times a day, and it either draws the infection out, or just minimizes it until it’s gone. I’ve also heard to drink a warm cup of freshly squeezed lemon water first thing in the morning, and it seems like I have less breakouts.
Thanks for sharing, those are great remedies! Drinking lemon water in the morning is great way to detoxify, I have found it to be beneficial for my skin as well!
Hi! Great info! PLEASE check out the blog on website http://www.skinfitaustin.com. She has the best information on diet and products with tons of wonderful tips. I recently purchased her skin care and am really happy. I wish I lived in the same state so I could actually go to her office. I have no affiliation with her …just loved the info she provided and it has really helped!
My friend recommended this post to me and I’m really excited to try these out!
I’ll do the baking soda mask for sure, but what else should I do regularly? Because I don’t want to just try all 10 out at once! :0)
The baking soda mask has worked the best for me, I use it once a day, I’m amazed at the results, even from just one application. Apple cider vinegar is a close second and coconut oil. Coconut oil is great to reduce breakouts and it moisturizes skin really well. Let us know how they work for you!
Thanks! I’m on day 4 and I really do see great results from the baking soda mask!! Though, I do wonder how it’s kept on all night without getting baking soda all over the sheets! :0)
So glad you are seeing good results! When I use it over night, I put it on and let it dry for 10 minutes and then gently rub off the excess flakes. So it is still on a little bit, but won’t make a mess.
Hi there,
I tried for the first time the Baking Soda mask yesterday. It felt refreshing. After I washed my face, I had several more outbreaks, is this normal?
And I was wondering how you do it, leaving the mask for more than an hour or even over night? The Baking Soda tries out and I got dust everywhere.
Thanks for sharing your great ideas.
The breakouts could have happened because you didn’t moisturize enough after using the baking soda. It’s pretty drying plus exfoliating which = drying, so your skin produces more oil to combat the dryness thus causing more breakouts. When I use baking soda, I make sure to use my regular moisturizer and then coconut oil over it.
I have found wonderful results with knox brand clear gelatin and milk mixture i has done wonders for my skin.
That’s great! Thanks for sharing!
This sounds great
Try it right away tomorrow
If anybody concerns, coconut oil works best for me and my bro
Thanks for sharing! Coconut oil is a great one!
I’m wondering how you keep the baking soda on all night?? I do a mask regularly for 5-10 minutes and have to keep rubbing the paste or water on to keep it from drying out and getting all over the place. It would be all over my pillow and in my hair etc if I slept with it on! My face is not dry I moisturize plenty so that can’t be an issue.
It does get pretty messy after it dries! Before I go to bed, I put it on and wait about 15 minutes, then gently rub the crumbling pieces off with towel so it is still on but won’t make any mess.
Ok i’ll have to try that, thanks!!
All those ideas are great! One thing to remember tho, the skin has 3 excretory organs, solids (poop), liquid (urine), and skin (eruptions/pimples) The first two have to be overloaded before it hits the skin…. Diet DOES count! Using the topical recipes above are great, but you have to cleanse the other two for long term results and change the diet to one that is not so poisonous and clogging! Does not have to be overnight change all, that would really be jolt to system that can’t handle waste already! Start adding more beneficial foods daily. I try for 5-9 veggies a day~somedays I only eat 3….but most days it will be 7-9 veggies. Keep a food diary. Adapt favorite foods, veggie omelet, veggie pizza etc. ALWAYS try to eat 1-3 cruciferous veggies daily! (Cancer prevention) and veggies that have antibacterial, anti fungal, anti parasite properties…. add and rotate more as you learn more! When I ate like this I felt great!!! Have gotten away from it and feel lousy! Starting to get back into it and am reminded everyday that I shouldn’t have gotten lazy about diet!! Dr. Oz has good 3 day cleanse if you have a Blendtec or Vitamix. Natalia Rose has a great ” Detox for Women” book out. First area to start on is digestive PBS did a special that explained to newbies the best but right now I can’t think of her name! Sorry.
Brenda Watson did special on PBS about colon health…. Doesn’t matter how many great foods you eat if your intestines are clogged, it can’t absorb nutrients! Clean this first! the rest will follow!
Great point! These natural remedies for acne are great to help minimize the appearance, but it is also very important to treat the cause!
I am 29 years old and my breakouts got worse in my early twenties. Thats when I started to use more makeup. I have since then tried every non-natural brand I could get my hands on. But nothing worked. Some of them worked somewhat in the beginning but months later just became worse. But I found that the less products I use the better it gets. Today I use raw unprocessed shea butter for the dry spots, almond oil for the less dry spots. My chin never gets really dry and thats the only area I do get a few breakouts now and then. To combat these breakouts I use breastmilk, and it works amazingly well. I dont know what to use when I stop breastfeeding though
Breastmilk?! That’s amazing to hear it has helped! Thank you so much for sharing! I have read about it being used also for treating cancer, now if only I had some lol