Clear Your
Acne - Naturally!
Most people who suffer from acne go out and spend good money on
common over-the-counter acne treatment products. The truth is, most of
these products are full of chemicals that can actually slow down the
healing of acne, and irritate your skin, causing farther breakouts.
When an acne product has 20 ingredients listed on it, 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 can't pronounce the
ingredient, much less know what it is and how it is going to affect your
skin. Most mainstream acne treatments are not only much more expensive
than common household items, but they also don't always work as well
either. With that in mind, I will list some basic household items that can
work wonders on clearing up your skin.
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.
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 (Also known as Vit. 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.
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.
You now have an idea of some basic household items you can
use on your skin, that work better than many OTC acne products, and are
much cheaper to use. Since we have only really covered basic acne
treatments, you can always take this to another level and take all
natural, internal acne treatments.
This sums up our basic list of natural alternatives for
chemical based acne treatment products. You can take this a step farther
by attacking your acne from the inside out. Acne has been shown numerous
times to be very closely affected by the digestive system, so keeping your
entire digestive system working as smooth as possible can help reduce
acne. I will help give you a basic idea of some all natural products you
can take to help clear up acne.
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, they should help reduce acne breakouts. Flax seed can
also be wonderful for helping your skin heal faster.
Ryan Bauer is a former acne sufferer who writes health
articles and runs his
acne treatment
website, Acne Elimination.