15 Natural Remedies for Acne
Acne is the most common skincare problem around. It’s uncomfortable for the people with it. Many people with acne are embarrassed by their skin. To make matters worse, acne is extremely stubborn and often appears without warning. It’ll be there bright and early in the morning or appear halfway through your workday. Once it comes, it sure feels like the blemish is there to stay. For some people, frequent outbreaks aren’t the only issue. Chronic acne can lead people to struggle with acne for years without seeing any improvement.
If you struggle with acne, you’ve probably tried every commercial product available. By now, you’re probably looking for something that isn’t loaded up with chemicals and negative side effects. Luckily for you, plenty of natural remedies and household items can be just as effective — if not more effective — at treating and preventing acne. For example, you may be surprised that teas are some of the most effective home remedies for acne. Drinking green and chamomile teas can reduce outbreaks; applying the cooled, used tea bags to problematic areas can reduce redness and inflammation. You probably have two other great remedies hidden away in your fridge: lemons and cucumbers. Cucumbers are great at healing your skin, and lemons kill the bacteria that cause acne while returning your skin to healthy pH levels. We’ve also included some simple diet changes and pills that you can implement into your life to fight and prevent acne breakouts.
If you’ve been struggling with acne, we have some home remedies to help.
Reduce Stress
Nobody knows for sure why stress causes breakouts, but it definitely does. If you’re leading a stressed life, there are lots of reasons to work on reducing your stress. Preventing acne is just one great reason to work on reducing your stress. Meditation, deep breathing, exercise, and yoga are all great ways to reduce your stress.
Exercise
Exercise is great for a million different things. As long as you have good hygiene, exercise will help your body fight acne. It opens your pores, regulates your hormones, and promotes circulation, in addition to reducing stress.
Cucumber
There’s a reason people use cucumbers in spa treatments. The bland vegetable is great at both preventing blemishes and preventing future outbreaks. They will open your pores, remove dirt, and improve the health of your skin.
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Coconut Oil
Bacteria play a big part in causing acne. The fatty acids found in coconut oil are great at preventing acne because they target and kill P. acnes, the bacteria that causes many acne outbreaks. Coconut oil is also a great moisturizer that will keep your skin hydrated and healthy.
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Chamomile
A cup of chamomile tea is one of the most calming things you can drink. It’s also a great way to calm acne-prone skin. Applying a cold, used chamomile tea bag to acne-prone skin is gentler than many acne medications but still very effective. It can minimize skin inflammation to help prevent and treat breakouts; it can also reduce acne scarring. Drinking chamomile tea can even be helpful in preventing future breakouts!
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Lemons
If you’re looking for a natural remedy for acne, look no further than your fridge. Lemons are a great way to attack your acne with fewer side effects than traditional medication. The juice is effective because the high acidity makes it difficult for acne-causing bacteria to thrive. It will reduce breakouts, excess oil, redness, and inflammation.
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Take a Zinc Supplement
Zinc is an anti-inflammatory nutrient that helps your body fight viruses and bacteria. It can also be used to relieve redness and, in some cases, acne scarring. Topical zinc can tackle mild acne, but it’s most effective when it’s taken as a regular part of your diet.
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Honey and Cinnamon Mask
If you’re looking to make a homemade exfoliating mask, a honey and cinnamon mask might be the way to go. They are antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and antibacterial — pretty much every “anti” you want in an exfoliating mask! Together, honey and cinnamon can prevent bacteria from growing and help heal your skin.
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Omega-3 Supplement
Because inflammation causes so many skin issues, consistently eating a diet full of anti-inflammatory nutrients like omega-3 fatty acids will help your breakouts disappear for good by reducing inflammation. Foods like tuna, walnuts, and eggs are full of omega-3 fatty acids. You can also take a fish oil supplement; they’re full of omega-3 fatty acids.
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Exfoliate Regularly
Exfoliating regularly will improve the overall health of your skin; this includes preventing acne. It’ll remove dead skin cells and help prevent clogged pores. We recommend people with sensitive skin exfoliate once a week; everyone else should exfoliate no more than two or three times a week. The results of regular exfoliating will be amazing.
Tea Tree Oil
Tea tree oil is one of the most common — and cheapest — ways to combat acne. It’s traditionally been used for infections because of its antimicrobial properties. Dabbing a little bit of tea tree oil on problematic areas will let the oil combat the bacteria that often cause acne.
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Apply Green Tea Bags to Your Skin
After you drink your green tea, you can use your cooled-off tea bags to treat acne. Applying tea bags to your skin is not a great preventative treatment, but it does work to reduce blemishes that are already there.
Apply Witch Hazel
Witch hazel is an anti-inflammatory plant that works extremely well as a natural astringent. It’ll dry oily skin, which can be beneficial for some people struggling with acne, but because of that, it can be dangerous for skin types that are already drier than average.
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Moisturize with Aloe Vera
Inflammation is often one of the root causes of most types of acne. Aloe Vera will fight the acne-producing bacteria and reduce the inflammation that causes the acne. It’s great at combating the more violent initial stages of a breakout.
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Low Glycemic Load Diet
Eating a low glycemic load diet will help decrease your risk for acne. The glycemic index measures how much food will raise your blood sugar. The higher your blood sugar, the more inflammation prone you’ll be, and acne is often caused by inflammation. Keeping your glycemic load low will help prevent future breakouts.
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