Saturday, February 15, 2014

Helpful Home Remedies for Acne and Pesky Pimples

Your skin is your friend. You like your skin. Your skin likes you. It protects you from the elements and literally keeps you together. You in turn do your best to protect it from any kind of damage. Then, one day, acne rears its ugly head and you suddenly hate your skin. What do you do then? Turn to harsh chemicals and expensive scrubs? That’s a fine way to thank a friend who’s been there for you since day one. Your epidermis isn't at fault here-it can’t help that your hormones are causing all that extra sebum to clog up your pores or the fact that bacteria is running rampant. If your skin could talk it would say something along the lines of “patience, grasshopper. Treat me right and I shall repay you in kind."

That’s just my guess. The point is, natural acne remedies are a good way to get rid of it or at least hold it at bay. They make you step back and really figure out what’s going on with your skin and how to work with it. Chances are, your skin will repay you in kind for not simply ravaging it with strange chemicals - and your wallet will probably thank you too. 






Make a cinnamon and honey mask

Honey is sticky and cinnamon is spicy, it seems like they’re both things you’d want to avoid getting near your skin. Surprisingly, while it may sound strange, honey and cinnamon make a (literally) killer combo when it comes to acne. Cinnamon has antimicrobial properties, so it can help stop bacteria from getting out of hand. Then honey is a natural antibiotic, ready and waiting to wipe the little buggers out.

You will need…
-2 tablespoons of honey
-1 teaspoon of cinnamon
- paper towels

Directions
Rinse your face with water and pat dry. Mix 2 tablespoons of honey and 1 teaspoon of cinnamon together until they are thoroughly blended and have formed a sort of paste. Apply the mask to your face (or spot treat) and leave on for 10-15 minutes. Rinse off completely and pat your face dry. This is a sticky mixture, so make sure you have some paper towels on hand.



Make an orange peel paste

Ah, oranges. They taste rejuvenating and refreshing and our skin may find them just as appealing as our taste buds do. Acne that is caused by bacteria and extra oil/dead skin cells clogging up pores may improve with the use of an orange peel face mask of sorts. Thanks to the vitamin C, citric acid and it’s astringent properties. Vitamin C is particularly helpful because it promotes the growth of new healthy cells, keeping your skin in better 
overall condition.


You will need…
-2 Orange peels
-Clean, fresh water

Directions
Rinse your face with water and pat dry. Grind/pound up your orange peels (you could use a blender, mortar and pestle, whatever gets the job done) and add a little water to create a paste. Add a little at a time, as too much will make it too thin and runny. Once you have the right consistency, apply it to your face and/or problem areas. Wait for 20-25 minutes. Ideally the mask should be firm but it can still work if it isn't.  Rinse off completely with water, pat your face dry and apply a good moisturize.



The land of milk and honey (or yogurt)

While there is quite a bit of hub bub around dairy products causing acne, applied topically it seems that milk can improve your outbreaks and skin tone. The reason it is suggested that milk would cause acne is because of the extra hormones in it-but unless it’s ingested, this doesn't really do much. For the most part, it just soothes the irritated skin and helps tone down the redness. Cleopatra swore on the milk baths she took and well, she was Cleopatra. You could also use yogurt. The acids in it are antibacterial while the fat provides moisture, making it quite nourishing for skin.



You will need…
- 1 tablespoon plain low-fat or full-fat yogurt or milk, anything but skim

- 1 tablespoon of natural, raw, honey

Directions
Let yogurt or milk come to room temperature (or close to) so you don’t get a chilly shock when you put it on your skin. Mix 1 tablespoon of milk or yogurt thoroughly with 1 tablespoon of honey. You can apply the mixture with a cotton pad but scooping it up and patting it on works just fine as well. Let each layer dry before adding a new one, until the mask is the thickness you want. Let it sit for 10-15 minutes. Wash your mask off and use a washcloth to gently scrub in a circular motion, getting rid of loosened dead skin. Once you’re finished, moisturize as usual.




Tap into tea tree oil

You’ll read about tea tree oil for a lot of home remedies but will most likely see it mentioned the most when comes to skin care specifically, acne. But why then when too much oil is clogging the pores and making you break out, would you want to use more oil? Tea tree oil isn't like the oil your skin naturally produces, rather it is more like a solvent that cuts through the extra sebum and dead skin cells, and unblocks the pores. Its antibacterial properties also kill off the acne causing bacteria and prevent further outbreaks. 



Note: Tea tree oil is okay for topical use but should never be ingested. It should also always be diluted before use.

You will need…
-Tea tree oil (a small bottle will do)
-Clean water
-Q-tips or cotton balls

Directions
Wash your face with water and pat dry. Dilute tea tree oil by mixing 1 part oil to 9 parts water. Dip a Q-tip or cotton swab in mixture and apply to problem areas. If you decide you want a stronger dilution after a while, you can slowly (slowly!) begin to increase the strength, making sure to use each new mixture for at least a week for making it any stronger. Again, it should never be applied undiluted. You can apply a light moisturizer afterwards if you wish.

Another option, especially if you have sensitive skin is to dilute it with aloevera gel instead of water.

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