Natural Acne Treatments

There are many over the counter and prescription treatments for acne but most of these are very expensive and some may even have undesirable long-term side effects. If you are looking for some homemade natural acne remedies, read on.

Start with careful cleansing of the skin. It’s easy to forget this basic step and start applying some potion or lotion. A clean bacteria-free skin really is the most important step. Was your face twice a day – no more, no less – with a gentle cleanser or soap. Use your hands to wash and avoid rubbing too hard. Do not use anything abrasive such as a wash-cloth. For an extra deep clean, use a weak alcohol solution which is available at any pharmacy. This has the added bonus of killing bacteria. Avoid using alcohol too often as this can dry out your skin.

Once a week, mix a little honey with some diluted lemon juice. Apply this to your face twice a week and leave for 10 minutes. Remove gently with warm water. This mixture has natural anti-bacterial properties.

If you have a naturally oily skin – often the case with acne – mix some oatmeal with water to form a thin paste. Apply this to any oily areas of your face and leave for 20 minutes. The oatmeal will absorb oil from your skin without leaving it too dry.

Avoid oily cosmetics – use only those that are water based and hypo-allergenic. Look for those marked noncomedogenic if you can. These should not block pores. Use any cosmetics sparingly in acne-prone areas. Remove all makeup thoroughly every evening.

Avoid picking or squeezing pimples. I know it’s tempting but all you do is force the bacteria deeper into your skin and this can also leave you with permanent scarring. To reduce the size and redness of a pimple, hold an ice cube directly on the spot and leave it there for 30 seconds or so. In fact, you should avoid touching your face at all unless you are washing.

You've eaten a proper diet with lots of fresh fruit and vegetables and avoided fried or greasy foods. You wash your face twice a day. You use the cream the nice lady at the pharmacy recommended. And yet you still have a giant ugly acne pimple right on the end of your nose. So what can you do?

First and foremost, don't touch it. Not even a little bit. Don't pick at it. Don't squeeze it. Don't pop it. Don't pinch it. All you will do is make it bigger and redder and make it last longer. Squeezing forces the bacteria and other nasty stuff deeper into your skin and over the rest of your face. It can even leave a permanent mark.

For some immediate relief, hold an ice cube directly on the spot for one minute. No longer, you don't need frostbite instead of a spot. Repeat the process 30 minutes later. After 2 or 3 treatments the redness and size will be much reduced.

Mix half a teaspoon of honey with an equal amount of lemon juice and gently dab the mixture onto the spot with a cotton ball. This has natural antibiotic properties and will, if nothing else, stop the spot from spreading.

Try a small dab of toothpaste on the spot. This is very good at drying out pimples quickly. Remember to remove the toothpaste before you leave for school or work otherwise you may get some odd looks.

Add a dab of ointment containing benzyl peroxide or salicylic acid to the spot. Many over the counter medications contain one or both of these - check the list of product ingredients. Just buy the store brand or lowest cost cream.

While you are at the supermarket pharmacy, ask for one of those large paper sacks. Cut two eye holes and one for your mouth. Pop it over your head for instant spot disguise. Okay, only kidding but the supermarket will indeed have a product called appropriately enough concealer. Guys, you can use this as well, don't be shy in asking for help. Get the closest match to your skin tone that you can. All it needs is the tiniest amount gently smoothed over the spot for complete coverage.