How to Reduce Acne Naturally

Acne not only diminishes self-esteem, but can also lead to permanent scarring. If you don't want to use topical or oral medication, you have other options. Read on.

Difficulty: Moderately challenging

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Toners
• Hand Or Wash Towels
• Acne Treatments
• Exfoliating Cleanser
• Moisturizing Facial Masks
• Oil-free Facial Cleansers
• Oil-free Moisturizers
• Tea Tree Oils

1. Wash your face at least twice a day with a mild cleanser. Use a pH-balanced cleanser without perfumes or too many chemical additives.

2. Touch your face as little as possible, and only when your hands are clean.

3. Avoid squeezing pimples. Bacteria on your hands or on unsterile equipment can lead to more blemishes and possible scarring.

4. Steam your face once or twice a week to help open the pores. Boil water, remove the pot from the stove, drape a towel over your head and hold your face over the pot. Then rinse your face with cold water. (See "Make an Herbal Facial," under Related eHows.)

5. Use essential oils such as calendula, chamomile, juniper, lavendar and mint directly on your skin. Mix 10 drops of any of the oils with 2 tbsp. soy or almond oil, and smooth a few drops on dampened skin.

6. Try using herbs. Saw palmetto can help balance boys' hormones, while chaste tree berry can do the same for girls. Echinacea, alfalfa, burdock root, cayenne, chaparral and yellow dock root are also helpful.

7. Consider other topical mixtures. Beat an egg yolk, apply it with a cotton ball and leave it on for 15 minutes. Alternatively, mix oatmeal and honey together to form a paste and apply it to your face. Oatmeal soaks up excess oil and honey soothes the skin.

8. Take acidophilus to fight bacteria.

9. Eat a diet high in fiber, including whole grains and fresh vegetables and fruits, to keep your body healthy overall and provide nutrients to your skin. Stay away from junk food, caffeine and salty foods.

10. Determine whether specific foods aggravate your skin and eliminate them from your diet.

11. Consider adding zinc supplements to your diet.

12. Limit your exposure to the sun and reduce the stress in your life.

Tips & Warnings

• Consult a dermatologist if your acne is severe.
• Take a multivitamin/mineral supplement if you are taking zinc. Increased intake of zinc requires more copper and manganese.
• If you have any questions or concerns, contact a physician or other health care professional before engaging in any activity related to health and diet. This information is not intended as a substitute for professional medical advice or treatment.

[ssarah]

on 10/1/2009 Hello everybody - As I just stated beneath a different article not all skin is created equal. What is helpful for me might just make the skin of someone else worse. Hence it is crucial that one does not just follow any hints. I do not think this article is bad in fact I think there is some useful advice in it. But one should at first give it a careful try before jumping in at the deep end.

[nickc]

on 8/31/2009 if your acne is really that bad which mine is just use accutane and get it over with once and for all

[4ofjuly]

on 7/13/2009 do i have to do all these steps ofr just chose 1

[missella5]

on 2/23/2009 from what i understand, the oils may help to help the good oils flow, enabling the hardened, stuck oils to be released easier...apparently the clear oil is a good oil, but if you don't wash it off regularly and it gets dirty, by smoke or makeup or dirty air and dries, it causes clogged pores...

[tbsmith]

on 1/24/2009 I use a natural soap from www.EdenAllure.com, the grapefruit one. It removes oil from my face and dries it up, and clears up breakouts in 2-3 days.