How to Treat Acne With Natural Products

Why don't drugstore acne products work? These products kill the skin's own regenerative processes while trying to kill acne. It is possible to find products that get the job done while treating your skin with respect.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Cleanser
• Exfoliator
• Toner
• Oil-free moisturizer or oxygen treatment
• Mask treatment
• Tea tree oil

1. Read the label. If it has too many ingredients or you can't pronounce them, stay away. Chemicals harm sensitive, acne-prone skin, increase inflammation and tend to overdry it, causing it to produce more oil to compensate. However, there are some active ingredients that are naturally derived.

2. Know your acids. Salicylic acid is basically willow tree bark. Alpha-hydroxy acids, such as glycolic acid, occur naturally in citrus fruits. These are gentle active ingredients that can help regulate oil without overdrying.

3. Choose a wash-off cleanser. It's not enough to use a wet washcloth, a makeup remover or an alcohol-based toner. There's something about massaging your face with a cleanser first that makes all the next steps work better. It wakes up your skin, stimulates it to purify and gives pores time to open with the warm water.

4. Exfoliate dead skin cells. This can be done with the right cleanser, if it has scrubbing properties, or you can use a separate product. Alpha-hydroxy acids are a gentle method suitable for daily use. You may also see more intensive treatments to be used weekly. Use your own judgment based on your skin's cell turnover rate.

5. Follow with toner. Estheticians swear by this step, even though it may seem frivolous. The thing is, if you've properly cleansed, you only need enough toner to moisten one cotton ball. It calms your skin down after a scrub, removes any leftover oils and clears the way for the next treatment. When selecting a toner, go with natural acids. Don't pick anything with alcohol, peroxide or witch hazel among the first two ingredients.

6. Use tea tree oil to target existing acne. You may find treatments that use tea tree oil with other herbal ingredients, and these are good too. Antiseptic tea tree oil is just as fast-acting and far better for your skin than alcohol or peroxide creams.

7. Replenish your skin's moisture after cleansing. If you provide a gentle, oil free moisturizer, the skin will have less need to produce its own oils. Use it sparingly, however--moisture is not the only reason your skin produces oil, so using more moisturizer won't make it work better. If you're in doubt of your skin's need for moisture, start by using it only once a day, in the evening. You might also try an oxygen treatment for minimal moisturizing.

8. Use a mask treatment with a base of algae, clay or honey weekly. Regular use is the key to these treatments, because they draw impurities out of the skin. If you only use them once in a while, it will seem like they are making the situation worse. But regular use will draw out impurities faster than your skin can produce them.

Tips & Warnings

• If you wear makeup, consider using a mineral base. It won't clog your pores and may even be beneficial to your skin.
• Make sure your hands are clean before you use them to clean your face! You want to rub bacteria out, not in.

[domihop20]

on 8/30/2008 Previous comment is an ADD - check out her other comments! DO not believe her.