Ugh, nothing seems worse than getting a big pimple … or 5 the day of an important event. It can be completely debilitating for many. I used to suffer greatly when I’d have a big flair up and scour the internet hours upon hours searching home remedies for acne and inflammation that actually worked. I mean I would just sit and cry and stare at myself in the mirror praying it would go down.
Acne can greatly affect the people suffering from it. For some it may be just a simple skin disorder but for those who are experiencing it, it can seem like the end of the world. Some feel that acne ruins their appearance and they even tend to withdraw socially. This happens because acne sufferers often lack self-confidence and have low self-esteem.
We may even be the subject of jokes from our peers. If these negative feelings aren’t handled, they can even lead to depressions. People tend to get even more frustrated when the acne treatment they are using doesn’t work. It can preoccupy your every thought, thinking abut how to treat your acne or appearance.
Why Does Acne Occur?
In general, acne happens when the oil is blocked in the sebaceous glands causing it to build up underneath. As it gets clogged, bacteria will eventually multiply causing the skin surrounding to get inflamed.
This inflammation may lead to postulates, papules, and worse cysts. Acne can be aggravated also by the following factors, although these things are not the main reason why acne happens: heredity, improper food intake such as too much fatty and oily food, dirt, stress, hormones, cosmetics and other beauty products, pressure, and drugs.
Many articles you read will tell you that eating pizza and burgers won’t cause you to get pimples, but I can tell you that if you do not eat a healthy diet, have any gluten allergies, do not eat fruits and veggies or balance your fast food with other nutrients- you will most likely develop acne.
So I tell any acne sufferer to be mindful of what they eat and stay away from the junk food, processed food, sugar foods, and greasy foods. Not only are these very high inflammatory foods but they do not provide your body the nutrients to help you heal properly.
So beyond the diet- lets tackle home remedies for acne on the surface.
15 Home Remedies for Acne & Inflammation
Natural home remedies can really help in preventing and even curing certain types of acne problems. Many of these are readily available in the home or can be purchased through a natural food or drug store. Most treatments and can be applied easily and at a low cost. Check them out and see which one will work best for you.
1. Tea tree oil
Natural Tea Tree oil is a widely-used home remedy for acne. It contains an ingredient that is good for anti-bacterial activity; it prevents acne from getting inflamed. Tea tree oil acts like an antiseptic and disinfects the pores. In addition, it helps kill the bacteria that cause acne. Just apply one drop of tree tea oil to the affected area one to three times a day. It should start to reduce the inflammation in a few hours.
If the application of undiluted tea tree oil causes skin irritation, redness, or over-drying, use tea tree oil diluted in water or mix it with aloe vera gel and then apply.
Tea tree oil has been a blessing to my skin as well as aloe vera (the real stuff).
2. Baking Soda
Baking soda or sodium bicarbonate works as a gentle exfoliate for your skin and oil reducer. Thus, it unplugs the pores and removes dead skin.
This is great is you have blackheads and clogged pores. It also helps regulate the pH balance of the skin and has mild anti-inflammatory and antiseptic properties. All these characteristics make it an excellent home remedy for clearing acne.
Apply a paste of one or two teaspoons of baking soda and a little water all over your face like a mask- or use it as a spot treatment. Rinse it off after a few minutes. Good to use immediately after an unavoidable pimple popping session. Use baking soda on your skin only once a week as it can dry it out.
3. Honey & Cinnamon Mask
Honey and cinnamon powder also work great for a facial treatment. Honey has many antibiotic properties to cure acne.
Take a spoon of cinnamon powder and add few drops of honey. Apply it over the acne prone areas and leave it for 20 minutes or even overnight if you deal with the stickiness. Wash off with lukewarm water the next morning.
This remedy can pull up dirt from your face and reduce acne. Do this on days your don’t have lots of large white heads as its great for maintenance. Its a great way how to get rid of blackheads on your nose and other facial areas.
4. Lime juice mixed with Ground Nut
Grab some walnuts (shells and all) and crush them with a hammer into fine dust. Add lime juice to mixture and apply it to the face as a mask for a few minutes. Concentrate on the nose, chin and forehead area. This wonderful mask can also help prevent formation of blackheads and dry skin.
5. Lemon Juice For An Easy Home Remedy for Acne
The acidic property of lemons can be very useful in treating acne. Lemon will clean out dirt that has accumulated in the pores and will harden the sebum. You can use it on your skin daily but if it is too drying then use it every two or three days.
Rub a slice of lemon on the affected area and leave it for a few hours before rinsing your face with water. If it stings, mix it with water or you can also mix lemon juice with rose water in equal amounts and use the solution to wash the affected area thoroughly.
Remember not to use it on open sores as it will really sting and cause your skin to be red and uncomfortable.
6. Aloe Vera Gel
Aloe vera gel is great as a natural acne remedy because it has soothing and anti-inflammatory properties that can treat acne in a matter of a few days. Aloe vera gel is also helpful in healing the scars caused by acne.
Grab a live plant and you will always have this wonderful healing gel around for all your needs. The natural plant is best if you can find it as the store bought options can contain chemicals.
7. Cooked Oatmeal
Raw oatmeal is beneficial in reducing acne because it cleanses your skin pores and absorbs excess oil. Plus, it exfoliates your skin. Just mix one teaspoon of honey and the juice of half a lemon in a cup of cooked oatmeal.
Rub this mixture over your skin, leaving it on for 30 minutes and then rinse with lukewarm water. Do this once or twice a week for maximum benefits.
8. Orange Peel
The acidic property and high vitamin C present in an orange makes it the perfect remedy for acne. You can use the juice from the orange as well as its peel, but the peel itself can be more effective.
Place orange peel in the sun and let it completely dry out. Grind the dried peel into a powder and add water to make a paste. Apply the paste to the affected area and leave it on for 10 to 15 minutes. Then wash your face with warm water for beautiful clean, clear, glowing skin.
9. Cucumber
Cucumber can purify blood as well as the lymphatic system in our body. Grate a cucumber and blend it using a blender. Apply this liquid to acne and within few days you will see the results.
You can also drink cucumber juice twice a day for a week for additional health and beauty benefits. Its not the best tasting alone but it works. I suggest adding in a green apple, spinach, almond butter and some pineapple. Sounds weird but its good!
While using this acne remedy we suggest you avoid all dairy products at the same time. You should see results within 3 days. If you decide to bring dairy back into your diet- do so slowly to make sure it isn’t the cause of any acne outbreaks.
10. Yeast and Yogurt Mask for Oily Skin
Oily skin is more prone to acne unfortunately, but this home remedy can reduce excess oil and help clear acne.
To make the mask, combine 1 teaspoon of brewer’s yeast with a little plain yogurt to create a thin mixture. Apply it to all the oily areas of your and leave on for 15 to 20 minutes. Rinse with warm water; then use cold water to close the pores.
11. Lemon-Egg Face Mask
This is a great all-purpose acne home remedy that can boost any skin type.
Squeeze half a lemon and mix the juice with one beaten egg white. Apply to the face, and leave the mask on for 30 minutes or even overnight while you sleep.
In the morning, wash your face with warm water. Be sure to keep the raw-egg mixture out of your mouth and eyes. *DO NOT use if you are allergic to eggs!!!
12. Turmeric Facial Mask
For beautiful skin, brides in India traditionally use a turmeric mask before their wedding. Turmeric is a natural antibiotic and helps with inflammation all over. It makes your skin glow and look radiant. It is true- this is my go to every time I need to look amazing for something (which ya know is all the time ha!)
Mix together a teaspoon of honey and 2 teaspoons turmeric powder and then combine them with enough water to make a paste. Apply and leave on for 10 to 15 minutes.
Rub with pressure with both palms and fingers to remove all the paste. Rinse well with water or toner. If any yellow stain remains just continue to wash face with a mild soap or wipe with a toner such as witch hazel until it comes off.
13. Apple Cider Vinegar
Apple cider vinegar is a powerhouse when it comes to acting as an acne remedy. It kills off any bacteria that may be causing the trouble in the first place.
It also becomes alkaline, and balances the pH of your skin, which in turn makes it harder for bacteria to thrive. To top it off it’s an astringent, like lemon juice, and will help dry up excess oil.
Keeping that in mind, don’t overdo and dry out your skin too much. This could cause the sebaceous glands overproduce to compensate, therefore triggering an outbreak.
Just mix pure unfiltered apple cider vinegar and fresh water. Spritz or wipe on face nightly before bed to clean and clear away acne bacteria. Results are often seen in less than 5 days.
14. Sugar Scrub
Sugar, white or brown, helps get rid of the excess skin cells clogging up your pores by acting as gentle exfoliater. Mix it up with honey, olive oil, or just plain water, and you have a sweet scrub to help rid you of your acne woes.
Make a batch and place it a seal-able container for long term use. This scrub can be used on back acne as well as regular dry skin and leaves the skin feeling soft and looking amazing.
Do not use on active or open acne lesions. Heal them with aloe, honey, or cucumber remedies first and once cleared up- use on a weekly basis to keep acne and clogged pours away.
15. Herbal Tea Toner
There have been some promising studies recently in which green tea was shown to have a noticeable impact on acne when used externally.
There is an antioxidant in green tea shown to reduce sebum production, inflammation, and bacterial growth in acne-prone skin- basically the main causes behind breakouts.
Make a cup of green tea like you normally would with hot or warm water- letting cool until pleasant feelings on the skin. Take a cotton ball or fabric towel and wipe all over the face including acne ridden areas- just be gentle over such areas.
Do this once or twice a day and shortly you should see your face looking cleaner and clearer.
Final Thoughts
Acne can be a painful experience for everyone. It can degrade self-esteem causing people to get depressed and frustrated and become anti-social.
Although oil that gets clogged is the main cause why it happens, there are some factors that can greatly affects its growth and formation such as dirt, pressure, stress, hormones, food, etc. Before it is too late, it is better to try home remedies for acne solutions that will prevent these problems from being too serious.