By Rebekah Malkin
So your face is breaking out and you have an interview or date tomorrow, what do you do?
Go to the store and buy expensive cleansers and spot treatments?
No! You go to your kitchen or pantry, grab a few cheap ingredients and get rid of acne quickly, cheaply, and naturally.
That’s right; you can break the cycle of acne without any expensive products, or extra chemicals and toxins.
First, what is acne?
Acne is usually a bacterial infection in your sebaceous glands caused by blockage in your pores or hair follicles. This sounds big and scary, but it really just means that your pores are blocked up, so the oil your face naturally produces builds up. The blockage is usually caused by dead skin cells or oil.
There are a few very common reasons for acne; one of the most common is dead skin cells. Your skin sloughs off flakes of dead skin, so that new skin can come to the surface, but sometimes these dead skin cells can get stuck in your pores instead of falling off.
Another common reason is hormones such as testosterone which occurs naturally in men and women, puberty, or hormone increases or decreases due to medications.
And the most common reason… leaving your makeup on. This causes acne because the makeup blocks up the pores, so always remove your makeup as soon as you can.
So, now you’re thinking, “Fine, now I know what acne is, but how do I get rid of it,” well, here are a few choice tips and recipes to nip those pimples in the bud.
Your biggest friend is honey. It has antibacterial properties, which can kill the bacteria that cause the infection. Honey is also cheap and easy to use, simple put it on any pimple, black-head, white-head, or cyst, and leave it on for an hour. Then wash it off with water.
Another way to use honey to help your acne is to mix it with cinnamon, until it becomes a sticky paste. Then use this paste as a mask (it may burn a little bit) and leave on for about ten minutes or so. Then simply wash the mask off. This mask is great for not only curing acne, but reducing the appearance of pores and acne scars.
Ice and heat can also be very helpful in the fight against zits. For black and white-heads ice can be a great way to relieve the pain of the pimple, and decrease the swelling. If you have a cyst (acne that is painful, and underneath the skin) heat applied to it can start to reduce the pain, and open the pores to begin to release the clog in your pores.
The easiest ways to apply heat are to put hot water direct on a washcloth and hold it on top of the cyst, or to give yourself a homemade spa steam. To do a spa steam, boil some water and pour it into a bowl. Then get a towel and put your face directly above the bowl, and put the towel over the top of your head to make a steam tent. I like to add ginger to the water for its detox and anti-inflammatory affect as a nice bonus.
Another acne fighter is aloe vera gel.
Simply put it directly on the pimples and leave it on, do not wash it off, let it dry and do your makeup as you do usually. Make sure when you use aloe vera that it is 100% aloe vera gel. Another great pimple buster is baking soda. Mix baking soda with water and then use it as a scrub to remove the dead skin cells that could clog your pores in the future. It also kills the bacteria that cause acne.
Or even apple cider vinegar can make a great toner for acne ridden skin. You must mix it with water before putting it on your face because otherwise it will burn. Then use this water and apple cider vinegar as a regular toner. This helps kill bacteria and balance the pH in your skin.
These are all great new acne recipes to try, but there are few things you need to stop doing if you want to permanently rid yourself of those pesky pimples.
Try to eat healthy; your skin tends to break out when you eat too much or too little of the important nutrients your body needs. Make sure to eat balanced meals, and I promise, your skin will thank you.
Another important tip is to wash your face immediately after exercising or sweating. This gives less time for your sweat to build up in your pores and create acne, because the sweat is immediately washed away.
And lastly and most importantly, do no touch your face. This includes itching, pimple popping, and any face rubbing. I know it’s hard, but if you really stop touching your face, you’ll notice the acne starts to get better within only a few days.
No matter what, don’t give up. You can get rid of your acne without breaking the bank, or covering your skin in toxic chemicals.
As long as you keep up with these tips and recipes, and take good care of your body and skin, you will kick acne’s butt!