10 Household Items That Fight Acne.
If you are coping with acne, running out of your favorite treatment is just as about as bad as PMS sans available chocolate. Maybe even worse. When in a pinch though, there are many items sitting right in your kitchen that can fight acne, naturally! Below we’ve pulled out 10 items that you can use from your own house to fix that terrible breakout – get ready for some clear skin ladies!
Aspirin
That miracle headache medicine can create other wonders. Crush one aspirin in a small bowl with just enough water (make sure it’s filtered or bottled so it’s purified) to create a paste. Spread that paste on your face or use as a spot treatment. Remember to apply moisturizer after rinsing, as Aspirin can be pretty drying to the skin, but also
to that pesky pimple.
Honey
Raw honey is a powerful superfood in its most natural state. Rich in antioxidants, phytonutrients and live enzymes, a small dab on acne before bed is a great tool to relieve blemishes, reduce redness and soften skin.
Lemon juice
Squeeze a lemon and apply a little of the juice with a cotton swab onto your blemishes. Lemons are a good source of vitamin C and they act as an astringent and anti-inflammatory to cut down on swelling and bacteria, and dry up the infectio
Garlic
Garlic doesn’t just fight vampires – it also can dry out those pimples! Rub the juice from a garlic clove on the areas needing treating and then rinse. Make sure to avoid your eyes!
Vitamin E
If you have popped a pimple (we’re hoping you don’t do this, but in case of emergency!), break open a capsule of vitamin E and apply the oil to the area to speed healing.
Aloe Vera
Take a piece off of an aloe plant and use the cool natural aloe to soothe inflamed blemishes and reduce swelling and redness
Tea bags
Take a wet green tea bag and chill so it gets cool. Then apply it to your blemishes. Green tea is antiseptic and a natural anti-inflammatory, says Lewis. Relatedly, chamomile is a great gentle astringent. You can make your own chamomile astringent by taking 3-4 chamomile tea bags (or 2 handfuls of the dry plant) and brew it into a very strong tea, says Dr. Agnes Olszewski, CEO of Herborium, makers of AcnEase, a botanical acne treatment, and natural medicine specialist. When cooled, splash it on or use on a cotton pad all over your face twice a day. Keep the leftovers in the refrigerator, but use or discard in two days.
Oils:
Try massaging in a few drops of olive oil, avocado or coconut oil and wiping away with a cotton ball soaked in lukewarm water (for dry skin, you can add a few drops of rose oil or lavender – for combination and oily skin, skip the rose oil or lavender and add in some fresh drops of lemon juice), says Olszewski.
Ice:
Ice can be a girl’s best friend. Wrap an ice cube in a paper towel and press against a pimple or inflamed area to reduce swelling temporarily, says Lewis.
Oatmeal:
Mix up a cup of unflavored, unsweetened oatmeal– you want it to be pasty but not soupy, so don’t add too much water. Add a touch of honey for extra good measure. Apply as a mask to your face and leave on for about 10 minutes before rinsing. Oatmeal is great at absorbing oils and dirt, as well as gently exfoliating your skin.
If you are coping with acne, running out of your favorite treatment is just as about as bad as PMS sans available chocolate. Maybe even worse. When in a pinch though, there are many items sitting right in your kitchen that can fight acne, naturally! Below we’ve pulled out 10 items that you can use from your own house to fix that terrible breakout – get ready for some clear skin ladies!
Aspirin
That miracle headache medicine can create other wonders. Crush one aspirin in a small bowl with just enough water (make sure it’s filtered or bottled so it’s purified) to create a paste. Spread that paste on your face or use as a spot treatment. Remember to apply moisturizer after rinsing, as Aspirin can be pretty drying to the skin, but also
to that pesky pimple.
Honey
Raw honey is a powerful superfood in its most natural state. Rich in antioxidants, phytonutrients and live enzymes, a small dab on acne before bed is a great tool to relieve blemishes, reduce redness and soften skin.
Lemon juice
Squeeze a lemon and apply a little of the juice with a cotton swab onto your blemishes. Lemons are a good source of vitamin C and they act as an astringent and anti-inflammatory to cut down on swelling and bacteria, and dry up the infectio
Garlic
Garlic doesn’t just fight vampires – it also can dry out those pimples! Rub the juice from a garlic clove on the areas needing treating and then rinse. Make sure to avoid your eyes!
Vitamin E
If you have popped a pimple (we’re hoping you don’t do this, but in case of emergency!), break open a capsule of vitamin E and apply the oil to the area to speed healing.
Aloe Vera
Take a piece off of an aloe plant and use the cool natural aloe to soothe inflamed blemishes and reduce swelling and redness
Tea bags
Take a wet green tea bag and chill so it gets cool. Then apply it to your blemishes. Green tea is antiseptic and a natural anti-inflammatory, says Lewis. Relatedly, chamomile is a great gentle astringent. You can make your own chamomile astringent by taking 3-4 chamomile tea bags (or 2 handfuls of the dry plant) and brew it into a very strong tea, says Dr. Agnes Olszewski, CEO of Herborium, makers of AcnEase, a botanical acne treatment, and natural medicine specialist. When cooled, splash it on or use on a cotton pad all over your face twice a day. Keep the leftovers in the refrigerator, but use or discard in two days.
Oils:
Try massaging in a few drops of olive oil, avocado or coconut oil and wiping away with a cotton ball soaked in lukewarm water (for dry skin, you can add a few drops of rose oil or lavender – for combination and oily skin, skip the rose oil or lavender and add in some fresh drops of lemon juice), says Olszewski.
Ice:
Ice can be a girl’s best friend. Wrap an ice cube in a paper towel and press against a pimple or inflamed area to reduce swelling temporarily, says Lewis.
Oatmeal:
Mix up a cup of unflavored, unsweetened oatmeal– you want it to be pasty but not soupy, so don’t add too much water. Add a touch of honey for extra good measure. Apply as a mask to your face and leave on for about 10 minutes before rinsing. Oatmeal is great at absorbing oils and dirt, as well as gently exfoliating your skin.
