Clean, clear and healthy skin is an important aspect of looking and feeling good about yourself. Sometimes though, pimples show up without warning (often just before an important event like an interview or a date) and throw you off your game. If you don’t have any acne treatment at home or if you don’t want to use chemical treatments, these natural treatments at home can give you great results without any unwanted side-effects.
1. Exfoliate With Citric Acid
Lemon has great exfoliating properties thanks to its citric acid content. It is also rich in Vitamin C, which reduces dark spots through cell renewal. You can apply the freshly squeezed lemon juice directly to you face, leave it on for 10 minutes and then rinse it off with lukewarm water just before you sleep. A mixture of two teaspoons of sugar and lemon juice each also works as an excellent exfoliator; just apply the mixture to your face in a circular motion and leave it for ten minutes before rinsing off with lukewarm water.
2. Replenish With Antioxidants From Turmeric
Turmeric is a very common spice, and has long been used in places like India to heal, replenish and keep skin healthy. Turmeric contains more than 300 oxidants, and can alleviate allergic and inflammatory reactions on the skin. You can apply a mixture of turmeric and water directly to your face, let it dry and wash it off. You can also mix turmeric with gram flour and water to create a paste, and leave it on your face for 10-15 minutes or until it dries. Scrub the mixture off gently in circular motions with lukewarm water.
3. Hydrate And Nourish With Cucumbers
Cucumber hydrates and nourishes the skin, and its astringent properties shrink up pores, even up the skin and keep it toned. Cucumber also cleans up already dead skin cells and repairs any damaged skin cells. You can cut cucumbers into thick pieces and apply the juice to your face and leave it overnight before rinsing it off in the morning. A mixture of lemon juice and cucumber juice is also quite effective in soothing your skin and reducing inflammation; keep the mixture on your face until it dries and wash off with lukewarm water.
4. Stave Off Infections With Salt
Table salt has mild antibacterial and antiseptic properties that clean the skin up and stave off infection. However, salt can also make the skin dry, so mixing salt along with a moisturising oil like olive oil or coconut oil will help to clean up your skin, fight any irritants and allergens as well as keeps your face soft and moisturised.
5. Naturally Moisturize With Honey
Honey is both a natural antibacterial as well as a natural moisturiser. Moreover, it is brimming with antioxidants, giving it anti aging properties. It also unclogs your skin pores and cleans them out. You can apply raw honey to your skin and keep it on like a mask, and rinse it off with warm water. However, if you have cinnamon at home, you can also make a mixture of honey and cinnamon to apply to your face; cinnamon inhibits the growth of bacteria, and honey’s antibacterial properties make this combination effective in tackling acne.
6. Fight Inflammation With Baking Soda
Baking soda balances the pH level of your skin, and also has anti-inflammatory and antiseptic properties. This, along with its ability to exfoliate the skin make it a good choice to target acne areas. You can combine one teaspoon of water or lemon juice along with one teaspoon of baking soda to make a paste that exfoliates your skin. Leave the mixture on your face for just a few minutes before you rinse it off with warm water. You can also mix baking soda with honey to apply on your face, but use cold water to rinse this mixture so that your pores close up.
7. Detox With Aloe Vera
Aloe vera is an antibacterial, anti-inflammatory and an astringent, so it helps to get rid of pollutants and irritants, soothes the skin and also heals and evens out marks and scars. Aloe vera also stimulates new skin cell growth. If you have access to an aloe vera plant, you can break off part of it and extract the gel to directly apply onto your face. However, you can also use commercial aloe vera products as they can have the same soothing effect on the skin.
8. Absorb The Vitamins And Minerals From Egg White
Egg white has essential vitamins and minerals that clean up your skin and keep it healthy, and it can also heal and lighten your marks and scars to an extent. Keep the yolk separate from the egg white, and whip the egg white until it becomes frothy. Apply 3 to 5 layers of the whipped egg white on your skin and let it dry, and rinse off with lukewarm water. If you have gram flour at home, you can create a mixture of egg white, gram flour and lemon juice to effectively combat acne, and rinse the mixture off your face with cold water to keep your pores closed up.
9. Heal With The Triclosan And Hydrogen Peroxide In Toothpaste
Toothpaste has antibacterial, anti inflammatory, bleaching and healing properties. It also contains triclosan and small amounts of hydrogen peroxide, which makes it especially effective in treating acne. However, it is important to choose the right kind of toothpaste to use: ingredients like triclosan, baking soda, alcohol, sodium pyrophosphate, menthol, fluoride, hydrogen peroxide or a combination of 2 or 3 of these make for the most effective treatment. Moreover, avoid using toothpastes that are gel-based or have artificial colours because they might irritate the skin even more. Dab the toothpaste onto the affected areas just before going to bed and keep it overnight. For more effective results, you can wake up and keep applying toothpaste to your face through the night as it may be wiped off when you sleep.
