The comments below reflect the personal experiences and opinions of readers and do not represent medical advice or the views of this website. The information shared has not been evaluated by the FDA and is not intended to diagnose, treat, or prevent any disease or health condition. Always consult a qualified healthcare professional for medical concerns.
Multiple Remedies
Posted by Stephanie (Salt Lake City, Utah) on 05/26/2008
★★★★★
I am amazed people! I had old depressed acne scars on my face and was very discolored. Four days after doing the first of five Fraxel laser resurfacing treatments, I broke out in new acne and sandpaper type bumps under the surface of my skin. I stopped using the creams the Doctor gave me and went to this routine:
I wash my face in plain baking soda, then I put raw organic honey, cinnamon, sea salt, a splash of lemon juice and a splash of ACV in the palm of my hand-mix it together and spread it on my face.I leave it on ten or so minutes while I drink a Tbls. or so of ACV in water, rinse my mouth in baking soda and brush my teeth. Then I rinse my face off in tepid water and dry.
I have a spritz bottle that I filled half with lemon juice and half with ACV and a little distilled water so it wouldn't sting and I spray my face with that.
Then I have another bottle filled with Lavender, tea tree, grapeseed and helychrisum oils that I spray on and let air dry.
I cannot tell you people what a miracle this is! My face is looking beautiful! It cleared up the acne and surface bumps in less than two days. I wake up to tight, smooth soft skin. My tone and texture are amazing. I never wear makeup anymore. I swear by this stuff!!! I love also what the fraxel is doing for my scars and color. I have only had one treatment so far and the results will take longer to be complete, but I will never use anything on my face again that you can't eat. I go in for my next laser treatment this week, and the first thing I will put on my red swollen face when I get home is honey. Honey, ACV and Lemon juice are fantastic! My teenage daughter is doing this same routine and has gone from a pimply to perfect complexion in under a week. We love it!
Multiple Remedies
Posted by Molly (Berlin, Germany) on 04/25/2008
★★★★★
Hi everyone! first I wanted to say that I love this site and have found it very helpful for minor skin ailments. I am 24 and have always had fairly decent skin, al ittle on the dry side, easily scars, and prone to pimples and have tended to over due it in the product department. In the past couple of months I have developed mild acne probably due to hormonal changes..so i checked with this website and have put together my own skin regime I have found very successful and would love to share with all of you! First I use an all natural but basic bar of soap with as few additives as possible (I happen to use a brand handmade in california called Beesworks as I have found the products to be really gentle and effective, plus they smell great and are all natural and organic! but on that note im sure any natural organic soap would work) About every other day I mix in about one table spoon of baking soda into the soap lather and gentle massage into my face, especially focusing on the problematic areas. The key word here is GENTLY as i have found the if I over scrub or use the baking soda on my skin too often it can be harsh and drying, otherwise it works great in healing my acne. Then i rinse with cold water and after patting my skin dry I splash apple cider vinegar on my skin as a toner, then finish with pure vitamin E as a moisturizer and to heal my acne scars. the ACV is not the nicest smelling toner and the Vitamin E can be a little sticky so I usually save this regime for nighttime before bed and in the morning just stick to the bar of soap and a natural moisturizer. An alternative to the ACV is just plain lemon juice and i have found this more pleasant smelling, but not as effective as the ACV. A couple of times a week I do a homemade mask of yogurt and honey. This makes my skin so soft and dewey and also helps with the acne. The best part about this regime besides how effective it is, is its cost! It happens to be really affordable so stop buying those fancy expensive skin care products ESPECIALLY if they have ANY chemicals in it and experiment with natural ingredient instead until you find a regime that works for your particular skin type.
Multiple Remedies
Posted by Simone (Portland, OR) on 04/20/2008
★★★★★
I've had fairly bad acne for about 20 years. Nothing worked - not even accutane. Finally, a friend trained in Eastern medicine made some recommendations that have worked wonders. The cure for my acne has been the following regimen:
Wash face with water. Don't use soap b/c it changes the pH balance, making it easier for bacteria to thrive & cause acne.
Sanitize face with grain alcohol. I think you can use other sanitizers, as long as they are acidic & not basic.
Apply coconut oil to face morning & night.
Ingest either a tablespoon of coconut oil (tastes great in hot chocolate!) or flax seed oil each day.
Ingest a tablespoon of liquid multivitamins each day.
Eat one apple every day.
Acupuncture
The root cause of my acne was digestive & immune system problems, not the skin per se. Where you break out on your face is a clue as to where your health problem lies. For me, I was breaking out around my mouth, which indicates a stomach problem, & on my neck, which indicates an immune system problem.
Once you get your health back on track, your skin should clear up.
Multiple Remedies
Posted by Nina (Los Angeles, CA) on 04/01/2008
★★★★★
After finding out about all these harsh chemicals in our toiletries & makeup I realized that must be the reason so many of us have developed skin problems. Therefore I started looking into all "natural" toiletries and face care products but they just dont seem to be as effective,and thats when I came up with my own gentle yet effective face wash. I didn't really measure anything I just wanted a good consistency, not too thick not too thin, so I went on to mix baking soda, a little bentonite clay, raw honey and just a little apple cider vinegar in a glass jar, mix it well, you may add a little more a little less of any ingredient until you reach the consistency that is right for you. I use this product every night and it makes me feel at ease knowing I am not putting any chemicals on my face! I also make 1 serving of oatmeal but instead of using 1 cup of water I use about 1/3 or a 1/4 apple cider vinegar and the rest water pop it in the microwave then I let it cool down a little and apply it on my clean face for about an hour. This really draws out the dirt and grime in your face and makes it easy to take out those stubborn blackheads, not to mention it leaves your face feeling soft and doesn't overdry, yey! After I rinse off the mask I just spray my face with a mixture of Lily of the desert aloe vera gel and purified water, again I don't have the exact measurement but don't make it too thick it should still look like a liquid and it should be easily sprayed on a spray or even better with a mist bottle. And lastly I apply lime juice to any blemishes and dark spots I may have and I always try to get at least 8 hours of sleep. In the morning I simply wash with water and apply the aloe vera and water mixture, then I apply my organic mineral makeup. Hope this helps you guys, and remember nature is your best friend!
Multiple Remedies
Posted by Deonnise (Arima, Trinidad) on 02/20/2007
★★★★★
A COMBINATION OF REMEDIES, learnt from this site, is ridding acne from my face. A problem I have struggled with for years is finally saying Bye-Bye! I have introduced my body to OIL PULLING; I alternate days by eating either 1 TOMATO or 1 tbsp MOLASSES first thing in the morning. I do the BROWN-SUGAR SCRUB twice per week. I use HYDROGEN PEROXIDE after washing face; wash pillowcase regularly; apply VIT E before bed; apply a different FACE MASK once per week; apply CLEAR TAPE over troubled areas and peel away dead skin cells once per week. I also drink water regularly (spring/purified/tap). Thank you Earth Clinic for alternatives, and thank you fellow readers for sharing your tips.
Neem
Posted by Imbordagin (San Dimas, Ca) on 09/26/2010
★★★★★
I've tried various remedies throughout the years for acne; benzoyl peroxide worked ok, hp worked okay and helped them go away faster but I felt those were just treating the symptoms, not the problem. Accutaine works great but it's tough to get and we all know about Big Pharma and its evils. I went to the health food store last month, and the guy took one look at me and reccomended Neem leaf and a colon cleanse. I followed his instructions - a colon cleanse pill at night and 3,440 mg Neem leaf pills in the morning. Gosh, I wish I'd found this sooner. Within a week my skin was clearing up, and now I take 2 pills a day and no colon cleanse anymore - I just eat healthy (ish). My skin is completely clear now - I get one or two blemishes around that time of the month and they are minor and easy to take care of. Magic! Yay! Neem is also suppossed to be good for treating other skin conditions too, I'm not sure what but I'm sure it's on the Internet.
Niacin
Posted by Pb (Cape Breton Ns) on 02/11/2018
★★★★★
I started taking niacin for anxiety, and to my surprise my skin cleared up quite quickly! (I didn't notice an effect on anxiety). You can purchase niacin in "non-flush " formats, but it's the flush that works to heal acne (I've tried both kinds). I think the tablets are 250 mg, I take half a tablet a day. After awhile you may notice the flush isn't as pronounced because you kind of get used to it, but if you take the niacin with coffee or with a tsp or two of apple cider vinegar, it make the flush more pronounced. The flush is rather uncomfortable - for me it's a prickly, itchy, hot sensation - but it goes away after about half an hour. You also look very red (although I have pale skin) so you might want to time it so the flush is gone by the time you need to go out! Good luck!
Nutmeg and Olive Oil
Posted by Reyna (Va Beach, Va) on 09/09/2010
★★★★★
WOW AMAZING!!! Last nite for the first time I tried something new, n to my amazement, IT WORKED! I've been reading all about these home remedies for scaring, black/white heads, volcanic pimples, & large pores. I at 1st fell in love with applying a thick layer of nutmeg and milk. I especially liked this cuz the nutmeg is an awesome exfoliator. I left on for 2hr n wen I rinsed off, I seen my pores were reduced & pimple size too, but I still wasn't satisfied. That's wen I started trying the raw garlic which burned like he'll and made I believe inflamed my pimples more (Ive had horribly bad acne since I can remember) ime 26yr old female & am soo tired of these huge holes and lrge pimples and my nose has ALWAYS been covered in blackheads NO MATTER WUT IVE TRIED IN THE PAST:( ok enough blah blah here's wut use came for, lastnite I had some leftover ground nutmeg & milk paste I took outta my fridge, to which I added more nutmeg get this, EXTRA VIRGIN OLIVE OIL!!! Yes I know, oil? What? To treat acne? YES! Oh YES! Like I said, I've been reading up on these things & came across my awesome n I wana say life changing info about E. V. O. O. Sooo I decided to put two and 2 together and it work, like a miracle! I took turns massaging this mixture one cheek at a time then my nose chin n forehead. I left this on overnite and now in the morning my results are soo unbelievable I came straight to my iPad to tell ALL. I had a huge swollen red pimple on my chin, a nose covered in blackheads, my cheeks wer red and full of small pimples. I rubbed it in a circular motion and let as much nutmeg fall off as possible then rinsed with cold water. My huge volcano on my chin is GREATLY REDUCED in redness & size, my red cheeks Gone! Little pimples, Gone! Blackhead covered nose soo lite and BEARLY noticeable, & I also have a deep hole in my cheek that just appeared one day, it is reduced in size and my pores look amazing! I mean I gotta dust off my bed and am definitely gonna have to dedicate a couple pillow cases cuz this is a messy ass treatment, but TOTALY TRULEY WORTH IT!!! This is the first thing EVER that has actualy worked wonders on a first time use. Well I hope this helps people cuz I knw how acne can damage ones self-confidence.
Ok quick review, here's what u need; it has to be
Extra Virgin Olive oil
Ground nutmeg
Dedicated pillow cases
Mix oil and nutmeg to create a paste and massage into face, I love the tingly fresh feeling it leaves. Leave on overnite
In the morn use circular motion to rub off wuts left of the nutmeg then rinse with cool water & be amazed.
P. S. I had a splash of milk in my mixture the 1st time which I will probaly do again tonite. N like I sd, it's gonna look like u murdered ur poor pillow case (unless u sleep face-up) and u prolly gonna have to dust your cover of a little nutmeg, but it's a VERY small price to pay to get these miraculous instant overnite results.
Oil Pulling
Posted by Regina (Abuja, Nigeria) on 04/17/2011
★★★★★
hi, I heard about oil pulling from a friend and I decided to try it for my acne and I must say I was really impressed by the result. I used sunfloweroil.
Oil Pulling
Posted by Angie (Sparta, MO) on 08/23/2007
★★★★★
I have been oil pulling a little over a week now with sesame oil and my acne has improved. I would recommend anyone having acne to give it a try.
Olive Oil
Posted by Wellsprings (Tarboro, Nc) on 10/12/2009
★★★★★
I started using olive oil for Hidradenitis suppurativa and it worked so well, I tried it on my face for blackheads and whiteheads. Now I rarely get a bump. Put the olive oil on every morning and every night; it soaks in quickly. It is also great for keeping suntanned legs from looking dry and chalky.
Omit Towels
Posted by Cibitka (Europe) on 06/26/2016 6 posts
★★★★★
Long story short:
Acne appeared on my face and shoulders and chest when I turned 13. From that time I tried various creams, tonics, external and internal antibiotics, fasted, even juice from cabbage and onion applied ext. and int., visited dermatologists and cosmetic salons where my closed eyes often filled up with tears from pain caused by the acne being squeezed. Only those who have it, can imagine how I felt - face covered with raw red 'LEDs' - the consciousness when lifting my face up to talk to someone and knowing that the person sees it all. Adolescence was not easy with acne and it caused me psychological damage that I still have not solved yet. As if I did not suffer enough, when 21, the 'normal' acne (covering every cm of my face, but still 'normal') turned into 'deep-skin' cysts, which were no longer possible to squeeze. These left deep scars all over my cheeks. By that time (though a bit too late) I decided to take the matter to my own hands and cure my self with my own logic. Since then I am acne-free (unfortunately with scars). How I know that it was my protocol, that cured me? - because every time I violate the main 2 rules, I get flashing red 'LED' warning on my face... : )
This is how I got rid of acne + the 'deep-skin' cysts:
Most important rules:
1. NEVER TOUCH ACNE AREAS WITH HANDS DURING DAY.
2. NEVER EVER WIPE ACNE AREAS INTO STANDARD TOWEL.
Use kitchen paper towels instead. Always.
This removed 90% of the problem in my case.
The rest I killed with following:
Stopped all 'artificial' cosmetics and applied 'kitchen' cosmetics instead. In the evening, before going to bed, I would make a mixture of water and splash of non-pasteurized and non-filtered ACV in a small bowl, I would dip a cotton pad into it and wash my face. I would then wash it off while showering and dry face with paper towel.
If my face felt dry, I would use any un-refined oil I had available and apply small amount on face while it was still wet after shower - oil and water created nice emulsion, which dried out leaving my skin not so greasy as when applying oil on skin when already dry. This was all. I went to sleep and in the morning I would not wash nor apply anything on the skin. It looked nourished after the night emulsion anyway.
I believe other things contribute to good skin condition as well - like physical activity on fresh air, food, environment, sleep and bad type of stress elimination. But what I observe all the time (I am now 36) is that when I violate touching or towel rule, within a day at least one 'LED' is flashing.
I wish a lot of courage for healing to all those who have acne.
Often a small change - seemingly insignificant (and often dirty cheap if not completely free) - might cause big results.
Oranges
Posted by April (Denver, Colorado) on 06/10/2008
★★★★★
On the subject of acne, my 12 year old is beginning to get the face pimples and we discovered simply by accident that oranges help to clear her skin. First, we found that drinking orange juice helped, then we found that peeling the orange and eating it clears her skin of the pimples that have not progressed to full blown white heads. She eats an orange (with the white part attached) every other day and she has a much improved complexion!
Pantothenic Acid
Posted by Ellie L. (San Diego, CA) on 09/10/2021
★★★★★
I battled with acne pretty much my entire adult life. It wasn't too bad when I was on birth control, but as soon as I went off in my mid-20s, I began to develop much worse acne. I would get regular pimples but also cystic acne that would hurt. I was in my early 30s with acne...wondering will this ever go away??! I'd always have 5-10 painful pimples on my face. When one would finally go away, another would pop up. That is, UNTIL I WENT ON PANTOTHENIC ACID (vitamin b5).
Oh my gosh. This was literally the answer to my prayers. I had been praying to God to either help me find a cure for my acne or help me to accept it (it made me so insecure). And He lead me to b5. I started with a mega-dose of it - taking 8 500mg capsules per day (in smaller doses throughout the day).
I would say most of my acne was totally gone within the first month. I was shocked. I maintained the high dose "just in case" for a while after. I have since reduced it down and now take 2-4 500mg most days. I haven't had a cystic pimple since I started this over a year ago. Once in a great while I will get a very small pimple and I notice if I take a high dose of b5 it's gone within a day or two.
This was my miracle cure. I tried almost everything to cure it and nothing worked until I found this. I went on a mostly raw vegan diet for 6 months, drank the celery juice, cut our dairy, coffee, cut out sugar...nothing worked or seemed to touch it. I also put ACV on my face and it didn't do much either. The one thing I did not try was internal ACV... but all I know is b5 was finally the answer after a 10+ year fight with acne.
Hope this helps someone!
Pantothenic Acid
Posted by Jim (Massachusetts) on 02/13/2016
★★★★★
I have been using pantothenic acid [vitamin B-5] for years for acne. It works great! I take 1,000 milligram tablets not capsules because the tablets are slow release. With slow release tablets a much lower dose is required. I take four of these a day. You should probably take one at a time throughout the day but I take two at breakfast and two at dinner, that works fine for me. I also take 25,000 IU of vitamin A retinol. I recently reduced from one a day to one every other day of these because of concerns of toxicity at that dose for a prolonged period. some people will say that dose is still too high but not according to my research. Read reviews for these products. Do your own homework but these have worked for me. I also take high doses of vitamin E and D but the pantothenic acid is most important for me. Whenever I try to stop taking them, within a week or so I start breaking out again. I hope this helps!
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