12 Proven Natural Remedies for Acne

Coconut Oil, Tea Tree Oil

Posted by Libraloveshealth (Los Angeles) on 02/27/2017
★★★★★

Coconut Oil and Tea Tree Oil:

Works great! I have a preparation made with some coconut oil and a bit of tea tree(melaluca)oil mixed in. I rub it on my face at night after using a gentle cleanser. It has worked pretty fast to get my acne under control. I have always dealt with some pretty annoying breakouts before/during periods. I was taking clindamycin lotion and adapalene gel which helped but sometimes would dry my skin out too much/cause easy sun burns. I love how this works better and is natural!

Zinc

Posted by Alan (Mexico) on 01/21/2017
★★★★★

For acne on the chin - try zinc 50mgs a day ...ingested.

And diluted peroxide (the regular one that they sell over the counter) diluted 50/50 with water topically on your skin.

Great results in a week!

Zinc

Posted by Joyce (South Carolina) on 01/19/2017 5 posts
★★★★★

One of my teenage boys had terrible ACNE. A Mexican missionary told us about this. We used zinc powder (patting it lightly on the face after washing it). This can really dry out the face too much, so we eventually began to get it under control and then keep it back by washing face and a little tea tree oil rubbed on his face before bed.

At age 24, he still has a tendency to bad acne BUT ONLY IF he doesn't keep up this regime. It isn't as bad as when he was 16 but still there. Especially on his back. We have the best healthy diet of anyone I know, so it is not junk food either. Maybe gluten, but haven't noticed a big difference when he gets off it. Anyway, just saying to you all... if you are taking the Acutane for acne..Why? There are natural ways to deal with this that don't involve such an aggressive dangerous drug.

Vitamin A

Posted by Stephanie (Napa, Ca) on 12/12/2016
★★★★★

Editor's Choice

Vitamin A is the answer! We tried it all, cut out dairy, cut out wheat, which both helped to a certain extent but nothing came close to Vitamin A. My son had terrible ace and even some very red cystic acne, we started by giving him 50mg day of chelates zinc which helped a little until I read that Accutane mimics Vitamin A in high doses. We then added 40,000iu of Vitamin A per day for a week and now just 20,000iu daily with the zinc, taken with food and his acne is now GONE. It has only been less than a month but we initially started seeing results within the first few days all the cyctic bumps reduced in size almost immediately! Stick with it, I know it's frustrating but you are worth it!

Sauerkraut

Posted by Samantha (Las Vegas, Nevada) on 07/24/2016
★★★★★

Raw, unpasteurized Sauerkraut works wonders for clearing up acne!! You have to buy the kind at a health food store or a local farmer's market. The kind at the supermarkets are pasteurized and unhealthy and will actually feed yeast. Raw sauerkraut kills yeast, it's a natural probiotic, and I believe that candida (yeast) can contribute to acne. You can start out taking 1 teaspoon and work your way up to a few tablespoons a day. Go slow. When you add something super healthy like this into your body, you can get a healing crisis. It is also a good idea to cut out all concentrated sugars, like honey and fruit juices, candy, chocolate, soda, and eliminate all dairy from a cow. Almond milk is a great substitute for milk, and goat and sheep cheese are great, too. Dairy from a cow is notorious for causing acne!

Black Mud Soap

Posted by Samantha (Las Vegas, Nevada) on 07/24/2016
★★★★★

Another AMAZING remedy (topical) for acne that I want to mention is Black Mud Soap from the Dead Sea. It draws impurities right out of your skin, and clears up acne like you wouldn't believe. I think it also has actually helped to fade the red marks/scarring I had. You can use it all over your body and face. If you use it on your face, make sure to moisturize after because it can be a bit drying.

Argan Oil

Posted by Samantha (Las Vegas, Nevada) on 07/24/2016

Argan oil made me break out horribly! I guess everyone reacts differently to different things. You are so lucky you can use it, though, because I know it does wonders for wrinkles. So acne prone people should be cautious about trying this oil.

Omit Towels

Posted by Cibitka (Europe) on 06/26/2016 6 posts
★★★★★

Editor's Choice

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.

Vitamin D

Posted by Bobbi (Virginia) on 03/11/2016

My 16 year old son had some rather large, red, hard acne bumps on his face, especially in the middle of his forehead. He went skiing for one day and came back with a sunburn on his face, but the acne was about 80% cleared up after just that one day in the sun. I'm guessing it was the Vitamin D that did it. So we'll keep giving Vitamin D until summer and see if the improvement keeps up.

Wash Only With Water

Posted by Rw (Southwest Virginia) on 03/11/2016
★★★★★

It works! I had acne and also tried all kinds of things. I finally stopped using anything but water to wash my face and don't use any other products on my face. I rarely have a problem with acne now.

Pantothenic Acid

Posted by Cl503 (Oregon) on 02/17/2016
★☆☆☆☆

WARNING!

Please please understand that hairloss is a possible side effect. I read about it and didn't think it would happen to me. About 12-15 days into taking large doses of B5, even with a B complex, I began losing hair at an alarming rate. It took me many months and hundreds of dollars trying all sorts of things to gain control over the situation. What ended up helping me was balancing my hormones-- DIM, Iodine and folate. I took a host of other supplements as well but believe these 3 helped the most and truly balanced my hormones---blood tests before and after proved it.

Wash Only With Water

Posted by Kglaser (Lincoln, Nebraska) on 02/16/2016
★★★★★

I have suffered with acne since I was a teenager. I have tried countless remedies. The one that has helped me finally be rid of this affliction costs nothing and was 100% effective for me. I came across a research article about the antimicrobial lipids at the surface of skin. Natural skin oils can even kill MRSA. I will post the article for you to read.

What I decided to do, after reading this article, was stop washing my face for a few days to see what would happen. I have oily skin so my face looked oily, but my spots started disappearing, too. And my skin became a little flaky. The 3rd day, I took a wet washcloth and lightly scrubbed my face to get the dry flaky skin off. What was revealed underneath was clear, glow-y skin.

After searching on the internet about the benefits of not washing your face, I realized this information is already out there. Some call it the caveman regimen. Basically, you only wash your face with cool to warm water once a day, or every other day, and pat dry.

Don't strip your skin's natural protective layer away with harsh soaps and creams. Let your skin's natural antimicrobial lipids do their job.

Here is the research article: http://www.jlr.org/content/49/1/4.full.pdf+html

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!

An Unlit Match

Posted by Rw (Southwest Virginia) on 01/15/2016

Look up Thylox soap. It has sulfur in it and is for acne.

Apple Cider Vinegar, Castor Oil

Posted by Susi_nola (New Orleans, Louisiana) on 01/15/2016 2 posts
★★★★★

Editor's Choice

I discovered Earth Clinic last week when I looked up remedies for removing a splinter. I was floored at how well it worked! So I perused the site and looked up remedies for adult chin acne that I seem to get once a year. This year, though, the rash of acne has lasted about 6 months on the right side of my chin.

Per various posts, I diluted Apple Cider Vinegar, unfiltered and organic, maybe about 1 part ACV and 3-4 parts tap water. I keep it in a little jar in the bathroom and dip a cotton square in it and rub all over my face like a tonic. (Make sure to shake the solution before using.) Unbelievably the rash decreased overnight. This is after using a prescription for months and months which only helped a little. The ACV makes a dramatic decrease in the rash everyday and it is practically gone now. However, the redness remained. So I used Castor Oil, per some other posts. Amazingly, two days later the redness is gone and the rash is just there, but barely.

The first night I just dabbed the Castor Oil onto the rash with a q-tip, letting it stay thick. (I put a towel over my pillow and let it permeate my skin overnight.) Then last night I spread it over my entire face and let it permeate all night. In the morning I put it on, too, but wipe it off before leaving the house because it's REALLY thick. I am absolutely amazed. I am going to keep using the ACV and Castor Oil every single day. I've also started gently scrubbing my face with Epsom Salts, and my face is as soft as a baby's bottom. I'm getting rid of all my traditional cleansers, etc. The only thing I'm keeping is my daily face cream because it has SPF in it.

Good luck! I hope this post will help someone else as much as I've been helped by others I've read.

Homeopathic Remedies

Posted by Rw (Southwest Virginia) on 11/18/2015
★★★★★

Two homeopathic remedies, Arsenicum Album 200c and Hepar Sulph Calc 200c, given at the same time, once every other day cleared my son's acne within a few weeks.

IMPORTANT: Stop giving the remedy after the acne clears. And if there doesn't seem to be improvement after about 3 weeks, don't keep giving it. These can be bought on Amazon or any site that sells homeopathic remedies. If you get the BB size pellets, one pellet works as well as the 3 or 5 the bottle says to give. It works on an energy level so you're not getting any more benefit by giving more than one pellet at a time, just spending more money.

Multiple Remedies

Posted by Crystalice (Canada) on 10/17/2015
★★★★★

I am in my mid-twenties and I am not an acute acne sufferer, however in the past year I have had my second terrible breakout. I realized the cause of these random breakouts was due to poor-diet with a high sugar intake that exacerbated my skin. My onslaught include using different holistic methods simultaneously to achieve the best and effective results. It requires patience and commitment but it definitely helped clear my skin and I was able to regain my healthy, bright complexion.

It took about a month and a half to achieve clear, smooth skin. The results aren't instant and it took few weeks to actually see the effects from my natural remedies.

My regime included:

a healthy diet (minimal sugar or foods high in saturated fat)
drinking green tea each morning
1-2x a week lemon/cinnamon/honey mask
2-3 x a week using baking soda masks (baking soda + a dab of water on acne and rubbing circular motions then washing off in 5 minutes)
rubbing lemon on my face
drinking water and lemon slice before bed
Apple cider vinegar toner (ration of one part ACV and two parts water
In addition, the acne medication I used to attack the acne bacteria were a benzoyl peroxide face wash + spot treatment cream.

Good luck, and continually seek out natural remedies that work best for your skin type!

French Green Clay and Turmeric Paste

Posted by Mama To Many (Tennessee) on 10/03/2015
★★★★★

Over time, Mmsg has suggested using clay to a variety of people seeking help on EC, and sometimes mentions French Green Clay, I believe. I have used Bentonite Clay for years and it is wonderful. But I love to experiment with new natural products so I bought some French Green Clay. It is supposed to be good for acne, and I have been trying out some different things for teenager acne. (I have 4 teenagers, though they actually have pretty good complexions.)

I woke up this morning with a cystic type pimple on my own face. It was irritating me and was painful. I admit that I broke the rules and tried to pop it but that hurt a lot and didn't work. I took equal parts of French Green Clay and turmeric and mixed that with enough water to make a paste. (About equal parts of water and powders.) I put that on the pimple and went about my morning at home. After a few hours I washed it off, gently, which took several minutes as it had dried to my face. It had drawn infection to the surface and I was able to get it out quite easily.

I applied a little more of the clay paste for another hour or two. Now at the end of the day, the pimple is 90% better, and not painful or noticeable. So, thanks Mmsg for introducing me to this clay!

~Mama to Many~

Acne Tips

Posted by Elise (Usa) on 06/21/2015
★★★★★

Drinking lots of water, washing your face with a gentle soap and warm water, and avoiding foods high in cream, fat grease, etc will have your acne infested skin clear in no time. I agree accutane is to be avoided. I was on it for several months and while it did clear things up sometimes I wonder what long term health problems it may cause me later in life.