12 Proven Natural Remedies for Acne

Calamine, Witch Hazel

Posted by Seven (Neosho, Missouri, USA) on 05/23/2009
★★★★★

I have adult acne (I'm 34f) due to hormonal imbalance and problems with my digestion. They tend to bother me a great deal causing me to pick at them and otherwise make them worse. I tried a lot of different expensive commercial products without success. The ingredients usually burned and inflamed my skin and didn't do anything for the acne.

Finally I came across an "acne cure" that people were paying up to sixty-dollars per ounce on the Internet. I found out that it was simply Calamine lotion and witch hazel and I already had that in my medicine cabinet. I tried it out and it works great.

I wash my face good in the evening, use witch hazel as a toner then apply the Calamine lotion. (I am going to see if ACV works better then Witch Hazel after reading about it here on this site.) The Calamine dries up the acne usually overnight and has always made it better including really deep hard nodule type of acne.

Chamomile lotion doesn't prevent or otherwise cure acne but it does dry up outbreaks extremely rapidly, keeps the acne from itching and being irritated and doesn't burn, sting or otherwise have side effects that I have experienced. I wish I had known about this as a teen.

Baking Soda

Posted by Sid Davis (Springfield, Missouri USA) on 05/07/2009
★★★☆☆

BETTER BUT WITH SIDE EFFECTS

I read that some people use baking soda on the face for acne, and since I have had a life long problem with minor acne, I thought I would try it. I wash my face twice a day, once in the morning when I shower, and once before bed, so I bought a large box of baking soda and poured it into a plastic kitchen storage container so I could easily scoop out a hand full to use instead of face soap. I wet my face and hands first and then used the gob of baking soda like I would a face scrub.

It quite definitely cut back on outbreaks, and what few did develop were very mild. I am guessing that the sodium in the baking soda is killing bacteria on my face (like when you pour salt on a garden slug).

The only problem I have is that where I have had a pimple develop it seems that it takes an extra long time to heal, and that it leaves what looks like a little reddish burn scar which is something that never happened when I did not use the baking soda. I think the whatever is killing the bacteria may also be damaging the new tissue that grows to heal where the pimple was.

Has anybody using baking soda on their face for acne experienced this problem?

Sandalwood and Rose Water

Posted by Jackie (Miami, Florida, US) on 03/07/2009
★★★★★

Sandalwood, Rose Water and Warm Water: I have very oily skin and big pores which leads to blackheads. My mom told me about this remedy. Take a spoon of sandalwood powder, add a little rose water to it, making it pasty and apply it to your face. Once the mask dries up, wash it with warm water. Do this once a week. Each day, get a small clean white towel, soak it with warm water and place the towel on your face. This will soften both the skin and the material blocking the pores. Wipe gently. This has help brighten my face and my pores look smaller. I also make sure to change my pillow case often (using cotton pillow cases) and I keep my hair away from my face to prevent them from coming back. I hope this can help everyone else as it did for me. Good luck!

Turmeric

Posted by Njay (Fargo, ND) on 10/17/2008
★★★☆☆

WORKED TEMPORARILY

I'm 40 years old woman. I have been having this pimples all the time on my chin about 10 years.(never had adolescent skin problem) sometimes a littel better some times a little worse, you know. But this time it was so painful that I couldn't even open my mouth and it had no sign to go away even after my period started which was usually the case before. Then while I was shearching for the "answer" I found this site. I have been having turmeric as the way I learned form this site, but divide by 4, so a little less than a teaspoon every 5 hour or so.(why take the risk while you are sleep, right?) To cure this things the taste doesn't matter a bit for me. At first I misread the direction and had one Table Spoon after the meal two times and changed to right dosage but it started to work only after a day. Painful swell was gone just after a day! You could literally see it was going down! I was amazed because I have been doing just about everything and was about to succumb to depression. After 3days or so my boil become just a.. well... pimple and disappointingly enough other small ones still coming up but it was not that painful and healed faster so I had gone on with great hope. it's been a week and a two days.

And.... this morning I was dismayed to find two potent pimples popped up around mouth over the night. Ok, I have been drinking coffee as usual which is less than 1 cup a day and didn't eat anything unusally greasy food or anything yesterday or the day before. I had 2 whisky before I went to bed last night but it couldn't have ruined everything just like that could it? Now, you might say it's just two pimples and I make such a big deal out of it but I mean, these people are saying turmeric cured their cyst and MRSA and they are problem free years since they found it, but it won't cure my stupid pimples? I'm from Korea and turmeric is known herbal medecine there too(though not so famous for healing boils)and this site is saying after a while problem might be getting worse before it gets better again because it's part of the healing process to build a harmony of the body or whatever but you see, it's my face! I can't afford to wait and see if my body's going to work it out itself as my face start to have all this ugly scars and painful boils, right? What they suggest is, against the advice of some poeple here, to lower the dosage instead of raising it. What do you think? If I stop now wouldn't it all go berserk? I am confused and hurt. It was working so well and what happend? :( Please anybody, any suggestion?

Baking Soda

Posted by Ange (Clarkston, WA) on 10/09/2008
★★★★★

The first time I tried baking soda on my face, I could see a visible difference in a couple hours. It took a lot of redness away and made the zits shrink. I'm really bad about picking at my face, and if I have one of those zits that doesn't want to pop, I'll squeeze it until it gets much bigger and redder...so this is a much better option. Not only that, but I had little bumpiness on parts of my face and those have gone down and in some cases disappeared. I've only been using it for about 4 days, and it's done better than anything I've ever used, including prescription medication.

All my zits are gone except the few that I had picked at pretty bad and those get smaller and less red every time I apply it. The first day I started using it, it also pulled the bacteria out of a lot of zits and made them form white heads right away so I could pop them and be done with it.

This is how to use it:

Mix one part baking soda to two parts water- I used 1 tsp to 2 tsp. and that'll last you at least a few days. Apply it like a toner- on days that I am able to not go anywhere, I've been applying it every few hours and have been avoiding wearing makeup to help my skin detox. If you can do that on the weekend or something, that will help speed the process. But if you have to go to work or school, apply it in the morning after you wash your face. Leave it on for 10-20 minutes, and then I put face lotion right on top of it. Make sure you use a non-greasy face lotion, like Eucerin or the generic version of it. Apply it again at night after washing your face. It'll dry your skin out a smidge (really not bad though, nothing compared to how much Salycilic acid dries your skin out) so only put it on trouble areas, not your whole face.

Also, avoid your eyebrows and if you have dark skin, you may want to start with once a day and see the results because it may have a slight skin lightening effect.

Probiotics

Posted by Yvonne Vefik (Rocklin, CA) on 07/19/2008
★★★★★

After 10 years of suffering from food allergies.. and many prayers to God, I discovered Acidolphilus quite by accident. I broke out in large boil like bumps all over my face when ever I ate any dairy products. Milk, ice cream,cheese and yogart was elimnated from my diet. I constantly had antibiotic prescriptions from doctors for whenever I broke out.I was looking for an allergy cure and started taking acidolphilus. It cured my food allergies and now I enjoy ice cream and milk again! It took about 30 days to completely clear my face and then I kept taking it for a year. And it's cheap! You can buy it at Walmart. What I discovered after doing research is that when you take too many antibiotics, it kills all of your bad and GOOD BACTERIA. SO the acidolphilus restored my good bacteria to fight infections!!! HOPE THIS HELPS EVERYONE! Oh! I sugggested this to my young teenager daughter-in-law who had pimples and she said her face cleared up right away and now she is also using it regularly!! MAY GOD BLESS ALL WHO READ THIS!

Baking Soda

Posted by Lexie (Clifton, NJ) on 07/04/2008
★★★★★

I've suffered from acne for over 15 years and have been on accutane, minocycline, and every topical with no sucess.

This has worked - I've had great success with using Baking Soda as a facial cleanser. To use wet your face first, and create a paste with about 1/2 tbsp of baking soda and water. Gently apply to face, lightly rub for 30 seconds then wash off. I use tea tree oil on new spots if any. Many people use this method and have also had great success.

I hope this helps someone!

Zinc

Posted by Joyce (Joelton, Tn) on 07/02/2008 490 posts

For all of those with acne - sometimes a zinc supplement will make acne better - a clue that you might need some zinc is white spots on your fingernails.

Baking Soda

Posted by Missy (Thief River Falls, MN) on 02/25/2008
★★★★★

I have been using baking soda in the mornings with my face wash for over 6 months now and I have been acne free since. I am 35 and was still experiencing mild acne with more breakouts around my menstrual cycle. I don't even experience a single pimple around that time of the month! It's truly amazing to me! I started using Hydrogen Peroxide after I washed my face and shortly after I added the baking soda, so I thought it was the combo, but I started to get lazy and stopped using the peroxide, and didn't get any flare ups so now I know it was just the baking soda doing the work!

Aspirin Mask

Posted by K (Princeton, New Jersey) on 02/04/2008
★★★★★

Aspirin and Honey mask is slowly curing my skin!

I've always had lousy facial skin. Being of South Asian descent, in addition to acne and the scars left over from teenage pimples and acne, I've also had one huge dark circle around my mouth. I've been trying to lighten this for years with lemon juice, over the counter skin lightening creams, you name it to no avail. I generally just ended up wearing heavy makeup around that area (you can imagine how disgusting that looks, it looked worse without it!)

Fast forward to just yesterday (Sun, Feb 3rd '08). I'd been suffering from some adult acne on my cheeks and decided to try something I had been very wary of - an aspirin face mask. Yes, thats right, aspirin. I took 5 aspirin, crushed them, mixed them with about 1/2 a spoon of honey, applied it to my face (like a mask) for 15 minutes and washed it off.

WOW! The results were PHENOMENAL. I truly wish I had taken some before and after pictures for this site because the pimples had reduced by HALF THEIR SIZE. HALF! On top of that, that ever persistent dark circle had ACTUALLY lightened. On top of that, my skin was literally glowing! I STILL can't believe it. Today I had to wear hardly any make up at all. Guys, this remedy truly works for me, and I highly suggest everyone give it a shot at least once - if not for acne, then for GLOWING and BEAUTIFULLY SOFT SKIN.

Some Notes:
1. Try to buy uncoated or lightly coated aspirin.
2. Once crushed, it will be very grainy, don't worry about this. If you like, you can sprinkle a few drops of water on the pills beforehand, let it sit and then add the honey. You won't need to crush them and look like a drug addict in the process.
3. Play around with the number of aspirin you use. 5 may be too much for people with sensitive skin.
4. Aspirin dries out your skin, so use PLENTY of moisturizer after and don't plan on doing this more than once a week if your skin is dry to begin with. (I'll be doing it about 3x a week)
5. I used witch hazel as a toner after I washed the mask off. Feel free to use ACV or tomato juice *thanks Earthclinic =)*

Please try this mask and let me know what you think!

Dmps Chelation

Posted by Kelly (Denton, Texas) on 01/03/2008
★★★★★

Having had moderate to slightly severe acne since puberty , I have tried it all short of Accutane. I became COMPLETELY acne free at age 40 when I started DMPS chelation for mercury poisoning. The treatments were a week apart and each time would worsen the acne right after the treatment but would then look great until my next treatment. Each treatment would make it worse then better until about the 5th or 6th treatment completely cleared it. That was 9 years ago. The doctor had no idea the Dmps would do this and I have not seen where it is mentioned to cure acne anywhere. Not sure if it is the sulphur in the medicine that did the job or the clearing of mercury from the gut. Either way this was a complete cure and the answer to many prayers.

Pantothenic Acid

Posted by Jess (Johnson City, TN) on 02/26/2007
★★★★★

I have suffered from severe cystic acne, the most severe, painful, and deepest of acne for at least 13 years (since puberty). I've tried everything. Nothing topical worked because the acne was so deep. I finally found the cure! A form of vitamin B5, pantothenic acid, in extremely high doses cured my acne completely! I have been taking 10g of pantothenic acid a day for almost a month. Within a week I could see huge results and within two weeks I was completely clear. I'm so glad I decided to try this instead of trying Accutane like the rest of my family. If you decide to try this build up to 10g/day over the course of a week (if not, it can cause stomach upset) and continue the 10g/day regimen for 2 months. After that you can gradually decrease the dosage down to a maintenance dose of 1-2g/day. This information is supported by a study done by Dr.Leung in China. The initial 10g/day dosage is extreme-the pills mostly come in 500mg doses which ends up being 20 pills/day but if you're desperate like me then it's worth it. I split mine up into 2 doses/day and dissolve the pills in a drink. It doesn't taste good but its better than having to take so many pills. I've read that smaller doses work but it may take longer to see results.

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.

Blackstrap Molasses

Posted by Nathan (Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam) on 07/24/2006
★★★★★

Supplementing my diet with molasses has decreased my acne about 97% in two weeks. I take two tablespoons when I wake up in the morning, and two before I go to bed at night. It eases digestive problems, so if your acne is related to constipation, it's a sure-fire bet. It also supplements you with minerals such as Chromium, which about 90% of Americans are deficient in.

Aloe Vera

Posted by Glen (Phoenix, AZ) on 04/08/2006
★★★★★

At 51, I continue to have the occasional pimple, often on my nose, sometimes on my lower lip or elsewhere. Recently, while doing some yard work, I accidentally sliced a piece of aloe vera from a plant. Having heard about its medicinal value, I tried applying the sap on a fast growing pimple on my lower lip. I reapplied the invisible sap four times in the course 24 hours, and twice the next day. The pimple just evaporated. I've since tried it repeatedly with the same results. I'm delighted. This was must faster than anything I've experienced before. My garden aloe is free. Like I said, the sap is invisible. There is an initial odor, but it fades quickly. I recommend trying it.