Clear Your

Acne - Naturally!

Most people who suffer from acne go out and spend good money on

common over-the-counter acne treatment products. The truth is, most of

these products are full of chemicals that can actually slow down the

healing of acne, and irritate your skin, causing farther breakouts.

When an acne product has 20 ingredients listed on it, it

can be hard to know if one of those ingredients is actually stopping you

from having success. It can be even harder when you can't pronounce the

ingredient, much less know what it is and how it is going to affect your

skin. Most mainstream acne treatments are not only much more expensive

than common household items, but they also don't always work as well

either. With that in mind, I will list some basic household items that can

work wonders on clearing up your skin.

Baking soda ? A very cheap cooking ingredient that most

people have in their homes already, baking soda can be used as a great

scrub. The purpose of a scrub is to exfoliate the skin, removing dead skin

that can eventually clog pores and lead to acne spots. To start off,

you'll want to mix a small amount of baking soda with some water for form

a paste. Baking soda is very effective as a scrub, so you want to be sure

to be extra careful when applying it to your face. Gently massage the

paste into your skin for ten to fifteen seconds. Then rinse the baking

soda off, and pat your face dry with a clean towel.

Apple Cider Vinegar ? Though most people that use vinegar

to treat acne use the apple cider form of vinegar, you can also use plain

old regular vinegar. Regardless of which type you use, vinegar can be very

helpful with it comes to clearing up acne. It can kill off acne causing

bacteria, balance your skin's pH, and absorb extra oil on your skin.

Starting with clean, dry skin, apply diluted vinegar

(eight parts water to one part vinegar) directly to your skin with a

cotton ball, and leave it on. If you want, you can also use a stronger

vinegar solution (say, 2 or 3 parts water to 1 part vinegar), and apply it

directly to problem areas, rinsing it off after ten minutes.

Lemon or lime juice can also be substituted for vinegar.

Both of these juices are rich in citric acid, and can exfoliate your skin

very well, halting the growth of acne spots, as well as fading previous,

non-active acne quicker.

Egg Whites ? Rich in protein, egg whites can be used as a

mask to heal and rebuild your skin. It can also help to absorb excess oil

from your skin. To start off, crack an egg, removing the yolk so that just

the egg whites are left behind. Beat these egg whites, and apply them

directly to your face. Let it sit for fifteen minutes, and then rinse the

egg off.

Oatmeal ? As odd as it may seem, oatmeal can absorb

unwanted oil and draw out impurities which reside deep in your skin. Cook

some plain oatmeal like you would for consumption. Let it cool off, and

rub it over your clean skin. Let it sit for a while, like you would a

mask, and then rinse off. If you do this on a regular basis, you should

begin to start noticing results soon.

Tea Tree Oil ? TTO is a commonly used all-natural

household antiseptic, which you can pick up at most drugstores or

supermarkets. You can apply TTO directly to acne spots to kill bacteria,

or, if you strongly dilute it with another oil (such as jojoba oil), over

your entire face. Tea tree gel can be easier to apply than the oil, and

many are made for applying over large areas of skin, so they aren't quite

as strong as straight TTO and do not need to be diluted.

Pantothenic Acid (Also known as Vit. B5) ? Pantothenic

acid can be taken in large quantities for the benefit of acne reduction.

B5 works by helping your body to metabolize fats which would otherwise be

later turned into sebum (oil) and excreted through the skin. Small amounts

of B5 won't help though, and it has to be taken several times a day.

To help with acne, you will need to take 2.5 grams of

pantothenic acid (the powder form is much easier to take), 4 times per

day, for a total of 10 grams per day.

Aloe Vera ? Aloe Vera has been used for many years in

kitchens for topical application to burns. Another benefit of aloe is that

it can prevent scaring, fade marks and help heal acne spots.

You now have an idea of some basic household items you can

use on your skin, that work better than many OTC acne products, and are

much cheaper to use. Since we have only really covered basic acne

treatments, you can always take this to another level and take all

natural, internal acne treatments.

This sums up our basic list of natural alternatives for

chemical based acne treatment products. You can take this a step farther

by attacking your acne from the inside out. Acne has been shown numerous

times to be very closely affected by the digestive system, so keeping your

entire digestive system working as smooth as possible can help reduce

acne. I will help give you a basic idea of some all natural products you

can take to help clear up acne.

Cucumber, lemon and carrot juice, brewer's yeast, and

active charcoal pills are all capable of helping the digestive system

function normally. Since the digestive system is closely related with the

health of the skin, they should help reduce acne breakouts. Flax seed can

also be wonderful for helping your skin heal faster.

Ryan Bauer is a former acne sufferer who writes health

articles and runs his

acne

treatment

website, Acne Elimination.