Natural Acne Remedies

The market is filled with acne treatments promising to give clear skin and to zap away your pimples and zits, but there are natural acne remedies that give most products a run for their money. The best part is that the natural remedies won't apply harsh chemicals to your skin.

Beware of Your Phone.
Your phone can be a breeding paradise for acne, so be sure to diligently clean your phone to make sure the source of acne is not your phone. Skeptical? According to researchers from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, 82 percent of the subjects' phones had some kind of bacteria on them. Depending on how much you use your phone, and where you store it on a regular basis, you should be cleaning your phone every night.

Clay.
A good facial clay can cleanse your pores without drying out your skin. Simply add a little water to clay and add a dollop to the zit before going to bed. You can apply clay to your face as a mask or as a spot treatment on your acne.

Ice.
Ice is a temporary fix to acne, but it's an efficient temporary fix. Rubbing a cube of ice on the zit will cause it to (temporarily) shrink.

Oils.
This will sound counterintuitive, but oils can help fight acne, as some oils have been found to reduce acne and acne-related scarring. What's more, a gentle cleanser helps preserve your skin's natural oils, which is important for acne-prone skin.

Tea Tree Oil. Studies have shown that tea tree oil work just as effectively as benzoyl peroxide, although it takes a little longer to work. For acne-prone skin, applying tea tree oil can keep acne at bay.

Take Zinc Supplements. Zinc is said to reduce inflammation, which may play a role in reducing acne breakouts.

Skim Milk Face Wash

Milk is often an ingredient used in beauty products since it contains lactic acid which hydrates your skin and alpha hydroxy acid (AHA) which serves as a light and gentle exfoliant.

For all the reasons stated above, I was excited to try this DIY milk face wash recipe.

The process is simple: Take a little bit of water (say 1/16 cup) and add milk powder (teaspoon by teaspoon) until you get a consistency you're comfortable with. Then simply apply a generous layer on your skin--you should feel a tightening feeling immediately or within a few minutes. Once dried, rinse off with lukewarm water.

The results? My skin definitely felt softer upon first use and looked fresh. But I really didn't like the sticky after-feeling. I had to rinse my face twice because of the residue. After trying this mask on for two nights straight, I have to admit I'm torn. I think it is effective...but I'm not so convinced of its cleansing properties.

Egg White Face Mask

I'm a little hesitant to apply egg anywhere because the scent really turns me off. But this recipe is awesome because it has citrus zest which totally hijacks the scent of eggs.

This mask is really easy to make--mainly because I always have the ingredients on hand--but I think it's a wee bit tough to apply. But that's because of the consistency of the eggs.

So can a two-ingredient face mask really make a difference? The alleged benefits of egg white on your skin are the following: firmer looking skin, reduced breakouts and reduced redness and inflammation. Additionally, the lactic acid in the yogurt serves as a non-abrasive exfoliating agent.

Ingredients

2 eggs; whites only

2 tablespoons plain yogurt (no flavors; preferably organic)

1 teaspoon lemon or orange zest; for scent

Directions

Separate the whites of two eggs and place in a bowl. Beat the whites using a fork. Add yogurt and mix well. Add zest and mix well. Apply on face and leave it on for a few minutes. If the mask dries off, then apply a second layer. Wash with warm wet clothe.

Indian Turmeric Face Mask

I call it Indian, but this is really a common face mask used all over South Asia. I have a friend who swears by this mask; she claims she diligently applied this to her arms and legs for a year and managed to fade her tan and get rid of hyper pigmentation.

There are 3 key ingredients for this mask: Turmeric, Lemon Juice and Gram Flour. And lucky for us, two of the three ingredients are known for their own beauty enhancing abilities.

For starters, turmeric has antioxidants. You know them. The stuff that is found in pomegranate juice and green tea that prevents heart disease and cancer, and more superficially speaking, the stuff that fights aging. The second ingredient, yogurt, is packed with zinc and lactic acid which battles acne, hyperpigmentation and exfoliates your skin.

If that's not reason enough, then consider what the American Cancer Society has to say:

In India and Malaysia, there is a custom of making turmeric paste to apply directly onto the skin, a practice now under study for the possibility that it may prevent skin cancer.

INGREDIENTS

1 teaspoon Turmeric

1/2 cup Gram Flour

1/3 cup Yogurt

DIRECTIONS

Mix all the ingredients together until a thick paste is formed. Apply yogurt until a creamy texture is formed (approximately 1/3 cup; could require more). Apply generously to your face (or skin/arms/etc) and allow it to dry.

Ice Cubes For Your Pores

Pores are the tiny openings on our skin that house our hair follicles and oil glands. Many people suffer from enlarged pores (especially around the nose due to the number of oil glands).

Two easy ways to reduce pores:

1. Rubbing Ice Cubes on the face tightens the pores and increases blood circulation.
2. Take one egg white and beat it until it is well whipped. Apply a thin layer on your face and wait for it to dry. After dried, wash your face.

Pore Cleansing with Elmer's Glue

I recently read The Black Book of Hollywood Beauty Secrets by Kym Douglas and Cindy Pearlman. The book was an entertaining book that interviewed celebrities for their tips and tricks, along with their makeup artists.

Apart from a good read, the book suggested an easy way to clear your pores instead of using pore strips. According to the authors, if you use Elmer's Glue you can get the same effects as using a deep cleansing pore strip.

What do you need? Elmer's School Glue
What do you do? Apply a layer on your skin. Allow it to dry. Peel off.

I have to admit, when I first read that, it just sounded too good to be true. I immediately knew I had to try it because I have two blackheads--and I emphasize, exactly two individual blackheads--that just won't go away. And worse, they're not on my face. One is on my thigh and the other on my decollete.

I applied the glue, as instructed above, over and around my singular blackhead and to my pleasant surprise, it came out! I can't say that it won't come back, but it's nice to know that a simple white glue will do the trick!

I not only recommend trying the Elmer's trick before buying your next pack of pore strips, but also suggest checking out/purchasing The Black Book of Hollywood Beauty Secrets. Not everything is applicable to everyone, but you're bound to find some great tips!

Cell Phone Acne

I recently (and by recently I mean 1.5 years ago) got an iPhone and ATT's dropped calls have been the bane of my existence, the pain in my ass and the zits on my face. The latter could be non-metaphorical!

Evidently, you should ideally clean your cell phone with antibacterial wipes every day (or at worst, once a week) in order to eliminate the bacteria on your phone that gives your face/cheek/chin acne.

When New Yorkers were asked by ABC what they thought was dirtier--a toilet seat, bottom sole of your shoe or your cell phone--the vast majority chose toilet seat. Reality? Your cell phone! In fact, your cell phone may have 18x more bacteria than a toilet handle!

It's estimated that half the phones in the world contain staph bacteria, which is responsible for spreading skin infections and meningitis. The germs come from your face and your hands.

Essentially, if you don't clean your cell phone...it's like you're rubbing a urinal on your face. Your call!