Notes by Nourish

Welcome to another addition to the Beauty Blog Series! In this blog, we are covering 5 Natural Home Remedies for Acne.

Last time we covered how acne and breakouts may be caused and found out some effective ways to address them from the inside. Now let’s find some effective ways to address acne breakouts from the outside. 

No. 1 – Befriend Plant Oil

Raw or cold-pressed fats and oils are amazingly good for your skin because they contain beautifying properties with plenty of nutrients, essential fatty acids and vitamins.

You can replace pretty much all of your beauty products like cleansers, moisturisers, body creams, hair conditioner, even shaving cream with various plant oils.
My favourites are coconut oil, shea butter, sweet almond oil, jojoba, argan oil, olive oil, cacao butter, grapeseed and macadamia oil.

Coconut oil has many uses, some of which you can check out here in my blog 26 Ways to Use Your Jar of Coconut Oil. Depending on your skin, coconut oil is a wonderful makeup remover as well as an overall face and body moisturizer. Plus it’s a fantastic hair conditioner too! It also has antibacterial properties so makes a great oil to help conquer breakouts. Similarly, you can use these plant oils over your body as a natural body moisturiser.

Oil Cleansing

Now I can sense a few sceptics out there at the mention of using oil and acne in the same sentence.

Don’t be afraid of oil. We need oil. Our skin makes oil for a reason and that’s because oil keeps our skin healthy, waterproof, soft and protected from bacteria.
If you habitually use products like soaps, wipes, astringents and harsh exfoliants, these can be very aggressive on your skin. In fact, by doing this you can actually stimulate your skin to overproduce oil (in order to help protect itself).
For those of you with dry or sensitive skin, your skin may simply not be producing enough oil.

We know now that “like dissolves like”, so the best way to remove oil is to cleanse with natural nourishing oil. Oil cleansing is a very gentle way to cleanse your skin thoroughly. It doesn’t disrupt the natural Ph level of your skin and doesn’t leave your skin feeling tight and dry. Instead, your skin is left feeling clean, fresh and glowing!

Cleansing with oil helps regulate the skin and controls oil production. Over time your skin will regulate its oil production and clogged pores will be a thing of the past! This is fantastic for anyone suffering from acne or spots. Additionally, oil cleansing is also great as a make-up remover. It gently dissolves all makeup, including the most stubborn waterproof mascara!

I would highly recommend you try Irish brand Kinvara Cleansing oil if you’re looking for a lovely product to use daily. I wrote a blog post on some of their products here if you’d like to check it out.
Another beautiful brand is Antipodes. Their Grapeseed Butter Cleanser smells insanely good and does an amazing job at cleansing your face.

No. 2 – Raw Honey

Raw honey contains a tremendous amount of healing properties and has been used since the time of the ancient Egyptians, Romans and Greeks. Honey benefits the skin in so many ways.

• It boasts antibacterial and antimicrobial properties which help clear breakouts and remove acne-causing bacteria from your skin.
• It also works as a potent anti-inflammatory agent, soothing sore and inflamed skin.
• Honey is a great restorative substance and helps to replenish moisture and restore elasticity in dry skin.
• Since it’s so full of powerful protective antioxidants, it even defends your skin from environmental stressors.

Importantly, it’s super easy to incorporate into your regular skincare regimen too. That’s just one reason honey is such a great natural home remedy for acne.

Method

Create a simple facial wash in the palm of your hand by mixing a tiny spoonful of honey with an optional spritz or two of your favourite floral water, like rose water. Then massage the mixture into your skin to increase circulation and then rinse it off.
For thicker honey, you can dissolve it a little in a tiny amount of warm water. Alternatively, mix it with some jojoba oil over a small double boiler to combine them and massage into the skin before rinsing off.

Additionally, you can make a honey facemask by applying honey directly to your skin and leaving it on for 10/15 minutes before washing off with warm water.

No. 3 – Fight Blemishes With Essential Oils

Tea tree oil has the ability to fight inflammation and rid the skin of acne-causing bacteria. Just a drop or 2 of tea tree oil blended into your cleanser, homemade facemask or diluted with water and applied to the skin using a cotton pad can help reduce and present the occurrence of breakouts.

(Be super careful to avoid the eyes and be sure to dilute tea tree oil with water before use, as it can be very harsh and burn the skin.)

Lavender oil is also a wonderful oil to befriend.  Use in the same way as tea tree, or simply dab a tiny amount of pure lavender essential oil directly onto the offending spot. The oil, which is naturally antibacterial, dries spots out a treat and also reduces redness.

A little goes a long way with essential oils, so literally 1 drop is enough. More is not always better.

No. 4 – Apple Cider Vinegar

Apple Cider Vinegar is another amazing natural home remedy for acne. It can help:

• restore your skin to its proper pH level
• reduce inflammation on the skin
• with its antibacterial properties, it can help remove excess dirt and grime from the skin that can clog pores and promote breakouts
• helps to make your face feel smoother and brighten your skin tone.

To use apple cider vinegar as an antibacterial ingredient for your skin, turn it into a toner. Simply mix one part apple cider vinegar to three parts water. Apply the mixture to a cotton ball and apply after cleansing and exfoliating. 

No. 5 – Face Masks

My blog on Foodie Facemasks as part of this beauty series gives you some recipes for natural amazing skin-loving facemasks. These are fantastic natural home remedies for acne since they utilise quality ingredients easily found in your kitchen. As a result, they help to cleanse, exfoliate, moisturise and detoxify your skin, resulting in brighter, glowing, radiant skin!
In addition, we also stock some amazing facemasks instore too.

Try some of the following on your next pamper day:

• Antipodes Halo Volcanic Facial Mud Mask 
• Antipodes Aura Manuka Honey Mask
• Dublin Herbalists Intensive Gel Mask
• Dead Sea Algimud Face Mask

A Final Note

I want to mention again that getting rid of acne or difficult skin problems is not an overnight process. It requires a combination of the above approaches along with addressing the internal issues, as laid out in Part 1 and 2 of the blog series.

It really means focusing on gut health, diet and lifestyle choices and incorporation of these external remedies to help the healing process. I can’t stress this enough.

Have you tried any of these tips yourselves? Do you have any of your own natural beauty tips?

Emily Nöth

Any questions? Drop into your local Nourish store to chat with our expert team and explore our full range of foods, supplements and skincare. You can also find our full product range in our online store.

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*Please note that while we are knowledgeable about our products and nutrition, this blog should never be a substitute for medical advice and attention

Please remember that you should always obtain the all-clear from your doctor before starting any new supplement plan or diet if you’re on any medication