Tried and True Home Remedies for Acne

Home remedies for acne can be a cost-effective and gentler way to treat acne when it occurs and to prevent it from developing in the first place. Many of the ingredients in home remedies are common household products, but a few may require a trip to a holistic food store or a neighborhood drug store.

Regardless of the ingredients, home remedies for acne work by attacking the three major triggers for acne blemishes: dead skin cells, excess oil production or accumulation, and bacteria in the pores.

Acne develops because of clogged pores. Pores can become clogged because the sebaceous glands (oil glands) in the pores are producing too much sebum (skin oil) or because dead skin cells become trapped in the pore.

Skin cells may become trapped because the pore is too small or because the pore is too sticky with oil. They may also fall into the pores from the surface of the skin, where they accumulate and clog the pore.
 
Once a pore becomes clogged, it is easy for infection to set in. Natural bacteria known as P. acnes are always present in our skin’s pores, but because they are exposed to oxygen the colonies can’t grow to be a problem.

When a pore is clogged however, no oxygen can get in and P. acnes bacteria can grow without limitation. When the bacteria count gets too high, the body’s immune system responds by sending out white blood cells. With so much going on inside the pore, it can become swollen and the surrounding tissue gets damaged and can end up scarring as a result.

Home remedies for acne work against this process and attempt to mitigate the potential for clogged pores to happen in the first place. Some natural ingredients have antibacterial properties that help reduce bacteria count while others have properties to reduce swelling. Most home remedies for acne aim to prevent blemishes, but some are very effective in treating acne after it has already developed.

On this page and across this website, you will find a variety of natural home remedies you can use to help reduce or even eliminate your acne. If you are looking for a more comprehensive, holistic program to get rid of stubborn acne, we recommend Acne No More, which you can get by clicking here.

Home Remedies for Acne Using Common Household Ingredients

Some of the ingredients used in home remedies for acne are commonly found in the kitchen. These include honey, lemons, baking soda, apple cider vinegar, garlic, aspirin, toothpaste, and other common items.

Many of these ingredients contain antibacterial compounds that will kill P. acnes bacteria. Other common ingredients in home remedies for acne work by reducing swelling and helping the skin shed the top layer of dead cells so that they can’t fall into the pores and cause an infection to bloom. 

Essential Vitamins and Minerals in Home Remedies for Acne

While they may require a trip to a holistic food store, there are plenty of vitamins and minerals that are essential to skin health. Incorporating these into a treatment plan can really make a difference in the appearance of your skin. The most important vitamin to skin health, Vitamin A, can be found at your neighborhood drug store for example. Others include Vitamins C and E, tea tree oil, witch hazel, zinc, calendula, lavender, and more.

Using Home Remedies for Acne

Home remedies for acne take time to work. As it is true with all new acne treatments, be sure to give a remedy time to work before giving up on it. The skin’s renewal process takes four to six weeks, so it can take at least this long to see results from most home remedies. (Some show immediate results in the appearance of skin, but all take time to work on acne.)

Before using a home remedy for acne on your face, it is best to try it out in an area of the skin that is less visible to the public eye. This is because skin types respond differently to some ingredients. For example: While most people who use witch hazel will experience no adverse effects, some people find that it irritates their skin and causes redness to occur. So it is important to make sure your skin will receive the home remedy well before applying it to a part of the body that is highly visible.

In addition to the potential for visual redness on the skin, some home remedies can cause more severe skin reactions. Much like over-the-counter and prescription medicines that are to be applied directly to the skin, there is a slight chance that a home remedy for acne can cause significant irritation, dryness, and itching.

While a small amount of irritation is normal at first, if you experience significant discomfort or redness persists after rinsing off the remedy it is probably better to try something different.

While these acne home remedies are a great start, maintaing clear skin for the long-term may require a more in-depth, holistic approach. For this purpose, we strongly recommend Acne No More. The plan outlined in Acne No More addresses the root cause of acne for long-lasting reduction or even elimination of chronic acne: