Natural Cures for Acne

"Natural Cures for Acne"

by Stephanie Rolfe CNC

DESCRIPTION OF ACNE

There are many types of acne, Acne vulgaris being the most common. Acne vulgaris is a skin condition caused by clogged pores or sebum, thus resulting in whiteheads, blackheads, pimples or cysts. Although it can occur with adults, it mostly occurs in teenagers. If left unattended, sever scarring can result.

For ease of understanding a whitehead is a pimple that forms a whitehead and stays closed. A blackhead is a pimple obviously with a black head except the pores stay open.

A pimple can be best described as a burst clogged pore, with a red coloring of infection, where the dead skin and sebum make their way beneath the top layer of skin. A cyst is a bigger pimple only deeper under the skin causing inflammation and swelling.

THE CAUSES OF ACNE

From a holistic standpoint, your pimples are a gift. They have arrived to tell you that something in your diet, exercise or lifestyle is out of whack These go on to include both your emotional and physical environments as well. Mostly, they are there to tell you your body is needing to eliminate toxins or bad fats. Bless them and listen to them, they are there for a purpose.

Essentially, you are the cause. Some people eat chocolate and don't break out at all, while others suffer hugely. Some people can tolerate fried food while others cannot. You have to be your own detective and get to the source of the problem yourself. The best suggestions I have to offer are listed below. Try any or all of them for at least a month, and see if your condition hasn't drastically changed.

I am sure that in the following list of cures you'll be able to find something that meets your special needs and skin type. Before we begin however, let's look at some preventative measures.

TIPS TO REMEMBER

Wash your skin gently with a mild non-chemical (glycerin soaps like Pears are excellent) soap twice daily. Pat dry.
Do this before applying any acne remedy to your face.
Stop picking at your pimples, it only spreads them.
Use water based cleaners, not milk products or cold creams.
Avoid lip gloss and lip sticks that contain oils.
Drinking lots of pure water.
Change your shirt or chemise twice a day. Pillowcase every day.
Don't let your hair fall in your face and contribute more oils.
Avoid fried foods, chocolate (especially milk chocolate) and dairy products. Refined sugars or refined products of any kind.

REMEDIES AND CURES

You can use the pulp of a tomato, a cucumber, papaya or orange peel ground with a little water to make a paste. Apply and let stand for an hour and gently rinse clean.
Tea tree and Neem oils are recommended as natural antibiotics for the skin and great cleaners. Mix a few drops in eight ounces or 500 ml. of water and shake well before applying wash.
A neem based soap is also considered a natural remedy.
Sulfur based soaps are highly recommended for daily use.
Apply fresh lemon juice to the affected areas for overnight and rinse in clean in the morning. Dilute in water first if this is irritating.
Lemon juice and rosewater or lime juice and rosewater mixed fifty fifty, or half and half. Apply for an half an hour and rinse off.
The juice of half a lime added to a boiled cup of milk makes a great face wash for acne. Refrigerate leftover solution.
Rub fresh garlic on the pimples, but be sure to avoid your eyes. It'll really sting. A very well known and powerful remedy.
Wash your garlic fingers with a silver or metal spoon afterwards to eliminate the garlic odor from your hands.
Try treating your acne sores with toothpaste before going to sleep and thoroughly rinse clean in the morning.
Eat carrots at every opportunity that you can. These are really helpful in acne prevention.
Apply a honey mask to your face twice a week for its healing anti- bacterial qualities.
Niacin and vitamin "A" have been found to be helpful in clearing up acne after a month. 100 milligrams of niacin three times a day. 50,000 IU or international units of vitamin "A" three times a day. You could also include 400 units of vitamin "E" per day. Note: Niacin will create a red, hot prickly flush, this is not a bad thing, its simply the blood vessels dilating, allowing for easy elimination of toxins. Start with 25 mgs a day and work slowly up to 100 mgs.
Vitamin C is important for nice skin as its promotes the production of collagen. It's essential or cellular integrity. It's also good for cleansing the blood.

Eat as many foods that you can find that are rich in zinc. Like pumpkin seeds or oysters or nuts of all kinds.

Herbal Solutions that Work

More important than external solutions, you need to use a few simple herbs internally that purify the blood and liver, thus treating the cause. Cleansing or purifying the body is essential to beautiful skin. When your body is clean, you skin longer needs to keep producing pimples in order to rid the body of toxins.

Besides the blood, the most vital part of the body to cleanse is the liver. The liver is the great bodily filter and cleanser. Think of the liver as being like your dryer filter, it catches all the yucky toxins in the body and filter them out. When your filter accumulates too many toxins (mostly chemicals or bad fats), it gets clogged and doesn't work well. Then the body has to produce pimples to evacuate this junk in order to help the liver out.

So, cleanse the liver and you'll be treating the main cause.

The best herbs for blood cleansing are;

Red Clover
Cleavers
Elderberry or Sambuca
Nettles
Cayenne
Blessed Thistle
Buckthorn
Rhubarb Root
Comfrey

The best Herbs for liver cleansing are;

Dandelion
Milk Thistle
Elderberry
Jerusalem Artichoke
Beet Juice

You can take these herbs in herbal combinations designed specifically for cleansing or you can take them by themselves. Probably the best known of the above, and the most available are dandelion root, milk thistle seeds and red clover blossoms. If you live in a wetter clime, you can pick these common herbs yourself, dry them and make a tea.

Or take in capsule form, 2-3 times a day and drink plenty of water to flush the body.

Note, you might find your skin actually worsens for a few days as you start this cleansing process, this is a normal part of detoxification. Know that in a few days you'll be through the worst part and you'll start noticing things clearing up. Stick with it and you'll reap the rewards of beautiful, clear skin. You'll also notice the added bonus of simply feeling better. Mentally, physically and emotionally you'll be feeling clearer, revitalized and rejuvenated.

For the braver cleanser, you might try doing The Master Cleanse.

As you're feeling better, remember to let your face know, smiling is the BEST skin remedy.