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Sometimes, you need a remedy in a pinch. You may not be able to dash to the drug store. Perhaps you have a few items already in your pantry that can help alleviate a particular problem you may be experiencing. Today, on A-Z Amazing Kitchen Remedies we discuss ACNE. Here are twenty ways you can help eliminate pimples naturally with items you may already have on hand at home.
1. Baking Soda. Pour a small amount baking soda into the cup of your hand and add a little water to make a paste. Put a small dab of the paste on any blemishes and let sit for a few minutes. Gently scrub your face with more of the paste. The baking soda cleans your skin thoroughly, exfoliates dead skin cells, loosens blackheads, and leaves your skin feeling wonderfully smooth.
2. Toothpaste (preferably non tartar control). Apply a dab of toothpaste on the pimples. The toothpaste dries up pimples quickly.
3. Cortaid. To reduce swelling and tenderness apply a dab of Cortaid on your pimples.
4. Toothpaste and Band-Aid Bandages. Yet another way to reduce swelling, apply a dab of regular (non tartar) toothpaste to the pimple and cover with a Band-Aid bandage before going to bed. Leave on all night then when you awake the swelling should dissipate.
5. Witch Hazel. Witch hazel is an old time remedy with many uses present day. Use a cotton ball to clean oil from your skin with this natural cooling astringent.
6. Elmer’s Glue-All. Any brand will do. No need to spend tons on Biore strips to remove oil and blackheads. Simply coat your face with a thin layer of Elmer’s Glue-All (avoid the eye area!). Let the glue dry, then gently peel off. This will exfoliate a thin layer of your skin. Elmer’s glue is water soluble, so you can always just wash it off with warm water if it happens to stick to your eyebrows.
7. Epsom Salt. For blackhead removal, add one teaspoon Epson salt and three drops of iodine (anti-bacterial) to one-half cup boiling water. After the solution has cooled, dampen strips of cotton in it, then apply the strips to clogged pores. Repeat three or four times, reheating the solution as necessary. Gently unclog your pores, then apply an alcohol based astringent.
8. White Vinegar. To readjust the pH of your skin to a proper level, mix equal parts white vinegar and water. Use a cotton ball saturated with the solution then apply to clean your face. Solution acts as an the astringent.
9. Hydrogen Peroxide. Put a small amount of hydrogen peroxide on a cotton ball and rub it on your face. This will cleanse your pores acting as a mild astringent.
10. Corn Starch and Lemon Juice. When you break out in pimples, mix one teaspoon corn starch with one teaspoon lemon juice to make a paste. Apply to the affected areas and let dry. This acne treatment eliminates the redness and helps pimples dry up faster.
11. Tea Bags. To bring a pimple to a head quickly, dampen a tea bag with hot water (do not squeeze out the water) and apply as a compress.
12. Listerine. Wash your face with warm water and soap, rinse, then saturate a cotton ball with Listerine. Then dab the Listerine on blemishes to cleanse your pores. Leave the Listerine on your face for ten minutes or until you can no longer feel the tingling sensation. Then rinse your face with warm water to wash off all the Listerine and splash with cold water to close your pores again. Just be sure to use original flavor Listerine, not any of the flavors like Cool Mint because they contain sugar. For off brands, must state is antiseptic not just a mouthwash.
13. Neosporin. Dab a little Neosporin on any pimples and blemishes. The antibiotic helps to clear up acne.
14. Milk Of Magnesia. Using Milk of Magnesia (like Phillip’s brand) as a facial mask helps dry up the excess oils from your face and dabbing it on pimples reduces redness and speeds up healing.
15. Preparation H. Ah…good ole preparation H! So many uses LOL. But, it truly does work! Apply a dab of Preparation H on pimples and blemishes because it will reduce swelling.
16. Quaker Oats. Make a bowl of oatmeal according to the directions on the back of the container. Let cool and apply oatmeal to your face. Cover with a washcloth dampened with warm water. Let sit for fifteen minutes then wash clean. Repeat daily for one week or whenever acne flares up. Oatmeal is a natural astringent that dries the skin.
17. Lemon Juice. Rub lemon juice over blackheads before going to bed. In the morning, wash off the juice with cool water. Repeat for several nights and you should see a huge improvement in your skin. Also, dab lemon juice on any blemish a few times during the day for extra power.
18. Honey and Band-Aid Bandages. To bring an embedded pimple to a head, cover the blemish with a dab of honey and then place a band-aid bandage over it before you go to bed. Honey kills bacteria, keeps the pimple sterile and speeds healing by bringing the pimple to the surface overnight.
19. Vicks Vaporub. To dry up pimples, put a little dab of Vicks Vaporub on the blemishes and the pimples with soon vanish.
20. Visine. Applying a few drops of Visine to pimples and blemishes reduces the redness. Visine is a fast acting vasoconstrictor. However, if you intend to use the eyedrops later in your eyes, do not let the top of the bottle touch your skin because it can contaminate it. Perhaps have a bottle for eyes and one for your pimples.
A few interesting facts.
During adolescence, the body begins producing large amounts of the hormone androgen which causes the sebaceous glands in the skin to overproduce oil. When the excess oil gets trapped in the passageways under the skin, pimples form.
A boy’s body produces ten times more androgen than a girl’s body meaning boys are ten times more likely than girls to get acne.
Attempting to cover up heavy acne with makeup makes it worse.
Contrary to folklore, chocolate does not cause acne.
Give any of these suggestions a try next time you encounter an unexpected outbreak of acne or a pop up pimple.
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Until next time!
The Beautiful Nerd 🙂
