Acne is absolutely nothing to be ashamed of, but it can feel inconvenient at times. I’ve tried so many different brands and ingredients, but with each new product, there’s a risk of breaking out. And then there’s the question of whether your new acne is a product of skin purging or is it breaking out? Skin purging is good and refers to minimal new acne that occurs after starting a new product and it’s temporary. Breaking out after a new product is bad because it means that your skin does not like something in that product and it is long-lasting (lasts as long as you use the product). Incorporating natural ingredients that you can find in your kitchen into your skincare routine can help lead you to the road of clearer skin.
Honey
Honey is full of antioxidants that help with aging and wrinkles and it’s antibacterial, which makes it perfect to use on acne! It can be used as either a facemask or as a spot treatment. There’s no time limit for how long to leave a honey facemask on, but about 10-15 minutes should be a good time period. It’s very important that if you use honey that you make sure that it’s raw honey and not processed, as processed honey can make you break out even worse if your skin has a reaction to it. Also, honey obviously is a very sticky substance so if you do choose to use it as a spot treatment and leave it on overnight, make sure to cover your pillow with an old towel or cloth so you don’t stain your sheets and can easily throw the towel into the wash in the morning.
Onions
I know you just read onions in a list of acne remedies and immediately thought of its intense smell, (or maybe you thought of it just now) but onions are great for those painful red spots. Onions are full of antioxidants and help reduce inflammation! Onion juice can be applied overnight as a spot treatment and by the morning you should experience a reduced pimple. If you don’t, be sure to try again the next night as I know from personal experience that it can really help. Just remember to wash your face in the morning.
Green tea
Green tea can be applied as a toner to help reduce excess sebum production, which is what is likely causing your breakouts if you have oily skin. It also works to reduce inflammation as well. The green tea bag can also be used as a great natural exfoliator. Exfoliators work to unclog pores and help get rid of dead skin cells. Sugar and salt scrubs are common exfoliators, but they can be dangerous to use on the face as the skin there is very sensitive and an over-use or being too rough can cause micro-tears in the skin. Teabags are much softer but still work great as exfoliators. Given green tea’s benefits, using its teabag as an exfoliator gives you an added bonus.
Egg whites
Eggs whites can be used as a facemask. I usually leave them on for about 10-15 minutes but more or less doesn’t hurt. Egg whites work to reduce oil production on your face and tighten your pores. They also work to reduce wrinkles, reduce acne scarring and get rid of blackheads. To make an egg white face mask, you need to separate the egg yolk and then whisk the remaining egg whites in a bowl until it looks fluffy. After that, you just need to apply the mask onto your face.
This is just a small list of ingredients that I’ve found work for me. Remember that everyone’s skin is different and what works for one person might not work for another, but as these ingredients are all-natural and are very likely already in your kitchen, they’re worth a shot.