Tuesday, March 10, 2009

Natural Acne Herbal Remedies

There are literally dozens of acne herbal home remedies to consider. My advice is that you try them all if necessary. Each person responds differently to herbal home remedies so you’re going to have to experiment to find the best result. Unfortunately, there is no “instant” cure for acne. Yes, with the right dedication and work-ethic, you can reduce and maybe even eliminate acne. But the road to completely clearing your face can be a long and difficult one. Think of curing your acne as a part time job – it’s going to take that much work (well, not literally, but you will need the same type of dedication to get rid of your acne).

Why herbal acne treatments as opposed to off-the-shelf acne medicines? Well, herbal skin remedies are cheap for one, and they are readily available from your local drugstore. In fact, I’m willing to bet you have more than a few of the treatments I list in your fridge or cupboard! So read the list and start testing them out. Always keep in mind that in the world of acne home remedies, there are many many different variations of each “recipe” and many different remedies altogether. It’s sort of an acne-fighting jungle and one that you will have to cross by yourself. As I suggest on all of my acne guides posted here, if you chose one of the treatments to try, you should stick to a regimen for at least 2 weeks to see if you get any results. You should follow your acne-fighting regimen religiously. Don’t skip a day! So without ado, here are the most common Acne herbal remedies. Note that these remedies are specifically geared towards helping you treat your acne; if you want to treat and remove acne scars, you may want to consider using some of the medicated treatments out there, such as chemical peels. But for giving your refreshing and clean-looking skin, follow the remedies given below.

Amaranth
Brew a tea from amaranth seeds. Use it as a face wash every morning. Boil three cups of water then add 3 teaspoons of amaranth seeds. Simmer for 6 minutes before removing from heat. Let the mixture steep for a good twenty to thirty minutes.

Basil
Another very effective herbal acne treatment. What you should do is take basil oil (you can find some at your local health-food store) and rub it on your affected skin areas. Another variation I’ve seen on this is to make a tea. Mix 3 teaspoons of dried basil leaves (available from grocery stores everywhere) and boil them. When the water comes to a boil, remove and let steep for a good 10 minutes. Drink twice a day.

Tea Tree Oil
One of the most common herbal acne remedies. Try this one first if you are wondering where to start. Buy from your local health store. Use 5 to 10 percent solutions once or twice a day for best results. Tea tree oil comes from a tree native to Australia. The tree contains special antiseptic ingredients that are very effective skin disinfectants. If you look at the off-the-shelf acne medicines and facial washes, you will notice many of them contain tea tree oil. People claim that tea tree oil is at least as effective as 5% benzoyl peroxide without all the horrible drying – high praise indeed since one of the biggest downsides to using benzoyl peroxide acne medications is the terrible drying that can occur in your skin!

Tea
Besides being a delicious drink, tea can actually be used as a acne herbal remedy! You can use special types of tea as both a drink to consume or as a face wash. If you choose to use tea as a facewash, make sure it’s cool first before washing. Some of the more popular acne-fighting tea leaves to drink: chickweed, dandelion, red clover, Echinacea, ginseng, valerian, and yellow dock.

Calendula
You can use this for topical skin treatments. There are many products that contain the herb. Or, take some pure calendula and make a tea. Use the (cool) tea as an effective acne face wash remedy twice a day.

Burdock
A powerful herb to fight acne with, burdock is pretty much the single most important herb used for treating all kinds of chronic skin problems, including acne. You should definitely give this one a shot. Boil a quart of water then add 3 teaspoons of dried burdock root. Let simmer for 10 minutes before removing from stove. Let the burdock roots simmer for at least 1 an a half hours before removing. You can use it as a daily face wash.

Oregon Grape
This herb has powerful antibiotic properties. You can get it in several forms (dried root, tincture, fluid extract, or solid powder).

Calendula

Calendula can be made into tinctures, lotions and creams. Look for products containing this herb. Make a tea of calendula and wash your face.

Natural Herbal Remedies are a powerful tool to be used against skin problems. I highly suggest going the herbal remedy route if you aren’t having much luck with off-the-shelf acne treatments.

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