12 Proven Natural Remedies for Acne

When I was travelling last week, I ate a chocolate and peanuty dessert at a restaurant. Well, within an hour I had a big pimple popping out on my chin. Peanut and chocolate combination will sometimes do this, esp if the chocolate has cocoa butter in it. I didn't have any pimple remedies with me, but I remembered reading about toothpaste for pimples. I dabbed some on my pimple and went to bed. The next morning, it was barely visible. I think it's the mint that works. Yea toothpaste!

I suffered for many months at a time from perioral acne (red, bumpy, itchy, oily, flakey rash with pustules) around my nose and chin, and tried all the classic home remedies from AC vinegar to calamine lotion, to eating foods that fight infections, etc. Rubbing alcohol made it redder and it didn't cure it.

The cure? Change to Tom's Toothpaste with no fluoride. Regular toothpastes (common brands like Crest, Colgate, and all others) have fluoride and some other ingredients possibly. In one day the red bumps were calmer and not "active" and in about 2 days they were gone. My face was clear!! Such a simple solution, and I had struggled for about 5 months! As soon as I started fluoride toothpaste again after a week or so of Tom's, it usually broke out again. It isn't the toothpaste dripping on the skin, it is that the toothpaste has irritants which are absorbed through the membranes of the mouth lining, so it becomes an allergy to some people. Even mouthwashes & some sugarfree gums or mints which may be strong can cause flare-ups of perioral acne. My dermatologist had given me an antibiotic for this which did work, but then you're on antibiotics which make skin sensitive to sun. After weeks on Tom's you can usually go back to your regular toothpaste, but you'll know what to do if you feel the first itchy, red little bump...

I just wanted to add that I also use toothpaste for acne. It won't help prevent acne, but if you have a pimple, put a dab of toothpaste on it before bed time. Sleep with it on and wash it off in the morning. You will find that the soreness, redness and swelling has gone down considerably!

Toothpaste on those nasty zits you can feel the pressure on the inside too, will suck out the oil. In fact toothpaste on any zit will do that. I only know from experience on one of those nasty ones developing. I put the toothpaste on it at night, and in the morning my face was incredibly oily, and the wad of toothpaste was covered as well, and no more zit pressure.

To reduce pimple redness, apply toothpaste (yes, toothpaste!) so it covers the pimple. Wipe/rinse off after a couple minutes, and the redness should decrease a little while after.