12 Proven Natural Remedies for Acne

I've suffered from acne for over 15 years and have been on accutane, minocycline, and every topical with no sucess.

This has worked - I've had great success with using Baking Soda as a facial cleanser. To use wet your face first, and create a paste with about 1/2 tbsp of baking soda and water. Gently apply to face, lightly rub for 30 seconds then wash off. I use tea tree oil on new spots if any. Many people use this method and have also had great success.

I hope this helps someone!

Aspirin and Honey mask is slowly curing my skin!

I've always had lousy facial skin. Being of South Asian descent, in addition to acne and the scars left over from teenage pimples and acne, I've also had one huge dark circle around my mouth. I've been trying to lighten this for years with lemon juice, over the counter skin lightening creams, you name it to no avail. I generally just ended up wearing heavy makeup around that area (you can imagine how disgusting that looks, it looked worse without it!)

Fast forward to just yesterday (Sun, Feb 3rd '08). I'd been suffering from some adult acne on my cheeks and decided to try something I had been very wary of - an aspirin face mask. Yes, thats right, aspirin. I took 5 aspirin, crushed them, mixed them with about 1/2 a spoon of honey, applied it to my face (like a mask) for 15 minutes and washed it off.

WOW! The results were PHENOMENAL. I truly wish I had taken some before and after pictures for this site because the pimples had reduced by HALF THEIR SIZE. HALF! On top of that, that ever persistent dark circle had ACTUALLY lightened. On top of that, my skin was literally glowing! I STILL can't believe it. Today I had to wear hardly any make up at all. Guys, this remedy truly works for me, and I highly suggest everyone give it a shot at least once - if not for acne, then for GLOWING and BEAUTIFULLY SOFT SKIN.

Some Notes:
1. Try to buy uncoated or lightly coated aspirin.
2. Once crushed, it will be very grainy, don't worry about this. If you like, you can sprinkle a few drops of water on the pills beforehand, let it sit and then add the honey. You won't need to crush them and look like a drug addict in the process.
3. Play around with the number of aspirin you use. 5 may be too much for people with sensitive skin.
4. Aspirin dries out your skin, so use PLENTY of moisturizer after and don't plan on doing this more than once a week if your skin is dry to begin with. (I'll be doing it about 3x a week)
5. I used witch hazel as a toner after I washed the mask off. Feel free to use ACV or tomato juice *thanks Earthclinic =)*

Please try this mask and let me know what you think!

Having had moderate to slightly severe acne since puberty , I have tried it all short of Accutane. I became COMPLETELY acne free at age 40 when I started DMPS chelation for mercury poisoning. The treatments were a week apart and each time would worsen the acne right after the treatment but would then look great until my next treatment. Each treatment would make it worse then better until about the 5th or 6th treatment completely cleared it. That was 9 years ago. The doctor had no idea the Dmps would do this and I have not seen where it is mentioned to cure acne anywhere. Not sure if it is the sulphur in the medicine that did the job or the clearing of mercury from the gut. Either way this was a complete cure and the answer to many prayers.

I have suffered from severe cystic acne, the most severe, painful, and deepest of acne for at least 13 years (since puberty). I've tried everything. Nothing topical worked because the acne was so deep. I finally found the cure! A form of vitamin B5, pantothenic acid, in extremely high doses cured my acne completely! I have been taking 10g of pantothenic acid a day for almost a month. Within a week I could see huge results and within two weeks I was completely clear. I'm so glad I decided to try this instead of trying Accutane like the rest of my family. If you decide to try this build up to 10g/day over the course of a week (if not, it can cause stomach upset) and continue the 10g/day regimen for 2 months. After that you can gradually decrease the dosage down to a maintenance dose of 1-2g/day. This information is supported by a study done by Dr.Leung in China. The initial 10g/day dosage is extreme-the pills mostly come in 500mg doses which ends up being 20 pills/day but if you're desperate like me then it's worth it. I split mine up into 2 doses/day and dissolve the pills in a drink. It doesn't taste good but its better than having to take so many pills. I've read that smaller doses work but it may take longer to see results.

A COMBINATION OF REMEDIES, learnt from this site, is ridding acne from my face. A problem I have struggled with for years is finally saying Bye-Bye! I have introduced my body to OIL PULLING; I alternate days by eating either 1 TOMATO or 1 tbsp MOLASSES first thing in the morning. I do the BROWN-SUGAR SCRUB twice per week. I use HYDROGEN PEROXIDE after washing face; wash pillowcase regularly; apply VIT E before bed; apply a different FACE MASK once per week; apply CLEAR TAPE over troubled areas and peel away dead skin cells once per week. I also drink water regularly (spring/purified/tap). Thank you Earth Clinic for alternatives, and thank you fellow readers for sharing your tips.

Supplementing my diet with molasses has decreased my acne about 97% in two weeks. I take two tablespoons when I wake up in the morning, and two before I go to bed at night. It eases digestive problems, so if your acne is related to constipation, it's a sure-fire bet. It also supplements you with minerals such as Chromium, which about 90% of Americans are deficient in.

At 51, I continue to have the occasional pimple, often on my nose, sometimes on my lower lip or elsewhere. Recently, while doing some yard work, I accidentally sliced a piece of aloe vera from a plant. Having heard about its medicinal value, I tried applying the sap on a fast growing pimple on my lower lip. I reapplied the invisible sap four times in the course 24 hours, and twice the next day. The pimple just evaporated. I've since tried it repeatedly with the same results. I'm delighted. This was must faster than anything I've experienced before. My garden aloe is free. Like I said, the sap is invisible. There is an initial odor, but it fades quickly. I recommend trying it.

I read a blog on the internet about aspirin masks. I tried it and it is unbelievable! My skin looks and feels amazing after just one mask. If you can find aspirin powders, that works best, otherwise plain aspirin will do the trick as well. I emptied 2 aspirin powders in the palm of my hand with a little calamine lotion (just enough to make a creamy paste) and applied to my face in a circular motion and let dry (approx. 5-10 mins.) I then added a little water and and again massaged in a circular motion and then rinsed it all off. A great exfoliator and it worked BETTER than any store bought product I've ever bought! (Aspirin contains salicylic acid which is in a lot of acne products) It also immediately got rid of the redness my skin is prone to having--AMAZING! A MUST TRY.

I tried every thing for my clogged pores. I was taking 1200 IE of natural Vit E and still no change. Then I added lecithin capsules and walla, all my clogged pores went away in a week. My nose now feels really smooth and all those little crusty whiteheads (and whatever the heck that crusty stuff on my skin was) is going away. Yippie! Just had to share that. Best Regards, Marty

I notice drinking pure carrot juice everyday works to clear acne.. Also eating/drinking watermelon juice does the same... Now I incorporate these two fruits into my diet for healthy looking skin...

A paste of honey and cinnamon. 3 Tablespoons of honey to 1 cinnamon. Apply topically. Dries acne out takes about 2-3 weeks.

Interested in knowing the latest on your son's condition with the use of Goldenseal. Could you please leave an update?

Radish juice can be a bit hard to drink for some because of the taste but this will clear your skin up within a few days. its a great remedy! Skin will be glowing.

Another AMAZING remedy (topical) for acne that I want to mention is Black Mud Soap from the Dead Sea. It draws impurities right out of your skin, and clears up acne like you wouldn't believe. I think it also has actually helped to fade the red marks/scarring I had. You can use it all over your body and face. If you use it on your face, make sure to moisturize after because it can be a bit drying.

My 16 year old son had some rather large, red, hard acne bumps on his face, especially in the middle of his forehead. He went skiing for one day and came back with a sunburn on his face, but the acne was about 80% cleared up after just that one day in the sun. I'm guessing it was the Vitamin D that did it. So we'll keep giving Vitamin D until summer and see if the improvement keeps up.

It works! I had acne and also tried all kinds of things. I finally stopped using anything but water to wash my face and don't use any other products on my face. I rarely have a problem with acne now.

I have suffered from painful acne break outs for years and couldn't find a safe solution that didn't involve pills till now! I took baking soda mixed it with a mild facial cleanser and added tea tree oil to it and used it to scrub my face and body than followed with a tea tree mask from the body shop and my skin feels amazing!!! My skin hasn't felt like this since I hit puberty, not naming how many years ago, lol, but none the less my face and body feels great! I even used it on the areas I shave on my body, yes I shave not wax cause i' m a wimp but I used it there and it is working to get rid of any in grown hairs I had! I hope this might work for you. it says baking soda here but I used both baking soda and tea tree oil for this.

Is it safe to use the baking soda scrub everyday for 10 minutes?