Natural remedies for acne

Turning to the natural world for healthier skin

By Brittney MacDonald, Life & Style Editor

No matter where you go, or what you do, your skin is always with you—which makes it all the more problematic if said skin isn’t behaving itself! I’ve never suffered from severe acne, or even consistent break-outs, but I do tend to get pimples when I’m stressed-out. As I am a very anxious person about to face some major life changes in the future, this has been happening quite a bit. Unfortunately, I can’t use the majority of the acne/pimple products available in stores. I have very sensitive skin, so the majority of them give me chemical burns—which is not a good look, in case you were wondering. Due to this I have looked into a few all natural remedies to help reduce or control break-outs and acne.

Diet

This seems like such a simple option, and one that everyone knows about. If you suffer from acne, eat healthy! Easy for some to say, as they are probably giving that advice from the comfort of their own home with a fully-stocked fridge. As a student you are constantly commuting, not to mention racing between classes and work—there isn’t time to pay attention to your own eating habits! Luckily there’s a couple tricks you can make use of:

Avoid drinking milk. Milk might be good for you bones, but it’s very bad for your skin.

Eat fish. Fish contains essential fatty acids and oils that are good for your heart and your skin. Salmon is the best, but even tuna will help maintain, or clear up a complexion.

Honey

Now you may be asking why this isn’t in with the diet portion—and that’s because using honey to help your skin doesn’t involve eating it! Honey is one of nature’s best antiseptics, meaning it will help reduce the bacteria on your face, preventing the spread of your acne. It’s also very moisturizing and will help heal and repair the skin so you’re not left with scars or red patches.

Tea tree oil

This seems to be one that everyone knows about, so much so that even cosmetic companies have started putting tea tree oil in their products. To this I say: Keep it simple. You don’t need products that include this, and you shouldn’t be using it to maintain your skin—it’s incredibly corrosive. Use the oil as a spot treatment to treat large or painful pimples. It will dry them out so they will reduce in size. You can also use diluted tea tree oil to break up scar tissue.

Witch hazel

Using witch hazel as a toner is a great way to unclog pores while avoiding the burn of alcohol. If your skin is sensitive, you probably can’t use most cleansers and toners because they contain rubbing alcohol. However, alcohol-free toners just don’t do as good a job, and ones that are oil-based can cause more break-outs in people who are acne-prone. Witch hazel can act as a toner—evening out skin tone, unclogging pores, and softening skin—but it smells really weird. If you can get past that then it can act as a great alternative to more traditional skincare. This is a fad that is catching on more and more because of witch hazel’s prevalence in Korean skincare, so you can find it more and more in products that advertise themselves as all-natural or organic. I say skip all the hubbub and go straight to the source! Witch hazel is available in the first-aid sections of most drug stores.