by Katie-Ellen

Created on: June 30, 2010   Last Updated: July 02, 2010

Start with what you can do to contribute to a healing solution in treating acne naturally, especially in the teen years. You’ll need to address all aspects of your body’s health and wellbeing to promote treating acne naturally. Here are some ideas to help you along:

Stress is often known to induce a flare up of acne, quite often due to the change in hormone levels. This in turn can stimulate cravings for certain foods such as chocolates and sweets. The effect being that while you want to heal your acne, it can turn into a vicious circle by hormone levels creating stress; leading to cravings that can result in more acne. Try to treat the stress first before it leads to swinging hormones and sugar cravings.

Skin cleansers can be made by using baking soda/bi-carbonate of soda as a facial cleanser and scrub by mixing the powder in a container with a small amount of water to form a thin paste. Spread lightly over the affected area and rinse off. When you choose lotions of any kind, check that they are water based rather than oil based in their ingredients as they are less likely to clog your skin pores.

Garlic is well known as a cleanser and has high nutritional value, which makes it beneficial for internal and external cleansing for acne reduction. For external use, gently rub on a cut garlic clove but not too often as its properties are strong and can leave redness if over used. Not ideal if used just prior to going out due to its aroma. Following is a recipe for both internal and external cleansing to aid the healing and cleansing of acne.

You need half a cup of organic apple cider vinegar and two cups berries. Gently mash the berries and stir in the vinegar. Set this combination aside overnight. The following morning, strain the mixture and pour into a spray bottle. Mist over the affected areas, usually the face and neck. The acid in this special mixture will both cleanse and tighten your pores.

Lifestyle balance is especially important in reference to four areas: sleep, hydration, exercise, habits and diet. Your skin can reflect your overall health and habits so it is vital to get sufficient sleep, avoid damaging habits like smoking. Regular exercise contributes to vitalising your skin and helps reduce levels of stress. Drinking around eight cups of water a day affects health in all parts of your body, including your skin health. Water improves circulation and strongly assists in flushing toxins from your body and supports healthy functions as skin tissues, proteins and enzymes. 

Hygiene can’t be over looked as acne is caused by the sebaceous glands secreting too much oil. If dead skin cells are left to accumulate, they clog the pores and oil can’t flow naturally from the glands to the surface of the skin. Try not to let your hair get oily or greasy as it tends to worsen the effects of acne on the face. Make sure any hats or sweatbands are kept clean as they can absorb oil. Wash your face each day with mild cleansers to help keep the pores clear.

Diet is an area to be attentive to for many reasons. If you eat oily fast foods it can set off acne so jut keep note of your diet to see if any foods or drinks may trigger it try to steer clear of refined foods and drinks, particularly those high in sugars, colourings and chemicals.

Whole foods are best. Foods containing zinc can help such as wheat germ and lima beans. Try sprouted beans and seeds; leafy green vegetables that are steamed or eaten raw; nuts and seeds (sunflower, sesame and pumpkin; whole grains and rice, including linseed. Fresh fruits are important – choose varying colours plus a selection of sun dried fruits as dates, figs, peaches and apricots.

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