If you’re suffering from acne, you’re not alone. Acne can be pesky all the way from teenage years into adulthood and beyond. And there are so many different recommendations on how to treat acne that it can get extremely confusing.
In this article, you’ll learn how you can treat acne with natural ingredients and the best natural skin care products for acne-prone skin.
How Can I Clear My Acne Naturally?
To clear acne naturally, you need to take a holistic approach and work out the root cause of your acne. The most common cause of acne is hormones, but it isn’t the only cause. You can also experience acne due to diet, stress, not cleaning your skin properly, and having an inadequate skincare routine.
Not looking after your skin properly, or using the wrong skincare for your skin type can cause acne, or make current acne worse. As can switching from product to product as you desperately search for a solution. Here are some tips to get you started with your own DIY holistic acne treatment.
Tips To Treat Acne Naturally
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Develop A Bespoke Skincare Routine, Keep It Simple, And Be Consistent
Tailoring your skincare is important, but it’s even more important when you suffer from acne. Make sure you use the right products for your skin type and don’t just buy any product that says it is for acne. Read the ingredients. If you feel like your skin is overly tight and squeaky clean after washing your face - then you are over-stripping your skin of sebum.
Acne can be caused by an overproduction of oil. And many high street products marketed for acne-prone skin - over strip the skin of its natural oil. When the skin is left squeaky clean due to harsh cleansers, it encourages the skin to increase oil production. This leaves your skin at risk of further clogged pores and more acne.
Focus on natural ingredients which soothe and balance the skin. Rather than harsh cleansers which strip the skin of its protective ecosystem.
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Clean Your Skin Properly
This is especially important if you wear make-up or your skin is exposed to pollution. For example, if you cycle to work then chances are your skin will be exposed to dust in the air and pollution from vehicles.
It’s essential to ensure that your daytime and nighttime skincare routine is complete with a face wash or cleanser, toner, and moisturizer. And you can also add a weekly exfoliation, face mask, and gentle peel to get a deep refreshing cleanse and reset. Clogged pores are a common cause of pimples and acne so refreshing the skin with effective but gentle cleansers is key.
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Create An Acne Trigger Journal
Knowing when your acne flares up can really help you get to the root of the problem. Take note whenever your acne seems particularly inflamed and angry, and also when your skin is calm and glowing.
Do this in tandem with keeping a menstruation cycle, diet, sleep, and stress journal. This allows you to see what may be triggering the inflammation. Take note of other things which are lowering your immune system or causing stress for the body, such as drinking alcohol. It could take a few months to spot patterns, but once you have managed to isolate the trigger you can then treat it appropriately.
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Detox Your Diet
Certain food and drinks can trigger acne, allergies, and inflammation. Dairy is known to increase the chances of acne inflammation in acne-prone skin.¹ Any food which encourages inflammation and lowers the immune system will irritate acne-prone skin and lower its ability to protect itself from acne. Ensure that you are drinking lots of water, and cut out high sugar drinks which are known to increase inflammation.
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Eat Antioxidants And Foods That Reduce Inflammation
Stock up on delicious fruit and vegetables. Especially ones with anti-inflammatory properties that also support the body’s immune system. You can work on the symptom of acne, but it’s most effective to support your body from the inside out as well to prevent reoccurring breakouts.
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Do Not Transfer Bacteria
Your fingers carry and can transfer acne-causing bacteria which spreads pimples and acne, so try not to touch your face. Avoid picking and squeezing acne or pimples because this can cause acne scarring and spreads acne-causing bacteria, which results in further outbreaks.
The Best Natural Acne Products
The best natural acne products are gentle on the skin, whilst also being effective at reducing inflammation, unclogging any debris from the pores and sebaceous glands, and strengthening the skin’s ability to self-regulate.
All of these sustainable skincare products are made from soothing natural ingredients that nourish, hydrate, and protect the skin whilst fighting the symptoms and cause of acne. When you experience acne it can be common to run for a million different products, often filled with harsh chemicals. Even though it can be counterintuitive, it is best to keep your routine simple and consistent. This helps the skin to maintain its pH, oil balance, and natural regeneration process.
The Cleanser - Earthwise Marshmallow Face Cleanser
This beautiful sustainable facial cleanser is filled with botanical ingredients that effectively cleanse without stripping the skin of all of its natural oils. Maintaining the skin’s pH balance is super important for acne-prone skin. The Journal Of Clinical And Aesthetic Dermatology found that there is a correlation between a high pH level and acne vulgaris (commonly known as acne).²
The Earthwise Marshmallow Face Cleanser is filled with ingredients that are perfect for sensitive, irritated and inflamed skin. This cleanser heals and restores with natural ingredients like organic aloe vera, organic chamomile, jojoba seed oil, organic hemp oil, organic coconut oil, and vitamin C. The Earthwise Marshmallow Face Cleanser is so gentle that it can also be used as a body wash for psoriasis breakouts.
The Toner - Earth Harbor Tidal Rose Crystal Hydration Toner
A good toner is so important for acne-prone skin as it helps to remove any last traces of debris, makeup, or dirt that could build up and contribute to acne. The Earth Harbor Tidal Rose Crystal Hydration Toner helps to remove impurities whilst adding hydration before moisturization.
As well as removing the last traces of impurities, a decent toner is imperative for hydration. Hydration doesn’t really just come from a good moisturizer or serum, it comes from locking in moisture with a moisturizer or serum.
Hydration is key for you if you suffer from acne, as adequate moisture is needed for the skin barrier to go through a process called desquamation. Desquamation is where the skin regenerates and sheds the outer layers of older skin. Water is a key ingredient for the skin to rejuvenate itself and to go through its natural exfoliation process.
Ever wonder why dry skin looks flaky and rough? Because the lack of water and hydration within the skin’s layers prevents the skin from being able to naturally shed dead skin cells and its old outer layers. Skin that isn’t properly going through a healthy desquamation process is a breeding ground for acne because it increases the chance of clogged pores or sebaceous glands.
The best time to moisturize is directly after washing your face with water, getting out of the shower, or after using a powerful toner. Because an effective toner like the Earth Harbor Tidal Rose Crystal Hydration Toner provides the right type of hydration and nutrients which gets sealed in with your moisturizer.
Leaving a toner out of your skincare routine can cause dehydration because you’re essentially locking the moisture out by sealing the skin with a serum or moisturizer. The Earth Harbor Tidal Rose Crystal Hydration Toner is a powerful balance of rose flower water and antioxidant-filled botanical extracts.
The Moisturizing Serum - Honua Aloha Youth Serum
Following your toner, you want a nourishing moisturizer or serum that can seal in all the goodies. The Honua Aloha Youth Serum contains a blend of botanical nutrients like aloe vera, turmeric root oil, bakuchiol seed oil, jojoba seed oil, coconut water, and rosemary leaf extract which are perfect for fighting acne.
When suffering from acne it can feel intuitive to strip the skin dry due to a sense of ‘dirtiness’ and bacteria. But this becomes a trap for the skin which desires to be balanced. Over stripping the skin of its oils and sebum encourages it to overproduce oil which leads to further impurities, blocked pores, sebaceous glands, and therefore acne.
Using oil or serum as a moisturizer is not bad for acne-prone or oily skin, it can actually help to balance it. Especially an oil like jojoba oil which is low on the comedogenic rating and closely mimics the skin’s natural oils. Using a serum on oily skin can often help the skin to stop overproducing oil and sebum which reduces the chance of cystic acne or irritated skin.
The Face Mask - Earthwise Catharsis Face Mask
Add a good face mask to your weekly skincare ritual to replenish and refresh the skin. Exfoliating the skin can be too harsh for acne-prone skin which is inflamed and sensitive. Furthermore, traditional exfoliation can spread bacteria, causing more breakouts. Adding a weekly face mask and acid peel into your DIY acne treatment is a great way to gently but effectively remove dead skin cells without spreading bacteria or disturbing the skin.
The Earthwise Catharsis Face Mask firms and invigorates the skin whilst healing with natural ingredients like organic aloe vera, organic neem leaf powder, and organic orange peel powder. The aloe vera soothes and protects with its hydrating and antibacterial properties. Clinical research shows that aloe vera can effectively treat acne due to its anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and anti-bacterial properties.³
The Acid Peel - M.S Skincare Enlighten Retexturizing Glycolic Treatment
Acid peels can sound super scary, especially if your skin is already delicate and sensitive. But revolutionary skincare products are now paving the way for easy at-home acid peels and acid treatments. The Enlighten Retexturizing Glycolic Treatment helps to remove dead layers of skin, unclog pores, and eliminate any impurities or debris that are lurking on or in the skin.
There are many different types of acid treatments which contain salicylic acid, hyaluronic acid, and glycolic acid which are good for acne scars and refreshing the skin. The Enlighten Retexturizing Glycolic Treatment helps to firm, even skin texture, supports collagen and wound healing with rose flower water, sandalwood essential oil, neem extract, aloe vera, turmeric extract, and red seaweed extract.
Conclusion
Botanical extracts are proven to aid wound healing, skin balance, skin restoration, and the treatment of acne. Invest in green skincare products that are kind to sensitive acne-prone skin, and the earth.
Carmen Lee is a certified yoga teacher, childbirth doula, and wellness coach. She educates on womb wellness, sacred wisdom, and ancestral-connected living. You’ll find her passionately advocating radical self-care and transformational self-empowerment through sustainable beauty and self-love rituals.
Some of the products promoted in our blog are from our online store. Many others are brands we have researched and found to be great examples of sustainable, ethical, and innovative brands in their field, and we don't make any profit from mentioning them in our blog. #CollaborationOverCompetition
