All of these recipes can also be used for acne on your body. If you want to do a full body treatment, simply use four times the amount of each ingredient. Your skin will be clear and soft in no time.

Washing with very hot water, harsh soaps or cleansers will not improve existing acne or prevent future flare-ups, they will only irritate them. Thorough cleansing is the first and most important step in any skin care program.

Deep cleansing is recommended twice a day, in the morning and at night. This assures removal of surface impurities, rests of makeup and excessive oiliness. Ideal cleansing is completed by application of a toner or refreshing lotion. This kind of product prepares the skin for the use of moisturizers and lubricants.

The last basic step is to apply a good moisturizer, which will keep your skin soft, and protect it from the aggressive environmental assaults that it’s exposed every day.

Be sure to clean your face thoroughly before going to bed at night and apply a good nighttime moisturizer. Try some of these great treatments below to speed up healing and clear up your skin in no time.

Facial Scrub

• 1 small bar baby soap, grated

• 2 cups oatmeal, blended into powder

• 1 small pkg. blanched almonds, blended with the oatmeal

Mix these items. Put in tightly sealed jar. Use one tsps. to scrub face or two to three tbsp. in bath.

Egg White Toner

Clean face thoroughly using any natural cleanser. Apply raw egg whites to the skin and leave on for at least 15 minutes. Wash off with tepid water.

Face Cleanser

• Mix 2 tbsp. finely ground oatmeal

• 2 tbsp. wheat bran

• 2 tbsp. honey

Now mix in enough olive oil or apple cider vinegar to form a soft paste. Rinse face with warm water. Then apply cleanser. Gently massage face for five minutes. Then rinse again with warm water and then rinse with cold water.

To Loosen and Cleanse Blackheads

Make a paste of oatmeal, honey and egg white. Apply to the skin, massage for ten minutes, then rinse with tepid (room temperature) water.

Lemon Juice Works Wonders

Wash your face and rinse thoroughly. Squeeze a fresh lemon into a small bowl and put the juice on a cotton ball. Apply cotton ball to face. Repeat soaking of cotton ball in lemon juice as needed. Let lemon juice dry on face for about ten minutes, then rinse with cool water. The lemon juice should make your face sting or mildly burn.

If you have sensitive skin, you may wish to dilute juice with water. Follow this procedure one to two times per day, and you will notice amazing results within 14 days.

Water Flush

Water helps the body flush out toxins and transport nutrients to the body. Drinking water puts less strain on the skin organ to flush out toxins. The recommended amount of water you should drink is at least half your body weight in ounces of water (a 150 lb. person should drink 75 ounces/day). While water alone will not eliminate your acne, it will greatly assist your skin in remaining healthy.

Ice Cubes for Pimples

Try and catch the pimple before it fully arrives on the surface of the skin. As soon as you feel a pimple forming, ice it! Take an ice cube wrapped in saran wrap and place on the skin portion where you feel a pimple about to form. Hold it there for a few minutes. Avoid prolonged holding as you can get frostbite skin.

Perform the above steps three times daily. This technique is effective only on newly forming pimples and rarely useful for existing pimples. This is also effective for cold sores if you freeze them as soon as you feel the tingle.

Stress Related

Stress is something that needs to be reduced in your life since it tends to aggravate acne in many people.

Perhaps one of the most often overlooked remedies. Stop putting your hands by your face! Also, rubbing or bracing your chin is another common problem when thinking. Avoid rubbing, touching, or itching your skin with your hands. Your hands contain a lot of bacteria that can cause acne flare-ups.

Zap it With Zinc

Zinc is one mineral that has shown to benefit acne in a scientific study. The results have been compared to tetracycline. Warning: high doses of zinc are toxic. Avoid going over 100 mg of zinc intake per day from food/supplement.

You should probably have an intake of at least 50 mg/day. It is recommended that you also take a daily multivitamin because increased levels of zinc require more Copper and Manganese. Examine effectiveness after 14 weeks. Some individuals report results in as little as three weeks. Your acne may get worse before it gets better during your intake of zinc.

Zinc is of course not a cure all for your acne. However, some individuals have reported zinc being 75% effective for acne treatment.

Zinc aids in healing of tissue and assists in preventing scarring. It also is important for the body in resisting infection and inflammations.

Herbal Help

Herbs can be one of your best natural acne treatments. Do not look for overnight results, though. Herbs work gently and build up in your system over time. Allow three to four weeks of consistent usage before examining effectiveness of treatment. Take prescribed doses as detailed on your bottle.

Herbal supplements to include in the diet to balance the hormones are saw palmetto berry extract for boys and chaste tree berry extract for girls.

Echinacea can be used to boost the immune system to fight against acne causing bacteria. Some other herbs that may help include: alfalfa, burdock root, cayenne, chaparral, dandelion root, the herbal combinations AKN and BFC, red clover, and yellow dock root. Green tea extract pills have also shown varied results in some individuals. The recommended dosage is generally 900 mg a day.

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