Natural acne remedies are increasingly popular, partially because more people are seeking natural diets and lifestyles (and natural skin care goes along with this), but also because it’s an affordable alternative, or a useful addition to, medicinal treatment. So whether you’re looking to find an at-home acne-reducing solution, or just to boost the effectiveness of your face wash or stronger acne treatment, here are a few things that people suggest to help tackle acne, naturally.

What You Eat

Experts still don’t agree on whether diet impacts acne, but everyone suggests drinking plenty of water to help your skin cleanse itself, and help it stay elastic enough to heal quickly. Beta carotene (such as in carrots) can also help your skin stay healthy, and many sources recommend avoiding refined white (such as refined sugar, white flour, and even milk).

Certain other vegetables (such as celery, onions, garlic, cucumbers, and any other green vegetables) have often been suggested as potential acne-relievers. Beans, flax, figs, prunes, and nuts have also been touted as acne-fighting foods. In general, the healthier you eat, the healthier your skin will be.

Natural Face Masks

Masks can be a nice way to give your skin a boost of certain vitamins, while also helping remove dead skin and clear out your pores. There are a number of different natural mask ingredients that people claim helps reduce the severity of an outbreak and help the skin stay balanced and heal quickly. Again, these aren’t all agreed on as helpful by doctors, but it couldn’t hurt to try, and see if anything works for you. (Plus it can be fun!)

These natural mask ingredients include:

• dandelion

• chamomile

• strawberry leaves (and strawberry fruits)

• honey

• avocado

• banana

Natural Acne Spot Treatments

“At home” spot treatments from natural sources can be made from tea tree oil, garlic, baking soda, and even potatoes. To help sooth your skin, try splashing the face with rose water or water soaked with lettuce or other green vegetables.

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There are a variety of effective over the counter medicines available (topical ointments, face and body washes, and even astringents or medicated cleansing cloths). You can also see a dermatologist for a stronger, more personalized acne treatment regiment.

But for some people, whether for budgetary reasons or just the desire to do things without chemicals or medicines, home remedies for acne are the most appealing. Many of these tips and tricks may prove to be effective if your acne is mild. Or, use them in conjunction with a regular treatment to keep your skin in the best shape possible.

But remember! Washing, scrubbing, or otherwise ‘messing with’ your skin too much can do more harm than good. Keep your acne treatments to a regular minimum to avoid irritating your skin. For each of these ideas, try it on just a small spot of your skin first. If you turn out to be allergic to something, you wouldn’t want your whole face to turn pink!

Face “Masks” or “Masques”

Many different fruits and vegetables have vitamins and enzymes that help your skin stay balanced, not just by eating, but by applying directly. With a simple online search, you can find remedies that use any of the following ingredients to help your skin shine, in a good way:

• pumpkin

• honey

• oatmeal

• avocado

Topical “Spot” Treatments

People swear by all sorts of ingredients for treating individual blemishes. One common “stand by” is putting toothpaste on individual pimples before going to bed. People attribute toothpaste’s success to the way it dries out the skin (again, be careful: you could over-dry). Others rub raw garlic over a blemish several times a day to reduce its severity.

Super-Fresh Splashing

Many common home remedies involve splashing your face with water containing natural ingredients, or applying these mixtures with a cotton ball. Some of the most common include “facial teas” including the following main ingredients:

• flowers and herbs (rosemary, lavender, nettle, rose water, bay leaves)

• leafy greens (lettuce, etc.)

• fruits (lemon juice, apple cider vinegar)

• other (fresh yeast)

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