Post 3. Acne and Bacne - Natural Remedies

I am back this week with natural and home remedies I have used for my spotty skin. Last week I mentioned a few of the products which I have purchased and used, some of which worked and some which were a waste of money.

(Check it out)

http://salaamsalma.blogspot.co.uk/2015/06/post-2-acne-and-bacne-products-i-have.html

When I first use these different remedies, it makes a huge difference but after a while, my skin becomes immune to it so it does not have the same effect as it does in the beginning. Nonetheless, these do work a treat and everyone's skin is different. (Plus you need to use these remedies regularly which I fail to do)

After doing research on how to get rid of acne and the marks, I came across an everyday ingredient which is stored in every South Asian household.

Turmeric Powder

I use this in the powder form which my mum uses in her cooking. If you do decide to use it, please be careful not to mix it up with the deep red powder which is infact Chilli powder. (I have been close to applying chilli powder to my face before)

Turmeric has been used for a long long time especially by South Asians for many reasons. 

It is a herbal medicine which is good for sore throat, a good food supplement, can help with diseases and cancers and a face mask. 

Asians have used turmeric on their skin for a while and I have now come to understand why this is applied on a traditional bride a night or two before the wedding.  It makes the skin glow and it looks radiant and clear. 

I decided to use this for a while to help my acne scars and to give me a glowy face. I even used it on my back before I showered. (It used to leave me looking like a Simpson but you just have to wash it off really well)

How to make Turmeric face mask

2 teaspoons of turmeric powder

1 teaspoon of honey (honey has anti bacterial properties and leaves skin soft)

1-2 teaspoons of milk

Mix until it is a paste which is not to liquidy but not too dry, apply on face and leave for around 10-15 mins. Then wash off. 

Honey and lemon

After realising the turmeric mask wasn't so effective on my skin anymore (it has done wonders on my friend), I started to use lemon and honey on my face and back. I would slice a lemon and put honey on it and rub it on my skin

Lemon is like a bleach - it helps lighten scars. (Be sure not to go into the sun with the lemon on your skin) This helped a little and I still do this time to time. 

Make sure to wash this off. The honey is sticky and a little messy. 

(I occasionally rub lemon juice on my skin before sleeping without washing it off.)

Toothpaste and salt

I came across a youtube video for spots which said toothpaste and salt was good for acne, so I tried it. I mixed a teaspoon of salt to two teaspoons of toothpaste and smurred this all over my face. 

A word of advise for my fellow beings...

DO NOT TRY THIS!!! My eyes stung from the paste and it was burning my skin. I think I even went blind for a few minutes. On the plus side, my face was left minty fresh. 

My favourite

My all time favourite remedy at the moment has got to be the use of oats and other ingredients!

Oats is a good scrub and it leaves the skin feeling soft and fresh. 

I make a facial and body scrub using oats in various ways. 

It is actually good for dry skin, flaky skin, spots, marks and eczema. Basically, I recommend this to people with sensitive skin (unless you are allergic to oats).

I have actually replaced shower gel and soaps with this oat scrub. (Except when I am in the gym.)

When making the scrub, you do not want it to be too pasty or too dry.

I use either one of these mixes at least twice a week:

How to make oats face scrub

1. 2 tablespoons of oats (or the amount you desire), lemon 

2. Oats, water

3. Oats, water/lemon, baking soda

For a while, I used a baking soda and a water/lemon paste on my face for blackheads and spots but I felt this dried out my face too much. So I stopped using this. But mixed with the oats, it is not so bad.

Apple Cider vinegar

Before I sleep, I apply apple cider vinger (3 parts to 1 part water in a spray bottle) to my back and face as it is a good way of reducing acne scars. I have been using this for a while and it has made a change. I get less spots on my back and the marks are slowly getting lighter. (Again, make sure to not expose the skin to the sunlight while this is on) It has a very strong smell but beggars cannot be choosers ey. 

Apple cider vinegar has other benefits:

Good for cooking and cleaning, good for drinking to help maintain sugar levels, helps in losing weight (it tastes disgusting and you have to force it down you. I have only done this once)

Last but not least, I will end on the moisturiser I use on my body. The one and only...

Coconut oil!!!

This oil is my best friend. It is good for stretch marks (so people say. I personally haven't seen much change) good for moisturising, hair, make up remover, patchy skin and for cavities. 

Yes, cavities in the teeth. Coconut oil is an anti bacterial. Swishing a spoonful of it around the mouth for at least ten minutes helps prevent cavities and reduce the size of the cavities you may already have. 

So I have tried quite a few home remedies for my acne and the marks my spots have left behind. These are just a few of the many I have actually tried.
I am currently trying out Castor Oil. I will let ya'll know how that is working out for me.

This post was rather long, but I hope you enjoyed it and try out some of them. 

Follow my personal and social Instagram pages for pictures and updates

SalmaKhatun95

SalaamSalma

Post 2. Acne and Bacne - Products I have used

Eeeep!!! I apologise for not posting last week. I was super busy being lazy. Kidding. I had loads to do but here I am this week.

I will go through some of the products which I have used and whether they have worked. 

It's normally a blue pot

Creams I have used

I used to always use 'Astral cream'. This was the typical family cream. It didn't really effect my skin but it was quite greasy so I thought I'd change it about. 

I later started using 'Cocoa Butter'. Although it left my skin soft, it actually dried it out and I had to apply the cream a number of times throughout the day. 

I heard that 'Sudocrem' (the cream which mothers use on their babies bums when they get a nappy rash) was good for spots so I started using that. Every night I would apply it to the affected areas in a thick layer and every morning I would wash it off. No difference!!! It just left me looking pale. (It works on some people though)

I recently tried out a cream called 'Silk Cream'. It it made of natural ingredients and after seeing reviews from people which helped with fading acne scars, I invested in a pot which cost £15. Again, I didn't really see a difference. 

I won't even start on the prescribed creams I got for my spots. None of these actually worked. And I get quite impatient. I move onto different products really fast. 

Now, I've kept my creams to a minimum. I literally use Nivea sun lotion as my everyday cream as it helps to lighten acne scars and protects from the sun. 

Face Washes

Oh my Lord!!! I have tried so many face washes in my lifetime and I'm pretty sure I will not be able to name all of them. 

Let me start with Tea Tree Oil. I have used the face pads, wipes, the spot sticks, the face wash, face scrub and the ointment for my acne. As a teenager, hardly anything worked on my face as my acne was pretty cray cray and not even tea tree oil could help me out. I stopped using this and even today, it doesn't really work on me.

This works on a lot of people though so I would recommend it as I have seen the changes on my
sister.

I then started to use, Garnier face wash. This has zinc in it and I think this helped with the spots on my face. I realised my spots were calming down and I wasn't having that many breakouts. But I later found out that the Garnier brand was supporting Israel so I started to boycott it. Even their 'Pure Active' face scrubs were leaving my skin feeling good.

Finally the one thing which worked on me was not good for humanity. 

I then came across a bottle of Clean & Clear face wash which my cousin had left in my house. So I used that and again, my face felt much clearer and even my marks were starting to fade a little. However, this decent product is also a brand which supports Israel so again, I decided I will no longer use it.

Other face washes which I have used for the sake of using have been, Olay face wash, Simple face scrub and Lush products (which my kind friend gets for me). The face masks from Lush are very soothing and leaves the skin feeling smooth. The scrubs are good exfoliators but for acne prone skin, it doesn't help much. It has been more of a luxury to use Lush products than it
actually making a change on my skin. 

I have used spot wands, creams from different parts of the world, medication from the homopathy and many other products which will all probably add up to a huge cost. 

So as of last year, I decided I was going to start using home remedies. I have not bought face washes for a while now unless I have been away. 

Using products which I already have at home has been very effective financially as well as on my skin and with my acne.

Keep an eye out for next week's blog post where I will go through some of the home made and natural rememdies I have been using and what has been working on me. 

If you haven't already, check out last weeks post

http://salaamsalma.blogspot.co.uk/2015/06/post-3-acne-and-bacne-natural-remedies.html

and follow my personal and social Instagram pages for pictures and updates

SalmaKhatun95

SalaamSalma