There are 2 simple things you need to do to clear up your acne and prevent it in the future.
When I was a teenager, I started to get really bad acne. It made me self conscious and was, frankly, embarrassing. I tried every acne cream, facial scrub and mask I could find. Some were effective in not making it worse, but that was about it. Nothing "cured" my acne.
Then one day, I noticed that if some shampoo suds got on my forehead, it made my skin feel dry and tight there. Just like some of the nicer mud masks I "borrowed" from my mom, it help dry up the oily parts of my skin. So I started to experiment.
I discovered that if I put the shampoo directly on my skin and let it sit for a minute, it was VERY effective at drying out my skin, almost too effective. It was great for putting a breakout in check but my skin was so dry and tight that I could hardly talk to anyone before 3rd period, for fear of cracking my skin. Once my natural skin oils kicked in and my face loosened up, it actually felt great. The several hours of my face being uncomfortably dry though was not pleasant.
Next, I tried just using the suds from the top of my head after I washed my hair. This work perfect! I would gently massage the suds onto my face and let them sit for about a minute before rinsing my head and face. After about 2 weeks of doing this, my face was completely cleared up. I have done this everyday for over 20 years now, and never had a serious acne breakout since.
I can't stress enough how important it is to be gentle with your skin, particularly in the middle of a breakout. I still have small scars and pock marks in some places on my face from before I discovered this method of getting rid of acne. As I said, I tried many methods prior and facial exfoliant scrubs were among them. It is tempting to think that you can scrub away the acne but you can't. When your skin is red and inflamed from an infection or has even come to a head, it is important not to scrub it too hard.
Remember, while the acne may be irritating and ugly, a scar will be just as ugly and be there forever. Let your body heal naturally after you have neutralized the infection, and your skin will go back to normal.
Lastly, an anecdote. A couple months after I started using shampoo to wash my face, I was starting to feel more self confident and decided to share my "secret" with a couple friends of mine. My female friend, predictably, laughed and said, "that's just silly". However, my male friend said, "You know, I did the exact same thing. Remember how I used to have zits all over my face a few months ago and now I don't? I used shampoo, too!"
By Jess from Hillsboro, OR
This page contains the following solutions.
Start by cleaning your face. I use glycolic cleaner, it's non-irritating and helps clean pores out. A mixture of cinnamon and lime or lemon juice is excellent after washing your face.
If I feel one coming, I instantly get out the tea tree oil. It's not going to make it go away completely.
For all those girls and boys that have tried everything to get rid of acne! Well this might be the solution for your case of acne! Well, this a really simple tip!
All of a sudden, I developed a huge zit on the side of my nose. I tried dabbing some tea tree oil on the spot twice a day. In 3 days, it was completely gone!
Here is a very cheap facial mask, I use this all the time to reduce hormonal breakouts. I know some people use it for blackheads and acne scars.
My effective, inexpensive way to prevent and get rid of acne is Ivory soap and Sea Breeze. Wash your face at night before bed with Ivory soap. Dry and then get some Sea Breeze on a Kleenex and apply to face.
Make a thick paste of baking soda with a drop of water. Apply on your zit at night. By morning it will fall off.
Make a thick paste of baking soda mixed with water. Apply on your acne. Or use soda white tooth paste and put on your zit and let it dry.
This page contains homemade acne cream recipes. Acne is a common skin condition that many people struggle with. Acne creams can be quite expensive, making homemade acne cream can help save you money.
This page is about remedies for acne scars. It is a challenge to be self confident if you feel your complexion doesn't match your self image.
This is a page about remedies for adult acne. Determining the cause and effective treatment for blemishes will help you feel better about yourself.
This is a page about remedies for back acne. Acne is bad enough to deal with when it is on your face, but on your back it is exceeding worse. You can't reach or clearly see the outbreaks to treat them.
This is a page about acne face wash advice. Choosing an effective acne face wash can be confusing, there are so many and they all claim to be the best.
