This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure.
After suffering with acne for the past 15 years, I’ve found that many natural remedies for acne work better than over-the-counter things I’ve tried.
There are many options for all natural remedies for acne. So, how do you choose which ones to try?
The ones I have included in my list of the top 10 all natural remedies for acne, are ones that I have found to work the best and are the most powerful! Everyone is different, and it may require some experimentation to find what works best for you! But most importantly, don’t give up!
After having acne for many years, I have tried nearly every possible remedy and treatment. I even, hate to say it, I’ve even tried prescription treatments. The funny thing is, after trying everything, I found the natural remedies for acne have worked the best! Seriously!
My acne started around age 13 and only progressed to get worse! My mother always told me, just wait until after high school, it will get better. But those years came and went with no change. Then, I had hoped by the end of college I would definitely be better, but yep you guessed it, four years later, it was only worse!
All through high school and college, I searched for years trying to find help, but nothing seemed to work. It didn’t seem fair because for some people, they improved with age. This is because acne it seems is sometimes just a temporary occurrence due to changes in hormones, but for me and many others that isn’t the case!
Getting to the Causes of Acne
1. Diet: What you eat matters! Many say that your that diet doesn’t matter. However, for many it came make a big impact. It so important to watch what you’re putting into your body. Avoid all processed foods, eat real foods and make sure to get enough fats into your diet, such as avocados and coconut oil. Dairy can be a problem and this should be avoided, along with refined sugar.
2. Get a blood test! Test your blood for vitamins and nutrients to make sure you aren’t deficient in anything. Also, it may be a good idea to check your thyroid and your hormone levels (progesterone and testosterone).
3. Allergens! Your acne may be a result of an allergy. Determine if there are any possible allergens that may be causing your acne, such as gluten, which may reduce the amount of nutrients absorbed. Other common allergens are dairy, yeast and eggs. Delayed food allergies may affect you especially if you have a leaky gut.
10 Best All Natural Remedies for Acne:
1. Baking Soda– This is my absolute favorite natural remedy for acne! Surprisingly, I only discovered baking soda masks a couple of years ago, and oh boy, is this stuff powerful at clearing skin! Baking soda not only helps eliminate breakouts and reduces inflammation, it is also an exfoliator and helps remove dead skin cells! Because of this, it also works great to reduce any old scars or acne marks. To use it, just take a few teaspoons of baking soda and mix it with warm water until it forms a paste. Apply the paste to your skin. You may want to leave it on for only 10 to 15 minutes the first few times as it may feel powerful. You can gradually increase the time up to an hour. After one use you can see a great difference in your skin.
2. Apple Cider Vinegar– This natural remedy for acne is another powerful one, it has both antibacterial and antifungal properties. To start out, you may want to dilute a few teaspoons with half cup water or 1/4 cup water as it can be quite powerful when applied directly to your skin. Make sure to use apple cider vinegar that’s raw, unfiltered and labeled as “with the mother”, which has the most nutrients.
3. Coconut Oil– Coconut oil is antibacterial and antifungal. Coconut oil is also extremely moisturizing and gentle. It helps fight the bacteria and reduce redness. Apply the coconut oil to your skin and massage it in. You can reapply a couple times per day. With coconut oil, there is no need to ever use a moisturizer again, it works so well. For optimal benefit, use organic coconut oil that is unrefined.
4. Tea Tree Oil– Tea tree oil is an essential oil and can be a very powerful all natural remedy for acne, as it is antibacterial. To apply it, mix a small amount (5 to 10 drops) of tea tree oil with a 1/4 cup water. Dip a cotton ball into the mixture and apply it to your skin. You can reapply throughout the day or leave it on under your makeup.
5. Egg Whites– For this, I’m not talking about eating them, they make a great natural remedy for acne when used as a facial mask! Egg whites reduce the oil and minimize your pores in addition to drawing out impurities. To use it, separate the egg white from the yolk, use a cotton ball or you can use your fingers to apply the egg white to your skin. After a few minutes you’ll start to feel it tighten, you can leave it on anywhere from 10 minutes to an hour. Afterwards, your skin will have an amazing glow!
6. Lemon Juice– For this one, you can either use lemon juice or a fresh squeezed lemon. Lemons have natural antibacterial and astringent properties to help clear your skin. Apply the lemon juice to your skin and leave on for 15 minutes to an hour.
7. Garlic– Not only is garlic a great natural antibacterial when ingested, it also works great topically. To use it, take a clove of garlic and thinly slice it. Rub the slices on your skin, particularly any problem areas, making sure the juice of the garlic is applied. Leave on for 15 minutes to 30 minutes.
8. Ice Cubes– Rub an ice cube on problem areas to help reduce inflammation. Not only, does the cold close your pores it also forces the bacteria out. You can also splash your face with cold water to achieve similar affects.
9. Cornstarch– Cornstarch is very soothing and gentle. This is a great natural remedy for acne when you have a lot of redness or irritation. You can apply the cornstarch to your individual breakouts or to your whole face. Sometimes I leave it on overnight and find a huge difference in the morning!
10. Aloe– Aloe is very soothing and reduces inflammation and redness. To use it, apply the gel to your skin with your fingers, you can apply it several times a day. If you have an aloe plant, it would be even better as you get the aloe fresh, without any added ingredients. Or you could also just get an organic aloe gel, I use this kind.
I still continue to use these natural remedies for acne. Typically, I use the baking soda mask and coconut oil once a day. My skin is now clearer. However, if I have an unusually stressful week or stop using baking soda for a few weeks, I may get a breakout.
No matter what the cause is, there’s no time like the present to try these natural remedies for acne and try to improve your skin to the best it can be. The good news is there’s a lot to try!
UPDATE:
I haven’t used it, but some people have found that evening primrose oil has helped them treat their acne. It is an anti-inflammatory omega-6 fat and is well known for helping women with menstrual cramps.
Other Important Natural Remedies for Acne!
Foods to add!
The following foods, when added to the diet, have been found to help acne: fish oil, turmeric, green tea, nuts, berries (dark red and purple), green leafy vegetables and omega 3-eggs.
Take a probiotic!
And don’t forget to take your probiotic! This may help your gut by decreasing inflammation.
Watch Blood Sugar, Stay Off the Rollercoaster!
You probably heard of the blood sugar rollercoaster. This is caused by eating sugar and refined (and processed )carbohydrates. So when you avoid sugar, don’t forget to cut down on your carbohydrates too! If you do eat a carbohydrate make sure you eat some healthy fat or protein to speed up the and being on this is not only a cause of many ailments but it affects your skin!
According to WebMD, a 2007 study in teenage boys and young men with acne found that eating foods with a low glycemic load (glycemic load tells you how much the food will raise blood sugar) led to significant improvement in their acne! Here is a good chart on the glycemic index of foods. An example of a high glycemic food is white rice “89” on the chart and an example of a low glycemic food is an apple “39”. Some of the best low-carb fruits include, berries, cherries, apples, pears and grapefruits. This is why one important change you can make is to make sure you keep your blood sugar steady. If your blood sugar is going wildly up and down you cause your insulin production to go in to overdrive . If you keep blood sugar balanced less “pimple producing insulin” will be in your blood and it was found in recent studies that there were less sex hormones in the blood of participants that ate foods with a low-glycemic load.
Final Tip
Get exercise and enough sleep! Not getting enough of these definitely affects my skin.
I am constantly trying to find new natural treatments to resolving acne and I will keep you posted on any new research or promising answers. Hope you will let me know if you have found anything that helps! Good luck on your journey to clear skin!
Have you tried any of these natural remedies for acne? What has worked for you?
I’ve been using lemon overnight for a while, it keeps my skin-tone in check but breakouts are still on. Are there any extra steps that might help? aand I ‘ve been thinking to start using sea salt for my neck and back, will it be helpful? Reply will be appreciated
Have you tried using baking soda? It’s really helped me. My skin has really improved from using more than one.
I havent yet. I’ve read some posts from this page, even if baking soda is at the top of your list it has either improved or worsen them. so I couldnt find the nerve. Well I have to try it sometime….. say, what is your opinion about sea salt for bacne?
I tried sea salt on both my face and back/chest. It didn’t seem to do much for me, but I have read of it working for others.
I bought baking soda yesterday and gonna give it a go.
Thanks for your reply anyway. I’ll try to fugure it out
Keep us updated 🙂
I love this article and I’m sure the tea tree oil works.
I bought a proprietary blend acne treatment with jojoba, tea tree, lavender and manuka and although skeptical about the oil content I had heard great things about it.
Nothing else has worked like this and only about twenty percent of my stubborn acne remains. I’m hoping through continued use this will vanish as it has already faded.
Happy the tea tree oil is working for you!
Two days now without proactiv. So….. quick questions-
Should I use lemon juice twice a day? After appplying, should I wash my face with cold water? What about my back and neck? I use sunshade regularly so after washing, will it be helpful or I have to use another moisterizer? oilfree or not? And I read drinking lemon water in the morning helps detoxyfying, so with warm water or cold? Lotta questions right? But I need to know these clearly and help will be highly appreciated. Thanks
You can apply it twice daily. I would apply it once first just to see if your skin is sensitive to it. After applying, I wouldn’t wash my skin because it would wash it off. I drink warm lemon water in the morning to help detox.
Thanks Miss
I’ll stop with proactiv and start with lemon juice. Should I just abruptly stop it or are there any precaution? Plz help
Will do. Thanks for replyiing
DermalMD Acne Serum is the best thing I’ve ever purchased for my face. I think this is essential to anyone with acne problems. If I detect the onset of a breakout this not only halts it but will erase/suppress it within 1-2 days. DermalMD Acne Serum has gotten rid of the biggest of my under the skin pimples within a weak and is great for controlling oil.
Hey everyone!
This post is amazing — thank you to everyone who contributed ideas.
I’m 21, I’ve been battling with my acne since elementary school. I’ve tried everything — any chemical treatment or antibiotic you could think of and my acne has never budged. My skin is oily an hour after I wash it, its dry, its scarred, its red and irritated. I have everything under the sun wrong with my skin. I’ve been thinking about trying all natural products and this was very helpful.
I like the idea of detoxifying my body first — does anyone know of any reputable detoxes I could try out? I eat predominantly healthy and I exercise daily.
Thank u Lori. This was very informative. Will try it soon. My face is an ugly mess. Hope it works. God bless.
Keep us updated. Hope you see good results 🙂
I bought DermalMD Acne Serum 3 days ago and it’s amazing! I noticed a big change from the first day to today, most of my acne is flattening out and the marks are slowly going away.
If you have sensitive skin like me, expect a little redness and itchiness to the spots you put the serum on, but after a day or two, it’s all gone and no bother! This serum really works!
In looking at the other reviews, YES the Citrus Clear Control Wash & Moisturizer is very strong and yes it can be drying, but it’s meant to be powerful! If you have one of those painful zits starting to form, or a whitehead, put a little dab on and it will be much better, if not completely gone by the morning. I would rather have a small dry patch on my skin than a huge zit! It lasts forever too so the price of the Citrus Clear stuff is worth it to me.
Interesting! I’ll have to check it out
nice and informative tips…keep rocking gal
Thank you!
I don’t really think there’s a magic bullet out there for acne. Let’s be reasonable. There is no instant cure that will completely get rid of that ugly blemish and leave you completely flawless. With that being said, Citrus Clear comes pretty close. It rapidly speeds up healing and reduces my breakouts. Is Citrus Clear perfect? Of course not. But does it work? YES!
I swear by this stuff.
Thank you for the recommendations. I also agree with do not use cinnamon. Oatmeal does work well. . .I have mild acne and get oily skin. . . in terms of natural products, I would recommend Citrus Clear – they are 100% natural and I have been using their products for 1 year now, and I dont have oily skin or acne any more. .
but i will still try that Baking Soda Exfliant homemade treatment cause it sounds so fun!
I developed cystic acne at the age of 15 and carried the problem into adulthood. After 25 years of using every acne product known to man (both prescription and over the counter) with minimal to no positive results, all of my acne disappeared a month after adding DermalMD Acne Serum my brother told me about that serum and i add this serum in my routine. For me, it has been a miracle in a bottle.
I’m so glad you found something that works for you! I haven’t heard of that serum before; I’m gonna look it up now lol
ive been putting probiotics on my face for almost a week and taking it internally, plus vinegar an honey every day and its been making a big difference ill have before an after pictures soon
Yay! So happy to hear it’s helping!
Due to a recent pregnancy, I have been battling adult acne. I have tried a few different washes and treatments and some of the just did not work at all. Some made my skin break out more and some just dried my skin out completely. After I tried DermalMD Acne Serum my skin felt much smoother while also feeling tighter. After a few days of use I also noticed some of my acne going away. So far I am very pleased with this product and will continue to use it.
I have SUPER sensitive skin and I sometimes end up with “Burns” on my face from too-strong acne treatments. My skin is pretty oily, too. My dermatologist recommended the Citrus Clear products – OMG I love them! They literally work overnight and it doesn’t burn, sting or leave marks on my face like some in the past have.
Can you tell me what those products are?i have also the same problems as yours i have very sensitive skin..and oily one too..thankyou
Glad you found something that works for you 🙂
I have the MOST sensitive skin, and even the expensive stuff doesnt work for me. Made from Earth products are the only ones that work for me, cause they are chemical free and not as expensive as the other ones i have tried
Glad the natural options are working for you!
hi, your tips are really great. but i am not so much convinced with using baking soda. it might help initially as is the case with steroid based creams which help treat acne initially, but with repeated use it causes more outbursts that are highly inflammable. baking soda contains chemical that disturbs the natural ph balance of skin, thus making it more prone to bacterial infection. pH scale works like this: 1 is acidic, 14 is alkaline. Things are either more acidic or more alkaline based on where they sit on the scale (unless it is 7, in which case it is neutral). As a reference point, our skin is roughly a pH of 4.5-5, blood is 7, an effective AHA or BHA is 3.5-4, baking soda is a 9, and the average WHITE vinegar (5-10% acetic acid) is 2.40-3.40.
pH is so very important in skincare — too alkaline and the skin barrier is disrupted or damaged, too acidic and you risk burns.
Vinegar and baking soda are household chemicals and they are not safer just because they are not in a bottle in the skincare aisle. Baking soda can be used to scrub stains out of a toilet while vinegar can be used to break down lime build-up on your tub or sink. These are chemicals. They are not safer than your Cetaphil cleanser just because they are only one or two ingredients.
so my honest advice would be to not use baking soda for skin care. just a genuine concern as most people with acne problems wish to try everything they could get their hands on, but be very careful and do your research well before trying anything on your skin.
rest all of your tips are wonderful and worth giving a try 🙂
Thanks for the information! With using baking soda, pH was a concern for me too. However, since it helps clear my skin up so much, personally, I feel more comfortable using it as opposed to proactiv or prescription medication. I do moisturize with non-comedogenic oils to add moisture back in and use the oil cleansing method. Things like Cetaphil never worked for me, but maybe they work for others.
One of the biggest helps – as odd as it sounds – is sleep. Part of what causes acne is stress, and the bodies response to stress. I read a study that suggested roughly a 14% increase in overall acne/breakouts for every hour of sleep missed. I used to have a hard time falling to sleep – I tried various over the counter sleep-aids, plain melatonin etc. I found a tiny company that makes a three-ingredient sleeping pill called Berry Sleepy that works like a charm!
Great point! Sleeping greatly affects my acne. Since I’ve been making sleep a priority, I’ve noticed a big improvement in my skin.
i am using baking soda for acne .. i am on second day .. can i use it twice a day ? Please help
You could use it 2 times a day..it just might make your skin drier. You might want to use something to help moisturizer like jojoba oil or hempseed oil.
Hi, Thank you, but i personally love Monsia.
Really Great Tips…!!!
Thank you for sharing.
But i would like to add a point to it
Most of the acne problems cant be exhausted by just applying the paste or any sort of creams on it , some sort of fluid needs to be taken inside the body in order to eradicate , my sister was facing acne problem since many years , one of my aunt suggested to go for Lalima Blood & Skin Purifier.
Trust me this product really helped my sister in overcoming the acne problem.
i had blemished after pregnancy. no relief even after using lots of creams from market but when I used Arogyam kit, all blemished went away and I got baby soft skin. my husband appreciate Arogyam kit and my face a lot thanks Arogyam face care kit
I Used DermalMD Acne Serum and it’s worked wonders on my skin. I’ve always had acne prone skin but this product really helped get rid of most of my acne. Would definitely recommend
Glad you found something that works for you!
You mentioned avoiding processed and fatty foods which is great as the high levels of oil in these foods goes to your skin and help clog your skin pores resulting in acne, but you forgot to mention drinking plenty of water. Water flushes out your body and therefore also helps remove a lot of grease that would normally go to your skin. Im going to try the coconut oil because I already have some as I frequently oil pull for my oral health.
Thanks for mentioning that Elise! Drinking adequate water is extremely important to add!
Do I need to use moisturizer after ACV?
THANKS MUCH.
You don’t have to, but I usually do now. I apply jojoba oil or hempseed oil on top of it.
How to use cornstarch for acne? With water or just the powder? Thanks much.
Just apply it as the powder. It’s a little messy, but worth it! It has really helped reduce the redness of breakouts for me.
Coconut oil is not good against acne, it will clog your pores and make your face breakout even more.
Hi! I tried doing a routine of oil cleansing, honey cleansing, and apple cider vinegar toner and my skin started breaking out much worse than before, I waited a bit to see if this reaction would go away but eventually resorted to going to a dermatologist and getting prescribed medication. My acne is much better now but I don’t want to take medication anymore. Do you think maybe I just needed to give my routine a longer chance to work (maybe I was detoxing?)? Or maybe these natural remedies just don’t work for me? (I hope that’s not the case!)
I wouldn’t think it is detoxing, but anything is possible. What did you use to do the oil cleansing? Certain oils can break you out. When I did it with coconut oil, I got terrible cysts. I now use only jojoba oil or hempseed oil (both non-comedogenic oils) and it has improved my skin so much! Also, honey works for some, but some kinds can clog pores (a lot of honey isn’t real honey and is highly processed). It may take some more experimenting to find what works for you. But don’t give up! Hope you’ll keep us updated 🙂
Hi Lori,
Like you, I’ve been living with acne since I was a teenager. I’m 30 now and the doctor keeps saying the same thing, that there’s no other way than medication, antibiotics and contraceptive pills. I really hate to take medication and I was looking for alternative treatments, because it’s not possible to live your entire life under medication. So I found out about the oil cleasing method a few days ago, and it totally makes sense. I started in a simple way, just olive oil at evenings and honey in the mornings, and I don’t feel my skin getting worse, at all. I will try castor oil with olive oil next, and if the results continue improving I’ll keep trying more natural stuff and will never ever use unecessary medication again. I kinda feel already free, hahaha.
Thank you for your post 😀
Hi Thaissa, I’m getting closer to 30 too..never would of thought I would have to deal with acne this long. I use the oil cleansing method too and I’ve found it to really help! I think when I was using soap to wash my face it would dry out my skin soo much and the dead skin would clog my pores. If you find the castor oil to breakout you out at all, you may want to try using only jojoba oil instead (this is what I use to do oil cleansing). Because castor oil is more comedongenic, and jojoba oil is not.