Indian Home Remedies for Acne

If you’ve ever had acne or pimples, you know how frustrating it can be. Using natural Indian home remedies for acne works so much better for your skin than harsh chemicals as it not only treats the acne but provides an environment to prevent the acne from returning. Try these other Natural Home Remedies too!

Natural Home Remedies for Acne at all ages

Acne starts when the pores in your skin get clogged with oil and dead skin cells. I am an adult and I still get acne! There are so many factors that contribute to acne including genetics, diet, stress, hormone changes and infections. My parents never really had much acne so I can only attribute mine to diet, stress and hormones.

If you have sensitive skin like me, you need to be careful of makeup and skin care products that contain ingredients that can cause acne. These home remedies for acne are so much better for your skin.

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How does acne happen?

In your face, each pore is connected to a sebaceous gland, which produces an oily substance called sebum. Extra sebum can plug up pores, causing the growth of a bacteria known as Propionibacterium acnes, or P. acnes.

When you are stressed or sick, your white blood cells attack the cells related to skin bacteria, leading to skin inflammation and acne. Some cases of acne are more severe than others, but common symptoms include whiteheads, blackheads and pimples.

Most Effective Indian Home Remedies for Acne

1. Adopt a hygienic living style, with a face cleansing routine 2 times a day.
2. Have lemony & leafy vegetables soup like this Lemony Lentil and Greens Soup
3. Have adequate amount of water each day

4. Apply sandalwood oil on the affected area.
5. Apply a Multani Mitti clay paste on affected areas or as a face mask to draw out dirt and bacteria.
6. Take Arogyavardhani vati every day. This product should be taken under medical supervision.
7. Use a neem base soap like this one
8. Take a daily probiotic
9. Spot treat blemishes with this tea tree oil roll-on (Read more about tea tree oil uses)

10. Make sure to keep skin moisturized with natural ingredients like pure aloe vera gel and neem oil. Use about a teaspoon of aloe and 6 drops of neem oil in your hand and mix together. Apply to face in the morning after cleansing.

Another one of my favorite acne treatments is witch hazel. It’s probably not necessarily an Indian home remedy but important to note. Witch hazel can fight bacteria, reduce inflammation and help with healing the skin especially when it’s combined with rose water, which stimulates the growth of the skin and aloe, which speeds up healing process. This one from Thayer’s is my absolute favorite. It smells so nice and helps tone my acne-prone skin.

Take a Good Multivitamin

Many people are deficient in key vitamins and minerals. Among those nutrients most important for the treatment and prevention of acne are Vitamin A, zinc, Vitamin E, selenium, and chromium. If you can’t find a supplement with all of these nutrients like Dr. Tobias Multivitamin & Mineral Plus Enzymes, you can take some of these separately, or increase your dietary intake of these key vitamins and minerals.

Diet for Acne Prevention

The role of the diet is somewhat controversial with regard to controlling acne. For example, the great chocolate dilemma – does eating it cause acne? – has never really been resolved. However, given the role that vitamins and minerals play in staving off and healing acne, it makes sense that a healthy diet is important in managing this condition. For example:

Experts recommend cutting back on dairy products, especially milk, as the hormones and trans-fatty acids it contains can worsen acne.
Refined sugar is said to exacerbate acne. Sources point to sugar’s effect on the body’s insulin production, and the connection between effective sugar metabolism and skin health. Studies have shown an improvement in acne when sufferers received insulin injections. Since most of us can’t inject ourselves with insulin – nor is this advisable for non-diabetics – it makes better sense to cut out refined sugar and the increased need for insulin that it leads to.
Fresh, whole foods are implicated in the treatment of acne. Processed foods often contain artificial dyes and preservatives, which have been shown to affect hormone levels in the human body. Given the role of hormones in acne, it makes sense to avoid such artificial substances.

Natural and/or Homemade Cleansers

Helping your acne heal also means applying treatments to your face. Sulfur-containing soaps and cleansers can help quite a bit, and are available at many natural health stores for less than $10. Here are some homemade options as well:

Mix 2 tablespoons of plain Greek yogurt with 1 teaspoon of raw honey. Apply this to your face as a cleanser or to clean skin and massage gently. Leave it on for as long as possible, up to 15 minutes. Then rinse with warm water. Yogurt and honey both help balance bacterial activity on your skin.
Grind rolled oats in your blender until they are a fine powder. Mix the oatmeal with enough water to make a paste and apply it to the problem areas. Leave on for a bit, then rinse off. Alternatively, you can mix the oatmeal flour with plain yogurt.