Adult or Teen Acne and Anti-Aging Natural Home Remedies
Are you tired of wasting money on expensive aging products or don't even have the money to begin with? Do you or your teen suffer from constant acne but don't want harsh chemicals on your face and don't want to spend lots of money on experimentation? If you answered yes to any or all of these questions, then I urge you to read on.I suffer from adult acne and am in my thirties, scary I know. This is also the age where fine lines appear out of nowhere and years of not taking care of your, taken for granted youthful skin, blow up in your face, literally. If you are a teen reading this article for acne solutions, I must warn you that by not wearing sunscreen, washing your face, and applying moisturizer daily, your face will show it when you get into your thirties too. And unless you become or marry a plastic surgeon, there's not much you can do to reverse it without a lot of money. Now this statement just sunk the hearts of the adults reading this article looking for anti-aging solutions, but don't fret too much. There are ways to improve the look of your skin, slow down the aging process, and even reduce some of the lines. It's never too late to start taking care of your skin. On the same token, it's never to early to start taking care of it either. The following are the steps you would want to take for healthier and younger skin.
Wash Your Face Morning And Night. Today's pollution is enough to clog one's pores, not to mention if you are using pore clogging moisturizers and makeup to top it off. Always remove your makeup before going to bed. I like using grape seed or almond oil on a cotton round to remove eye makeup. Washing and exfoliating your face will remove the rest. The best soap I have found to prevent acne, is not only natural and good for all skin types, but very inexpensive as well; tea tree bar soap. If acne isn't your problem, but lack of moisture is, then I would recommend a milk & honey soap. Going back to makeup, I recommend using mineral foundation (the kind powder/compact one) instead of liquid foundations. Sephora has a great one for $20 that I use. Liquid foundations not only can clog your pores but can make fine lines and wrinkles look more profound.
Exfoliate. Acne skin needs exfoliation to help clean out the pores. Aging skin needs exfoliation to remove dead skin. Hmm, now if you are like me, then that's two birds with one stone. The most natural, gentle, effective and inexpensive exfoliating product? It's baking soda. After rinsing the soap off your face, sprinkle a little baking soda on your hands and gently rub it on your face in a gentle circular motion. Rinse. You only need to exfoliate once a day unless you have extremely dry skin that flakes or when you're acne is flared up. Then I would recommend doing this with every washing. I do recommend also that if you are only doing this once daily, to exfoliate with your nightly face washing because it will also help in removing any makeup left behind.
Acne Pads are usually used by teens or desperate acne prone adults. This is the point where you would use that except I would replace Stridex and Oxy with a more natural pad that has proven to be very effective. I recommend and use Tea Tree Oil Facial Cleansing Pads by Desert Essence. I first discovered these at GNC, however they stopped carrying them at my local store. I found them on the Internet at vitacost.com. I would use these pads the same as you would exfoliate, gentle circular motion, twice daily when acne flared, once daily when not. I love using these at night because it also shows me any makeup left behind. Now the instructions say to rinse after application. This is fine when your acne is under control. I don't bother rinsing when my acne is flared up which is only when I'm highly stressed, that time of the month, or I've been neglecting my face once again. Yea, sometimes a person never learns. I also dab pure 100% tea tree oil on the affected areas.
Use Sunscreen. With today's thinning ozone layer leaving less protection from the sun, we must wear sunscreen. I recommend at least 50 SPF or higher. I usually use baby tear free sunscreen like Banana Boat because it is made to be gentle for the skin and won't sting my eyes. Now don't think you can skip this step on a cloudy day, because that's when you need it the most. Even with the sun behind the clouds, it's harmful rays reflect off of the clouds leaving skin without sunscreen very vulnerable.
Use A Toner. Witch hazel is a natural toner that I like to use. I found one at GNC that I love. It smells great and is called, Rose Petal Witch Hazel with Aloe Vera by Thayers. I use this at night. This is great for those with dry skin and if you're not acne prone, I would use this twice a day. Since I am acne prone, I use COQ10 Perfecting Facial Toner by Avalon Organics during the day. I also use the same wrinkle defense cream, which I will explain more about in the "Moisturize" step.
Use A Vitamin C Serum. I haven't found one that I am totally happy with yet and am planning on making my own. There is lots of useful information about vitamin C serums,what to look for when purchasing, and a recipe to make your own serum at..
Moisturize. Most people who still have youthful skin or even people who have oily skin whether young or old, think they don't need to moisturize. Wrong, think again. The best way I can explain this, is by using food as a metaphor. The oil that your skin produces is like the fat that surfaces on top from boiling meats in a pot. You normally skim this fat because it is bad for you. Well considering today's air pollution and food choices, ahem, fried, what kind of oil do you think is surfacing on your skin? Yes, we need to skim that too. However, by following the previous steps oily skin won't be a problem for much longer. The best moisturizers are natural oils. I recommend either 100% grape seed oil or 100% almond oil for the day and either 100% extra virgin coconut oil or emu oil at night. I know the emu oil is weird, but it works. Because I have acne prone skin, I use the emu oil around my eyes, forehead, and around my lips at night. Then I use either the almond or grape seed oil for the remainder of my face. Almond and grape seed oils will not clog your pores and are great for any skin type. I also use these oils as a body moisturizer after my shower. During the day I use 100% vitamin E oil around my eyes and lips and then use COQ10 Wrinkle Defense Cream by Avalon Organics on the remainder of my face.
Give Yourself A Shortcut Facial. It doesn't have to be an hour or several hours process unless you are in that position to pamper yourself and I do recommend to pamper yourself if you can.However, I have 3 younger ones that keep me pretty busy and I am usually writing, painting, or doing some kind of craft during my spare time. I give myself mini facials while I'm in the kitchen with fresh fruits. For acne when it is at it's worst, what I like to call cluster acne that is mainly found on teenager's faces, I cut a lemon and rub it on the affected areas. It will sting like crazy, but by doing this for three days in a row, you will see a vast improvement. Rinse off lemon with cool water after stinging stops. When acne clears, do this treatment all over your face once or twice a week. Leave on your face for 15 minutes and rinse with cool water. You can also dab 100% pure tea tree oil on acne as a treatment.
Now for anti aging-aging shortcut facials. Since we usually always have grapes in the house, I usually do this treatment. Cut a grape in half and rub it all over your face. Leave on for 15 minutes and rinse. Do this 2-3 times a week. When I do get fresh pineapple, I use it instead of the grapes. I save the core and cut it into six pieces and store them in a Ziploc bag in the refrigerator. Then when I want a facial, I rub the piece of pineapple core on my face and leave it on for 15-20 minutes before rinsing. I will do this treatment three times a week so the six pieces end up being two weeks worth.
Don't Forget To Treat From The Inside Out. Drink plenty of water, preferably with lemon. Besides containing vitamin C, lemon has many other health benefits, one in which will help improve acne prone skin. Green tea has great benefits too. Drink alone or add lemon and/or honey for even more benefits. Make sure that you take a multi-vitamin daily along with Vitamins C and E. Don't forget your calcium with vitamin D. Try to avoid or at least limit your intake of fried foods. If you can bake it, it's better for you. Eat or drink plenty of fruits and vegetables. Try to exercise at least three times a week and the most important rule; get at least 7-8 hours of sleep per night.
It may seem like a lot to follow, but it really isn't. You will see a vast improvement in your skin within 1-2 weeks. My husband said my skin looked not only healthier but glowing as well and no, I wasn't pregnant.
