The Best Natural Remedy for Clear Skin (plus my favorite trick to get rid of acne!)
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There are so many natural remedies for clear skin, it’s hard to decipher which ones to use. When I was struggling with hormonal acne I would try anything and everything to get rid of it. My skin took a serious beating. We need to be really gentle with our skin – when you have breakouts and acne that is your body telling you to slow down, be gentle and don’t put any harsh ingredients on me.
One of the best habits for clear skin is oil cleansing. This is my tried and true oil cleansing recipe. It has done wonders for my skin.
Even just skipping the face wash some days and applying oil to your face will help your skin.
When you are applying products to your face and it starts burning or itching, that’s a sign from your skin telling you, “please don’t put this on me!”
I know, I’ve been there – and sometimes I felt the more it was burning, the more effective it was at blasting those zits away. Nope, never helped. Once I ditched all conventional products and stopping washing my face (and obsessing over it – more on that later), low and behold my skin got better.
Bentonite Clay Face Mask – the best natural remedy for clear skin!
Aside from oil cleansing and the occasional exfoliation, I do a weekly face mask with bentonite clay. This is my favorite home remedy for clear skin – and it really works. The trick is not to overdo it. Once a week for this face mask. I repeat. once. a. week.
Let’s break down the ingredients in our DIY bentonite face mask so you can understand how it is helping your skin.
Bentonite Clay
Bentonite Clay helps to remove impurities from the skin and may help reduce inflamed skin (uh hello acne). Bentonite clay has a calming effect on your skin and you will notice how soft and smooth your skin feels after using this mask.
When you are using bentonite clay do not mix it up with a metal whisk or spoon because it reduces the effectiveness of the clay.
I usually mix my face mask up in a ceramic bowl with a little wooden spoon. You could also use a plastic spoon if you don’t have a teeny tiny wooden spoon like I do.
Apple Cider Vinegar
ACV is a very popular ingredient for acne-prone skin. SW Basics (one of my favorite natural skin care companies) adds it to their toner. ACV is great because it helps to reduce bacteria on the skin.
In her book Skin Cleanse, Adina Grigore (who also happens to be the owner of SW Basics) recommends ACV as one of the top ten natural skincare ingredients.
Adina says, “apple cider vinegar is the best astringent in nature because it helps to balance your skin’s pH, making you both less oily and less dry. Plus, it promotes blood circulation and kills bacteria, yeast and viruses.”
The key to using apple cider vinegar on your skin is to dilute, dilute dilute. Adina recommends one part vinegar to four parts water if you are using ACV as a toner on a daily basis.
For our mask, we are using a one to one ratio since we want to supercharge the effectiveness. Don’t forget, we are only doing this acne face mask once a week!
Essential Oils
I love to use Lavender essential oil in the majority of my DIY skincare recipes. It has the most amazing, calming effect on our bodies, and especially our skin. I could bathe in the stuff – wait, I actually do!
For this recipe, I did a combo of Lavender, Frankincense and Blue Tansy because they are all great for acne and acne scars. You can choose any essential oil/essential oil combo you like, that’s the beauty of DIY skincare!
Check out my top five essential oils for beautiful skin – they would all be amazing in this recipe.
Acne Clearing Bentonite Face Mask Recipe
1 tsp Bentonite Clay
1 tsp Apple Cider Vinegar
1 tsp Distilled Water
1 drop Essential Oil of choice
To make your skin clearing face mask you are going to add the ingredients to a ceramic bowl and stir em up (not with a metal spoon though remember?!) Then check the consistency.
If you like a thicker mask, add more bentonite clay. If you like a thin layer (like me!) leave it as is.
Apply the mask to your face and let it sit on there for about 5-10 minutes. I’m not a huge fan of letting a mask get all dry and tight on my skin. Dry is no bueno for me.
To remove your mask, run a wash cloth under warm water and gently wipe it off OR you can splash warm water on your face until it’s completely removed.
Follow up with your favorite serum or moisturizer (or both depending on the time of year and climate) and away you go! I love to use THIS ANTI-AGING SERUM after doing a face mask for those extra skin glowing properties:)
Will this mask give you clear skin in one day?
I have dealt with so many different skin issues and I was always hoping for a miracle cure – especially with acne. Eventually, I realized there is no such thing as an overnight cure for acne.
Who was it that told me to put toothpaste on pimples and they would miraculously go away? And then I woke up with burning red spots on my face that looked worse than the pimples? Yea – overnight cures just don’t exist you guys.
The absolute best thing you can do to get clear skin is to stop thinking about how bad your skin looks. This is my favorite trick to get rid of acne (because it worked for me!)
This is easier said than done right? I know, trust me. I used to wake up every day and check every single spot to see which ones are better or worse and then just feel like crap.
I forced myself to stop checking my skin every second. If I was looking in the mirror I would just look at my eyes – not immediately to the spots. I still do this. I never focus on my skin imperfections when I look in the mirror. It just leads to obsession.
Instead, start saying nice things to yourself like “my skin is healthy and beautiful” or “people compliment me on my clear, glowing skin every day” It sounds silly but it really helped me.
Another great habit for clear skin is meditation. Give yourself just ten minutes (or five!) a day of peace and grounding, clearing your mind, and lessening the stress and anxiety. This is so helpful when it comes to your skin. This is how I cleared my melasma naturally. People might think I’m crazy, but it really works!
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