One of my greatest fears is struggling with acne past 30. As a te
enager, I thought the nuisance would automatically go away post-puberty. I am now in my late 20’s, and though my breakouts have reduced significantly, they do still exist. I have tried numerous methods in an attempt to figure out how to get rid of acne. The best results have always come form home remedies for acne.
The biggest mistake you can make when trying to rid your skin of acne is focusing only on the pimples.
I did this for years. All I wanted was to figure out how to remove pimples. I wasn’t really treating the problem.
Why?
Because I didn’t understand the problem. I assumed I was having issues with acne because I wasn’t washing my face enough or properly. This is not true. Acne does not come from not washing your face enough. It has a much simpler source.
What causes acne
Acne is the most common skin disease among humans between 13 and 30 years old. It comes from a generally harmless bacteria (Propionibacterium acnes) that naturally lives on your skin. Under the right conditions, this bacteria can infect your pores causing pimples, blackheads, or acne.
Pimples, blackheads, and acne are all names for the same little bumps we find on our faces, when Propionibacterium acnes enters our pores due to an opening in the pore itself. This opening can occur from something as simple as picking at our skin, plucking hairs, or even popping other pimples. The bacteria enters and pimples pop up. It’s that simple.
I wish I’d known this years ago, before spending tons of money of acne washes that sometimes caused me to have breakouts. I did finally find a solution though, using items you can probably find in your house.
Thyme and Acne
I saw great results once I started being proactive rather than reactive to my skin. With advice from my mom, I stopped using acne was
hes at the sight of acne. Actually, I stopped using acne washes completely. Instead, I started washing my face with the same gentle soap I used to wash my body, daily. I have super sensitive skin, so the soap was artificial fragrance and color free. Over the years, the soap has changed, and the results have not. The second step was just as important.
Soap cleans our skins, but it doesn’t always get all the dirt out of our pores like an astringent can. This is why acne washes are recommended in the first place. They include astringents, but they also contain various other chemicals that can harm your skin.
To give my skin a deep clean, I began cleaning my skin with alcohol up to twice a week. Afterwards, I would followup with with witch hazel. Both the alcohol and the witch hazel clean your skin better than soap can. The witch hazel acts as a toner to restore balance to your skin and close your pores, protecting it from future infection. You can add an herb to add further protection.
Thyme is an herb I use pretty infrequently in cooking, yet is always in my kitchen. Like many herbs and spices, it has uses well beyond food. It can be used to treat or prevent ailments of the body. In this case, the benefits of thyme include the treatment and prevention of acne.
Thyme oil naturally kills Propionibacterium acnes. You can purchase thyme essential oil and apply it to your skin once a week to prevent acne. Alternatively, you can soak thyme in alcohol or witch hazel to infuse the oils in the astringents. The thyme adds an additional layer of protection against Propionibacterium acnes, helping to dramatically reduce the occurrence of acne on your skin.
Have you trued and home remedies for acne? Please share below.
Thyme can be used to treat:
Acne, Bed wetting, Diarrhea, Stomach Ache, Arthritis, Colic, Sore Throat, Cough, Whooping Cough, Bronchitis, Gas, Hypertension (High Blood Pressure), Breast Cancer, Thrush, and Eczema
Thyme can be used to prevent:
Acne, Food Borne Illness, and Colon Cancer