I've definitely had my share of pimples in my adult life, so now more than ever it's been important for me to develop my own natural acne spot treatments to keep on hand at home. Whether it's from a night of binging on cheese plates or a particularly stressful week, even those with the healthiest skin regimens can easily fall victim to a volcano-sized zit waiting to erupt and create a mass destruction all over your face. For me, the fear of those pimples often leads me down a road of obsession. From ice cubes to semen, I've dabbled in all the mythical pimple treatments you can think of.
Instead of messing around with all those weird experiments, I should have been dealing with what I already know: natural beauty treatments. Having a go-to DIY you can whip together in a couple of minutes saves you time, plus keeps you from further irritating the blemish by using every ingredient in my kitchen in a hasty attempt to fight the bacteria and inflammation. Sometimes, the rest of my face is totally fine, so using an acne mask all over my face isn't the best solution. There are definitely benefits to making a DIY spot treatment that isn't over-drying, highly perishable, and actually works. Personally, I don't have time to go into hiding because a pimple is threatening my confidence.
Despite pimple popping being one of my favorite teenage past-times, my pimple squeezing days ended long ago when I realized what a complete pain it is for someone of color to get rid of the horrible dark spot left in its wake. Even if I'm just innocently unclogging pores, I still have to go through a whole process of soothing my skin afterwards in hopes of preventing scarring. Not all people get acne scars, but if you are one of the many people who do, then treating those pimples before they become irresistibly poppable is key. According to sources at Huffington Post, popping a pimple leads to problems can lead to possible infections because of the open wound you've created as well as more pimples. This is a very uncool way for your skin to react to a simple squeeze.
Some pimples are more relentless than others, but spot treatments can help them heal faster. These DIY spot acne treatments have helped me overcome countless pimples, but you can always tweak the recipes to best suit your skin type.
1. Lavender Tea Tree Spot Treatment
I had a particularly stubborn pimple on my chin when this spot treatment recipe from Aura Cacia came into my life. After only a few days, my pimple went down and, since I didn't have to pop it, there's no sign of scarring either. Just use four drops of lavender tea tree oil for every teaspoon of jojoba oil, which is your carrier oil necessary to avoid over-drying and skin complications from applying the essential oil directly on your face. I placed my treatment in a tinted vial for future use.
2. Honey Clove Spot Treatment
I love this treatment for under-the-skin pimples because it brings down inflammation and isn't irritating at all. I use two ounces of raw honey, then add eight drops of clove essential oil, and one teaspoon of ground nutmeg. Store in a tinted jar and use on your zits for twice daily for best results.
3. Green Tea Ice Cubes Spot Treatment
Since I've found ice to be incredibly helpful for cystic acne and the most violent of pimples, I couldn't wait to try this zit-zapping trick from Crunchy Betty. Green tea has the antioxidants and nutrients you want to help fight acne causing bacteria and the ice is super soothing. I will say that this method doesn't work as quickly on its own, but using a natural acne-fighting face wash in conjunction with this remedy will go a long way. Make your cubes out of pure brewed green tea and apply on your pimple until the ice melts.
Images: hammett79/Fotolia; Giphy; Kristin Collins Jackson; Giphy
