Making your own natural spot treatments is fun and easy. They’re natural, chemical free, and effective.
Contrary to popular belief, it isn’t necessary to go out and buy expensive spot treatments to get good results. Most of them don’t work anyway or they’re full of nasty chemicals that can be quite harsh on the skin. The recipes that I’m going to share with you today are 1-2 ingredients (most of which you may already have) and work just as well, if not better than over the counter spot treatments. Plus, when you make them yourself you know exactly what’s going into them and can even customize them to meet your needs.
Natural is Better! Why You Should Make Your Own Natural Acne Spot Treatments
The recipes below can be tailored to anyone! So please feel free to experiment with different essential oils, clays, and honey
when making your own.
Get creative!
My Top Natural Acne Spot Treatments – How to Get Rid of Acne!
Activated Charcoal
One of my favorite natural acne spot treatments to use is activated charcoal mixed with a little bit of 100% pure aloe vera gel
.
Activated charcoal is incredibly absorbent and detoxifying not only for the body but also for the skin. Applying it topically on an UN-open acne legion, will pull out toxins and dry it out, while the aloe vera gel heals up the pimple and reduces redness.
This spot treatment is best used for acne that is un-open and scab free, otherwise, the activated charcoal won’t rinse off the skin cleanly.
Here’s what you’ll need–
• 1 capsule of activated charcoal (can be found here)
• A few drops of aloe vera gel
Instructions
Mix the 2 ingredients together until you create a thick paste that is spreadable but not runny. Activated charcoal can be messy! So be sure to do this in an area where it won’t easily stain clothing, carpet, or any other surface that stains easily.
Once mixed, apply the spot treatment to acne with a q-tip in a thick layer.
Let dry, and then gently rinse off with warm water.
Apply some aloe vera gel to the pimple afterward for its healing effects. I like to use this as an overnight spot treatment. You can even add a drop of lavender essential oil to the gel to help calm redness.
Tea Tree Aloe
Tea Tree Essential Oil has an affinity for naturally treating acne. It’s highly antibacterial and anti-inflammatory, making it perfect for a natural acne spot treatment.
Since you never want to apply any essential oils directly to the skin, you will need to mix it with a medium to dilute it. I like to use pure aloe vera gel or calendula gel for their healing properties.
What You’ll Need
• 1 tsp pure aloe vera or calendula gel
• 1-2 drops pure tea tree essential oil
Instructions–
Mix the gel and tea tree oil completely and apply to un-open acne (otherwise it will burn!) with a q-tip. I like to use a thicker layer at night for best results and a small dab during the day. This wears well under make-up too.
Apply this spot treatment twice a day as needed.
Manuka Honey
As most of you may be aware, manuka honey is one of the best natural acne treatments out there. Harboring all of the benefits of raw honey, manuka honey boasts some pretty amazing benefits of its own. Antibacterial, anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial, antifungal…. We might well add anti-acne to the list.
All you need to do is apply a small amount of this medicinal honey problem areas. Leave it on for at least 20 minutes, and then gently rinse with warm water. I like to leave mine on for hours at a time when I’m home for the day. You can even apply manuka honey to open acne wounds. This will reduce scarring and speed up the healing process.
Read more about Manuka honey here:
How to Make Your Own Manuka Honey
Is Manuka Honey Better Than Benzoyl Peroxide?
Natural Acne Solutions- The Manuka Honey Secret
Important Note
Make sure that you get a manuka honey that has a bioactivity of at least 16 (this is usually stated on the front label). Anything lower isn’t going to be as effective, so save your money if a higher bioactivity isn’t available.
Use this spot treatment daily until the blemish disappears, usually a few days. You can even use this honey as a face wash.
Clay and Apple Cider Vinegar
This is another great and completely natural acne spot treatment.
All you need are 2 ingredients–
• Natural facial clay
• Raw apple cider vinegar
Facial clays, especially bentonite clay, will pull and absorb toxins from the skin making them perfect for treating blemishes. Adding raw apple cider vinegar will kill bacteria, balance the skin’s PH, heal acne, and reduce redness.
You can use any pure facial clay for this recipe. Bentonite clay is best if you can handle its strength, and white clay is best for sensitive skin types. Of course, you can use French green clay and Moroccan red clay as well for those of us in the middle.
Instructions–
Add raw apple cider vinegar to the clay until a thick paste is formed. You want it to be spreadable but not too runny (this is the trick for spot treatments). Each clay will take different amounts of vinegar to achieve the right consistency, so add the vinegar in small increments. If it becomes too runny, then add more clay to thicken it up again.
Apply the spot treatment to problem areas and let dry completely before rinsing with warm water.
Apply some pure aloe or calendula gel after patting your skin dry. I like to use this spot treatment once a day until the blemish has disappeared. This usually takes about 2-3 days depending on the size and maturity of the blemish.
Papaya Gel
If you have very sensitive skin, then this spot treatment is the one for you.
It’s just 2 ingredients
• Fresh papaya (or papaya powder!)
• Aloe vera gel
Papaya is known for its healing, renewing, and moisturizing properties and has proven to be one of the best blemish healers out there. I recommend using it for both open and un-open blemishes to reduce redness, prevent scarring, and to quickly heal acne.
Although papaya gel doesn’t technically pull out toxins, it does a great job at reducing angry looking blemishes, so if you’re looking for a quick fix for redness, this is it.
Instructions
Carve a spoonful of fresh papaya and place it in a clean bowl. With a fork, mash up the papaya until smooth.
Add 1 tsp of pure aloe vera gel and mix it in with the papaya puree.
Apply to affected areas in an even layer and let it dry completely before rinsing with warm water.
I like to use this spot treatment once a day to treat acne that I’ve accidentally scratched, or may have picked at to heal it quickly.
I hope you enjoy these natural acne spot treatments and give them a try! What are some of your favorites?
You may also enjoy reading:
Homemade Drying Lotion for Acne
The Best Facials for Acne
Homemade Serum for Acne Prone Skin
Are Papaya Enzymes the Answer to Banishing Red, Splotchy, Uneven Skin Tone?
The Complete List of Comedogenic Oils
Thyme Serum for Acne Free Skin
Essential Oils for Hormonal Acne