25+ Blemish Busters You Can Make Yourself
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Quite a list of remedies here folks! These can be used for banishing a single pimple or two, treating acne, recipes for maintaining clear skin and I’ve also listed some tips at the bottom of the page to help with rosacea and a blackhead peel recipe.
Note: If acne seems to worsen at the beginning, keep in mind that the treatments are drawing out impurities and this could be the cause. Steady applications should show improvement over time. Also results will vary so if one doesn’t do the trick, try another until you find one that works for your skin.
Directions: Pick a remedy below then apply directly to blemish or your whole face then allow to dry for at least 20 to 30 minutes before washing off (unless otherwise noted).
Keep ingredients away from your eyes. If you are allergic to any of the items, do not use since topical applications could still trigger a reaction.
- Aloe vera: Apply fresh aloe vera gel to trouble spot and allow to dry before washing off.
- Alum: Mix 1/2 tsp alum with 1 TBS warm water to make a paste, apply to pimple.
- Apple cider vinegar: Recommended for acne, use a cotton ball to wipe vinegar over face. May sting a bit and may smell, but stick with it if you can. If it’s just a pimple or two that’s causing you grief, you can use a q-tip to dab on trouble spot as needed.
- Aspirin mask: This one’s from Dr. Oz…Crush 6-12 non-coated aspirins into a powder then mix with freshly squeezed lemon juice. Soak for 5 to 10 minutes until the mixture dissolves into a paste then apply to breakout. Remove with baking soda and water. Why it works? Aspirin contains salicylic acid which acts as a chemical peel and lemon juice contains vitamin C. Source: doctoroz.com. Not recommended for those who suffer from rosacea since the salicylic acid could aggravate it.
- Banana: Mash a ripe banana then apply to face. Allow to dry and leave on for a couple hours (if possible) before washing off.
- Calamine lotion: Allow to dry overnight before washing off.
- Cinnamon & honey: Good for acne, mix cinnamon powder and honey into a paste then apply to skin. Allow to set for at least an hour before removing. Daily treatments are recommended.
- Cucumber mash: Peel then puree in a blender, apply to skin and allow to dry for at least an hour. Good for acne.
- Fuller’s earth: Make a paste of freshly squeezed orange juice with Fuller’s earth and apply to trouble spot. Allow to dry for 20 to 25 minutes before washing off. Can use grated orange peel instead (dried).
- Honey: Can dab pure honey to blemish, allow to dry then wash off or you can mix 50/50 honey and freshly squeezed orange juice before applying to skin. You may find it beneficial to apply a hot compress first.
- Milk of Magnesia: (acne) Apply to skin each night then wash off in the morning.
- Neem: Make an infusion by covering a handful of neem leaves with 2 cups of boiling water. Cover and steep for about 10 minutes then strain. Allow to cool then mix with Fuller’s earth to make a paste.
- Olive oil: (for acne and breakouts) After washing face with a mild soap, apply a light layer of extra-virgin olive oil to skin three times a day (do not wash off). An oily substance may seem contrary to logic (clogs pores) but olive oil seems to both heal the skin and draw out impurities. You may experience more breakouts at first but after a few days this will settle down.
- Orange rinds: Mix equal parts grated orange rind (dried), plain yogurt and rosewater. You could also make a paste with ground peels (dried) and milk (keep on skin for about an hour before washing off).
- Pineapple juice: Apply to trouble spot.
- Sandalwood: Make a thick paste with equal parts sandalwood powder, turmeric powder and milk. Apply then leave overnight and wash off in the morning.
- Tea tree oil: Dab directly onto trouble spot with a q-tip.
- Toothpaste: (not gel) Just a dab will do ya, apply then let dry overnight.
- Turmeric: Mix turmeric with a bit of milk or plain yogurt to make a paste then apply to blemish. You could also mix 1/2 teaspoon turmeric with a bit of water to make a paste then apply to trouble spots (4 times per day).
- Witch hazel: Dab directly on pimple 4 or 5 times per day.
Clear Skin Helpers:
- Buttermilk: Apply each day as needed to help clear acne.
- Coconut Oil: Apply a thin layer to skin each day to help fade acne scars.
- Cold brewed tea: Wash skin daily with this.
- Grapefruit Seed Extract: Add a few drops to a mild liquid facial soap and use to wash skin daily. You can also use tea tree oil this way.
- Strawberry leaf infusion: Wash skin with this twice a day, morning and night (1/4 cup strawberry leaves and 1 1/2 cups boiling water, cover and steep for 2 hours then strain and chill before using).
- Tea Tree Oil: Add 10 drops of tea tree to 1 cup of lukewarm water then use to wash face (avoiding eyes).
Rosacea:
Do consistent, daily treatments for at least two weeks before determining whether or not this will work for you.
- Apple Cider Vinegar: Wash face with a gentle soap, rinse well, pat dry then wipe with a cloth dipped in apple cider vinegar (once per day).
- Chamomile Infusion: Cover 2 teaspoons dried chamomile flowers with 1 cup boiling water, cover then steep for 10 minutes. Strain, cool and then apply as a lukewarm compress.
- Flaxseed Oil: Consume 1 teaspoon three times daily or try making a facial scrub with ground oatmeal (uncooked) and flaxseed oil then use to gently exfoliate skin.
- Green Tea: Drink at least 2 cups a day and wash skin with it daily (cool after brewing). If you’re new to green tea, you’ll find plenty of info here to get you started. You can also use a 50/50 mix of green tea and chamomile tea as a facial toner.
- Lavender Infusion: Same as the chamomile infusion above but using dried lavender buds instead.
- Rose Water: Wash face daily with rose water. One recipe you can try: For every 1 firmly packed cup of petals, pour 2 cups boiling water over top. Cover and steep until the liquid is cool. Strain, squeeze out the liquid from the petals, and refrigerate the rose water in a sterilized jar. You’ll find more recipes here.
Blackheads:
*First published May 8, 2007 and moved to this page for better organization
Try a facial steam bath first (instructions below) then use the recipe, this will open up the pores as well as soften up the blackheads for easier removal.
1 TBS Unflavored gelatin
1 1/2 TBS Milk
- Mix together the gelatin and milk then heat in the microwave for about 12 seconds. Remove from microwave and stir with a wooden stir stick (a clean one!). Generously apply to problem areas on the face. Be careful not to apply too close to the eyes.
- Let completely dry (between 15 to 30 minutes) then carefully peel it off. The gunk clogging your pores will be stuck on the peel, the result is similar to the expensive removal strips you can buy.
- After removing the peel, wash face in very cold water to close the pores.
Facial Steam Bath:
First wash your face with facial cleansing soap and water. Then fill a bowl with boiling water and place your face down close to the water to be near the heat. Cover your head with a towel to trap the steam around your face, stay put for about 10 minutes then make and apply the treatment peel above.
- Optional: Add tea bags or Epsom salt or dried lavender to the boiling water.
Here’s a tip to remove those whiteheads that I get on my cheek and jawline that kinda feel like beard stubble….Prell Shampoo. I use a little on a wet washcloth while in the shower and wash my face with it. Since it’s a stripping shampoo it melts the whitehead stubble away. Just be sure and use a gentle face moisturizer to counteract the stripping effect afterwards.
Equal parts baking soda and water can loosen blackheads so they can be easily cleansed away. This is less expensive and doesn’t involve gelatin (which is made from boiled animal hide). Baking soda is definitely preferable to any vegans, vegetarians, or omnivores who would rather not treat their face with other animals’ skin.
you can get gelatin made from seaweed.
I tried the gelatin milk mixture for blackheads…..WOW did it clean out my pores!
It was simple to make and worked like a charm, I will be trying it again ! Next time I will cut the amounts in half since it made too much for me to use in one use. I will pass this on !
I started doing this about 4 days ago and YES I love it. I do it every 3-4 days and man Im soooo surprised at what comes off. Keeper for sure!!! Plus ur skin is soooo smooth {:
hey do you knwo where i can purchase unflavored gelatin? to use for the blackhead removal ??
at the grocery store. you can look for Knox brand gelatine. i think it’s in the baking aisle, should be with the other jello’s and puddings.
is this a one time use?
onew week before u had a blackhead jungle
i tried this out and OMGGGGGG i am s ahppy i have taken out evrything
so happpy SO yes it works
please if you dont mind tell me wich one did you try
Huh. Trying this now, it kind of burns on my deepest blackheads (chin and around my mouth). And I don’t think mine’s going to peel off, it seems too chunky. I’ll report back with how it worked; I have seven more minutes.
All it did was burn my face. |: And I am not known to have sensitive skin. Ouch!
On the bright side, it did absorb some oil pretty well.
I would try baking soda. I found it worked better, I tried the jello on one side and baking soda on the other. The baking soda seem to work better for me. Also, it didn’t give me this chunky paste like the jello did. YUCK!
I havent tried the baking soda yet, u do it just like the geletin? So far I like the geletin, it does get chunky if u cake it on, but it peals off pretty easy.
This worked on some of my face, not all of it. I even did the face steam bath first. But I learned that you shouldn’t wait for it to completely dry. If you do it really hurts to pull off then, and it leaves your face red.
Do you think I should try it more than once in a week?? Or should I just try something else??
Did not work for me. Didnt remove anything. Made my skin red and dry.
remember to be hydrated when removing the blackheads- the plug of sebum in the pore will not come out if your dehydrated
I have used the baking soda and milk!! It works great for those hard to get blackheads around my nose area!!!
i used this method at night, and forgot to peel it off. i fell asleep with it on and woke up it the middle of the night and it was alsost as if it was GLUED to my face! PAINFUL, to peel off. but, since it was soooo stiff, it pulled out almos every single black head. it would have done them all, if i didnt have oil-prone skin.
I used the baking soda recipe and oh my goodness it burned my face. I’m sure that I didn’t do it right but it
Eft my face complete stripped of hydration.
Next time I will fruit with the gelatin and maybe it will actual target the blackheads
I used the milk and gelatin recipe…..It worked great! I have naturally oily skin and it absorbed everything! The only negative thing I can say is it does hurt to peel it off and can be difficult if you dont layer it on a little.But the results are so worth it! I would like to know how often I can safely do this though? Is once a week too little or too much?
Where I seen this at, she said once every 3 days, guess depending on ur skin. I just did it again and my skin seems fine and my skin is rather sensative.
I just tried it; splashed hot water on my face for a while instead of going through the trouble of boiling water for steam.
Yes, it does hurt to peel off and will make your face a little red (not from burning but because it’s like pulling off a band-aid). The reason it hurts is because it’s so strong once dry that it takes off all the tiny hairs on your skin along with stuff stuck in pores. I have fairly sensitive skin but I good pain tolerance so I found it doable…my face needed a good peel.
If it gets anywhere that you don’t want to peel and dries just leave it alone till you are done peeling then wash your face; it will come off easily. In fact, if you get the whole thing on and decide it will hurt too much to peel then just wash it off.
I added just a little cinnamon to it because I think warm milk smells bad.
If actually allowed to dry all the way it’s too strong of peel to be using frequently. I don’t think I’d suggest doing this more than once a month; maybe every two weeks at most.
If it takes off the hairs, will it work like a wax?
DON’T DO IT!!! IT IS VERY PAINFULL, IT FEELS LIKE YOU ARE PULLING YOUR FACE OFF OR AT LEAST 3 LAYERS OF SKIN. IT LEFT MY FACE RED AND BLOTCHY OF ABOUT 24 HOURS. IT WAS SOFT RIGHT AFTER I DID IT BUT THE NEXT DAY MY FACE WAS LIKE SANDPAPER. DAYS LATER I AM STILL USING MOISTURIZERS TO TRY AND REPAIR THE DAMAGE THAT WAS CAUSED!!!!!
Pre-Surgical cleansers – Betadine or Hibiclense – readily available in almost any drug store, work wonders for acne. Twice/day plus Cetaphil lotion to moisturize without clogging pores or inhibiting natural oil production.
Often, too much washing will create more breakouts when the skin is trying to compensate for lost oils by over-producing. By killing the bacteria and not stripping the skin of natural oils, you’re doing more to treat and prevent acne or other skin infections.
Ive tried this from another blog. I was only partially impressed. It smelt so horrible to me, that I didnt want to even let it finish drying. But I did. I did a medium layer of it, followed instructions for removal. It was too dang painful. I do have low tolerance though. My 4 & 10 year old were torn btwn laughing/freaking out cus they heard me in bathroom muttering profanities under my breath and gasping/tearing up from the pain of pulling it off.
I only skimmed the article, but I find it amusing, due to past experience, that it does not mention that turmeric is a very powerful natural dye! I would be more than a little cautious of putting it on my face, however it is also a powerful anti-inflammatory. I use it to cure infected hangnails when nothing else works. Use if utterly desperate, I suppose.
although it is a natural dye, it does not dye your face! I use it twice a week and I’m fairly pale. Works wonders on my acne prone skin as a mask.
I use the following recpie:
2 tablespoons chickpea flour
1 tablespoon tumeric
1 teaspoon honey
add milk until creamy and apply to a clean face. Once dry (30 mins or so) wash off. Careful not to get any on clothes or towels.. those items will definatley dye bright yellow!!
You can also add some almond oil to the mix if you have it around.
Do you have anything for melasma, I feel like I have tried everything.
Oil Cleansing Method – a MUST!
See above mention of olive oil – it seems counter productive but oils to cleanse help fight spots as they clean out pores and unlike soaps or washes they don’t strip skins oils…thus skin doesn’t have to over compensate by producing far more oil that would clog pores.
Oils are healing, you can use multiple different oils to cleanse you face, all with different benefits, you can also add essential oils for more benefits, plus it’s cheap, green and much better for skin and general health with no irritants or harmful ingredients to worry about.
Oil Cleansing Method also helps healing scars, preventing aging, cures dry skin, and will leave your skin glowing and super healthy. It’s awesome.