Any suggestions on all natural acne med for teens?

[wytchywoman]

Hi mamas,
My 13 yo son is having a lot of problems with breakouts recently and I think maybe he needs some help with this. I don't want to go the Clearasil route or anything like it, definitely want something more natural. What cleansing routines do you have your teen DC's on?

Namaste,

Michelle

[duckling]

A wash with diluted tea tree oil works pretty well. It has natural antimicrobial properties, so it kill off the bacteria that cause acne. If that's not enough, after patting the face dry, go for a cotton ball dipped in witch hazel. It's an astringent, so it should help clear his face up.

Also, remind him to try and keep his hands away from his face during the day. I hated doing this, because I'm a big fan of propping my head up on my hands when I'm falling asleep in class, but I noticed that my breakouts were worse when my hands were all over my face.

Good luck!

[wytchywoman]

Thanks duckling. We will give those a try.

Namaste,

Michelle

[orangefoot]

My ds is 13. He does the Oil Cleansing Method with me once a week or so and daily we both use an oat and salt 'scrub' as here. Both are non drying.

About a year ago I realised that I had been stripping the oil from my oily skin daily for 15 years and that my skin was constantly in overdrive trying to replace it. I stopped using any cleanser and just the OCM and daily oatflour and my skin is better than it has been for years.

My son has similar skin to mine and I didn't want him to start down that road so he is trying this and trying not to keep scratching his chin like an old sage (a new affectation, I fear) and touching his face during the day too.

[Cherie2]

not sure what properties in it are helpful but some good friends kids cleared right up with frequent swims in the ocean.

[a_work_in_progress]

I had a roommate who had bad acne and the only thing that worked for her was using first morning urine on her face. :P

[nextcommercial]

Originally Posted by a_work_in_progress

I had a roommate who had bad acne and the only thing that worked for her was using first morning urine on her face. :P

NO WAY!!!

Seriously??????

REALLY??

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My daughter's is really really bad. Even prescription meds didn't touch it.

BUT, I have heard that using witch hazel and a few drops of Tea Trea oil will help.

Also, after washing with the Witch hazel and TToil, before rinsing, have him use an ice cube to rub over the break outs. The ice makes a very big difference.

I bought the book "The acne cure" and it gave step by step instructions, and explained each part of zits, in all their stages. I bought the stuff (non natural) and it worked!!! She has to be dilligent about it, but it did work.

I suggest borrowing the book from the library, and reading it yourself. It is boring, your son wont read it. Then try to come up with some natural substitutes. Once you understand the breakouts, maybe you will find something that will work.

One thing I KNOW that doesn't work is to use a harsh scrub. That only irritates them. (the zits)

[rootzdawta]

I had terrible acne as a teen. Proactiv worked but I don't think it is natural. One thing to remember is that acne prone skin is very sensitive. Whatever you do, be gentle. No harsh scrubs or astrigents. That will only make it worse. Drink plenty of water too. the most important thing to do is to treat the skin gently so it can heal itself. You can use raw honey as a mask or as a daily wash. I doesn't strip the skin but it cleanses. Get a good non-clogging oil like jojoba or shea butter and put it on right after washing the skin. Wash and moisturize morning and night. Keep hands away from the face. Get into the habit of doing a mask. I love to use all natural mud masks--you can find some no frill ones at the local HFS. That helps to tighten the skin and draw out impurities. Spot treat pimples with a heavily diluted solution of tea trea oil--use a cotton swab to do it because TTO can be very drying which causes the skin to produce more oil which causes more pimples. Most important, though, is finding a routine that works and sticking with it. In fact, I think that is really why Proactiv works--it's a routine that people stick to. Once you quit, your skin almost immediately goes back to the way it was. HTH.

[mommy68]

I was going to suggest going swimming in a chlorine pool or the ocean. Both have cleared up boo-boos on me and my kids in past years. I'm sure there are some OTC acne treatments out there that might be good as well. It might be worth going in the stores and just browsing through to see what's out there.

[ikesmom]

When I was in 7th grade I started to have problems with my skin. I was so embarrassed that I quit drinking soda and sugary drinks during the summer so I wouldn't have to go back to school with bad skin. I think being out in the sun helped a lot as well ,but then there is the whole UV damage issue. I didn't have any problems after that for many years. After I had my youngest ds my skin started to flare up again. I need to revamp my diet.
In cosmotology school we made egg white or strawberry masks to help with oily skin.

[wytchywoman]

Thanks mamas for all your help. I ran the tea tree oil and vinegar by home and he hated it ( "They STINK!!!!" he says ) So I talked to him about the oat flour scrub and he is willing to try that. I have been having big problems with break outs too so I will give this a try as well.
I WISH we could go swimming in the ocean. We live in AZ now but I grew up in San Diego and I miss the ocean so much. Thanks again!!!!

Namaste,

Michelle

[terrordactyl]

alba organics makes a whole regima of products which i have used that has cleared up my skin.

[shay]

Hylands homeopathy makes an acne tablet and soap. There is a tea tree soap that doesn't leave a scent really when you wash it off, can't remember the brand though. Both at the health food store.

[runnerbrit]

Try a bowl of warm water with a pinch or two of sea salt in it. Close your eyes and dip your face in it for a minute or so. Then blot dry. Use a fresh towel each time. Never use washcloths to wash your face as it can create bacteria transfer.

[E.V. Lowi]

This is a serious problem that has a very detrimental affect to a child's self esteem and I think it is very important to keep trying until you find what works for your child. Proactive worked very well for our dd but gave her a low platelet count and severe, uncontrollable bleeding, so she had to give it up. Nothing works quite as well as Proactive, but we found out it contains 4 or 5 known carcinogens.
There is a product recommended to us, called "Nature's Cure" that is sold at Savon drug stores. It comes in one version for boys and one for girls. There is an oral medication and a topical one included in the package. Our naturopathic doctor gave it the ok and it works pretty well- not perfect but breakouts are mild. We could tell when dd quit using it for a couple of months and the acne became a lot more severe, so she started back on it and cleared up, again. It takes about a month to start working so you have to give it a chance. Good luck with it.

[taterbug1999]

I have always had skin troubles and have found even as I age that less is more. The more I tried to clean all the oil away the worse it got. Last summer I began quite alot of vitamins and other supplements one of which was Omega-3 supplements. Omega-3 is rumored to help with this. An old tribe in FYT mentioned it alot. My skin has cleared dramatically. It would be an easy try and may help him too, plus it certainly wouldn't hurt . Another huge point another PP made is HANDS OFF FACE!! As much as possible this can make a gigantic difference. Good luck momma. I really hope you can find a help. It is so hard to have acne .

[red moon]

Hi there,
There is nothing I have found to clear up skin like St Johns Wort oil. I don't mean essential oil, rather olive oil into which St J flowers are infused. It may seem counter-intuitive to smear oil all over a broken out face, but not only is St J incredibly healing, it is anti-bacterial and anti-fungal, and a bunch of other anti's. My routine is to wash my face with a simple, gentle soap with no perfume wierdness....as few ingredients as possible from the natural food store, and then apply a thin layer of the oil. Do 2 x a day and by all means try not to pick (or suggest to him, rather)! It may take a little while, but I have seen this really work for myself and others. Herb Pharm sells this ready made, or even better, here is a recipe:harvest the flowers in full bloom and fill a jar with them. Over this you can pour olive (or almond) oil to the top. Poke with chopstick to get air out. Cap and let sit for six weeks. Then strain out trying to seperate every bit of the plant material possible to maintain shelf life.(It gets funky easily. Sterilize jar,and any little particulate matter can be held back when you put it in the jar you are going to keep it in for good.)

[Manena]

This will sound crazy but a mask of powdered milk and tea works well on acne. The tea has drying, antiseptic properties.

[wytchywoman]

Thanks to all the mamas for their responses. We are still experimenting with what works.

Namaste,

Michelle