Acne

Acne is an inflammatory condition of the skin that can happen at any age, but usually is worse in teens. I know, that is so unfair. Just when looks are so important or some life changing event is coming up like a dance. Whammy, a zit hits you smack in the middle of your face.

So many things can cause outbreaks on our skin. Stress , hormones, toxins, cosmetics, chemicals, heat and humidity, allergies, medicines and diet all influence our skin.

If you get a sudden severe case of acne, you should see a doctor. This could be a sign of a serious medical condition that has affected your body's hormone system. Also if the blemishes look like welts and you skin is hot and red, this could indicate cystic acne. You need to see a doctor for this.

We have some control over our diet as far as eating more fruits and vegetables and drinking more water. But we can't control all the possible causes of acne, no matter how hard we try. All the toxins we are exposed to in our food, air, makeup, and cleansers pollute and irritate out skin. Face it- Zits happen. For bad cases you may need to seek medical treatment.

Lavender can help with acne in several ways. It is a anti-infection, analgesic, anti-inflamatory, anti-toxic as well as having regenerative properties. Lavender will actually help prevent scarring. If your acne is due to stress , lavender is well known for its calming effect too! Plus it just smells nice.

If I have only a few blemishes, I just put lavender essential oil on neat, or straight out of the bottle. Sometimes I use equal parts of lavender and tea tree essential oil. Or dilute it with some water and dab it on your face with a cotton ball. The combination works very well. Sometimes when you have more than one kind of essential oil they support or increase the healing properties. Like a good relationship, they enhance each others potential.

Put a few drops of lavender and tea tree essential oil on your soap or mild cleanser when you wash your face.

After you cleanse your face rinse your face with some cool water with a few drops of lavender essential oil in it. You can splash this on your face or use it like a compress. Squeeze the cloth to remove excess water, but leave it fairly wet. Gently dab your face. If desired you can just lay down and lay the cloth on you skin. Breath in and enjoy the wonderful relaxing fragrance. This is surprisingly refreshing and relaxing at the same time.

Mist your face with lavender water. This can be as simple as a small spray bottle of purified or distilled water and about 6 to 10 drops of lavender essential oil in it. Make sure you shake the bottle first because the oil will float on the water. If you aren't going to use this within a couple of weeks you should put about a tablespoon of witch hazel or vodka in the bottle first, add your lavender to dissolve it, then you add the water.

Mix a few drops of lavender essential oil on your mild soap, or any lotion you are applying and use this on your face as you normally would. This is great for the skin, even if you don't have acne. If you don't want to add the lavender oil to the whole bottle, you can just put the lotion you are going to apply on the palm of your hand and put a drop or two of lavender on the lotion. Use a light lotion, not a oil based one.

Doctors will sometimes treat acne with topical and oral antibiotics like tetracycline and erythromycin. These antibiotics can cause oral contraceptives not to work. These antibiotics should not be taken when you're pregnant.

Ways to help acne

Keep the face clean and try not to touch your face.

Don't use a drying astringent more than once a week.

Don't squeeze pimples, whiteheads or blackheads, this one can be hard. So if you are going to do it , do it gently and wash your hands before and after.

If you have to use makeup, use a water based kind. The oil based makeup clogs up your pores and makes the acne worse.

Remove all makeup at night. Better yet, use as little makeup as possible.

Exercise will help you sweat out some of the toxins out of your skin. It also will help increase the flow of blood to your skin and hair and helps drain those lymph nodes. This may also help open clogged pores when you perspire.

Have a good healthy diet with plenty of fruits and vegetables. Drink plenty of water. Avoid spicy, sugary, fatty foods.

Get enough sleep so your body can get and stay healthy.

Get fresh air and sunlight.

Wash your face with a tablespoon of live yogurt with a teaspoon of sea salt, a couple drops of tea tree , lavender and, or bergamot essential oil to it.

Some other essential oils that have helped acne is bergamot, chamomile, myrrh, rosemary, and thyme. These need to be diluted. Add about 15 drops of essential oil to a tablespoon of water and dab directly on the pimples.

Grapefruit seed extract or GSE is a liquid concentrate that kills bacteria. One of the uses listed on the insert information is using it for a facial cleanser. Splash water on your face, put 2 or 3 drops of GSE on you hand and massage your face in circular motions. Rinse off and pat dry. A tingling feeling may follow, indicating it's working.

Dilute some cider vinegar and wash your face with it, You can also infuse the vinegar with herbs like strawberry leaves, red clover, thyme or yarrow.

Use a clay facial mask once a week to help draw out the impurities out of your face.

Lymphatic drainage massage my help reduce toxins.

Try meditation to reduce stress.

Visualization-imagine clear skin or your blemishes vanishing. Guided imagery has been successful for many problems. Where the mind goes, the body will follow.

If you are under stress, or have a problem, try to resolve it.

food supplements like vitamin A, E, C, B6, and selenium help some people.

Taking zinc helps some people with acne.

Take a herbal antibiotic. A few you could try are garlic, olive leaf, colloidal silver, oregano oil, goldenseal, echinacea, grapefruit seed extract, or elderberry.

Detox with herbs. Try burdock root, dandelion root, or slippery elm.

Wash gently and with a mild soap.

Add more fiber to your diet. Make sure your bowels are working well. If they are sluggish your body has a harder time to get rid of toxins.

Try reflexology on the feet and hands. Just rub them and pay extra attention to any sore spots.

Some people get results with warm or hot compresses to the face, and in other people it makes it worse. Heat will open the pores, but hot humid weather makes acne worse for some. Try a couple of drops of GSE, or essential oil on the compress to help kill the infection. Maybe a cool compress after will help cool down and close the pores.

Good luck, and don't give up. I hope something here will help you. As in all health problems, people differ. What will help one person may not help another. Be well :)

Return from acne to the health page.

SBI!


Home Lavender Blog Health Baths Lavender oil Carrier Oils Growing lavender Crafts Cooking Home Uses Dogs History Site map Disclaimer [?]Subscribe To This Site	Acne Acne is an inflammatory condition of the skin that can happen at any age, but usually is worse in teens. I know, that is so unfair. Just when looks are so important or some life changing event is coming up like a dance. Whammy, a zit hits you smack in the middle of your face. So many things can cause outbreaks on our skin. Stress , hormones, toxins, cosmetics, chemicals, heat and humidity, allergies, medicines and diet all influence our skin. If you get a sudden severe case of acne, you should see a doctor. This could be a sign of a serious medical condition that has affected your body's hormone system. Also if the blemishes look like welts and you skin is hot and red, this could indicate cystic acne. You need to see a doctor for this. We have some control over our diet as far as eating more fruits and vegetables and drinking more water. But we can't control all the possible causes of acne, no matter how hard we try. All the toxins we are exposed to in our food, air, makeup, and cleansers pollute and irritate out skin. Face it- Zits happen. For bad cases you may need to seek medical treatment. Lavender can help with acne in several ways. It is a anti-infection, analgesic, anti-inflamatory, anti-toxic as well as having regenerative properties. Lavender will actually help prevent scarring. If your acne is due to stress , lavender is well known for its calming effect too! Plus it just smells nice. If I have only a few blemishes, I just put lavender essential oil on neat, or straight out of the bottle. Sometimes I use equal parts of lavender and tea tree essential oil. Or dilute it with some water and dab it on your face with a cotton ball. The combination works very well. Sometimes when you have more than one kind of essential oil they support or increase the healing properties. Like a good relationship, they enhance each others potential. Put a few drops of lavender and tea tree essential oil on your soap or mild cleanser when you wash your face. After you cleanse your face rinse your face with some cool water with a few drops of lavender essential oil in it. You can splash this on your face or use it like a compress. Squeeze the cloth to remove excess water, but leave it fairly wet. Gently dab your face. If desired you can just lay down and lay the cloth on you skin. Breath in and enjoy the wonderful relaxing fragrance. This is surprisingly refreshing and relaxing at the same time. Mist your face with lavender water. This can be as simple as a small spray bottle of purified or distilled water and about 6 to 10 drops of lavender essential oil in it. Make sure you shake the bottle first because the oil will float on the water. If you aren't going to use this within a couple of weeks you should put about a tablespoon of witch hazel or vodka in the bottle first, add your lavender to dissolve it, then you add the water. Mix a few drops of lavender essential oil on your mild soap, or any lotion you are applying and use this on your face as you normally would. This is great for the skin, even if you don't have acne. If you don't want to add the lavender oil to the whole bottle, you can just put the lotion you are going to apply on the palm of your hand and put a drop or two of lavender on the lotion. Use a light lotion, not a oil based one. Doctors will sometimes treat acne with topical and oral antibiotics like tetracycline and erythromycin. These antibiotics can cause oral contraceptives not to work. These antibiotics should not be taken when you're pregnant. Ways to help acne Keep the face clean and try not to touch your face. Don't use a drying astringent more than once a week. Don't squeeze pimples, whiteheads or blackheads, this one can be hard. So if you are going to do it , do it gently and wash your hands before and after. If you have to use makeup, use a water based kind. The oil based makeup clogs up your pores and makes the acne worse. Remove all makeup at night. Better yet, use as little makeup as possible. Exercise will help you sweat out some of the toxins out of your skin. It also will help increase the flow of blood to your skin and hair and helps drain those lymph nodes. This may also help open clogged pores when you perspire. Have a good healthy diet with plenty of fruits and vegetables. Drink plenty of water. Avoid spicy, sugary, fatty foods. Get enough sleep so your body can get and stay healthy. Get fresh air and sunlight. Wash your face with a tablespoon of live yogurt with a teaspoon of sea salt, a couple drops of tea tree , lavender and, or bergamot essential oil to it. Some other essential oils that have helped acne is bergamot, chamomile, myrrh, rosemary, and thyme. These need to be diluted. Add about 15 drops of essential oil to a tablespoon of water and dab directly on the pimples. Grapefruit seed extract or GSE is a liquid concentrate that kills bacteria. One of the uses listed on the insert information is using it for a facial cleanser. Splash water on your face, put 2 or 3 drops of GSE on you hand and massage your face in circular motions. Rinse off and pat dry. A tingling feeling may follow, indicating it's working. Dilute some cider vinegar and wash your face with it, You can also infuse the vinegar with herbs like strawberry leaves, red clover, thyme or yarrow. Use a clay facial mask once a week to help draw out the impurities out of your face. Lymphatic drainage massage my help reduce toxins. Try meditation to reduce stress. Visualization-imagine clear skin or your blemishes vanishing. Guided imagery has been successful for many problems. Where the mind goes, the body will follow. If you are under stress, or have a problem, try to resolve it. food supplements like vitamin A, E, C, B6, and selenium help some people. Taking zinc helps some people with acne. Take a herbal antibiotic. A few you could try are garlic, olive leaf, colloidal silver, oregano oil, goldenseal, echinacea, grapefruit seed extract, or elderberry. Detox with herbs. Try burdock root, dandelion root, or slippery elm. Wash gently and with a mild soap. Add more fiber to your diet. Make sure your bowels are working well. If they are sluggish your body has a harder time to get rid of toxins. Try reflexology on the feet and hands. Just rub them and pay extra attention to any sore spots. Some people get results with warm or hot compresses to the face, and in other people it makes it worse. Heat will open the pores, but hot humid weather makes acne worse for some. Try a couple of drops of GSE, or essential oil on the compress to help kill the infection. Maybe a cool compress after will help cool down and close the pores. Good luck, and don't give up. I hope something here will help you. As in all health problems, people differ. What will help one person may not help another. Be well :) Return from acne to the health page. Copyright 2006-2010 Joys-of-Lavender.com Click here to read our privacy policy SBI!