I struggle with acne. Ha! Now that I have that off my chest I can continue. I know most of you will not believe me when I say that I have struggled with black heads, pimples, scarring, and anything else that accompanies acne, but I have just learned to cover those nasty pests really well. Unfortunately, my acne is not limited to just my face, but is on my back and chest as well.
I thought the older I got the better my skin would look, but this has not been the case. Apparently acne has decided to follow me into my mid twenties. I have tried just about everything that I can find to treat acne. Proactive? What a joke (an expensive one at that)! Astringent, night cream, spot treatment, salicylic acid, benzoyl peroxide... you name it!
There was hope though!
Recently, during my research, I found that baking soda has a positive effect on acne, specifically black heads. It helps reduce the size of pimples, prevent new breakouts and gives you a brighter complexion.
To create a mask, all you need is the following:
- baking soda
- water
Yep, that's it! You do not need much of either of these ingredients. Simply mix the two together until you have a paste. Then gently run the mixture onto your skin. Let it sit on your skin for several minutes. I usually go between 10-20 minutes with it on my face. You can read a book, do the dishes... the possibilities are endless! As the paste dries, it does tend to "flake" off, but since it is baking soda, it does not hurt anything. In fact, it may remove smell from your clothes and carpet as you walk around! haha...
Once it is dry, simply rinse. Baking soda is a great exfoliator! Just a warning though, if you want to use this as an acne treatment and use it more than two times a week, be gentle as you rinse your skin. It is not good to exfoliate your skin too much. I try to use this mask every other (sometimes 3rd) day.
Hope this helps you. It has helped my skin significantly!
Labels: Health and Beauty
