Reduce Acne Redness: Natural Techniques for Soothing Skin

Acne is caused by pollution, dirt, sebum or dead skin cells that build up in your skin. It is also commonly caused by hormonal changes. A skincare routine is essential to anyone experiencing acne breakouts, and a great way to reduce acne redness can be by applying home remedies that calm the skin, are antibacterial and anti-inflammatory.

Remember to patch test anything new: Apply a small amount of home remedies to your wrist or hand first in order to check if you have any negative reactions.

1. Tee Trea Oil

Tea Tree oil is an essential oil. This natural remedy is one of the more popular home remedies to reduce acne, redness, and swelling due to its anti-inflammatory and antimicrobial properties. It’s often used as a spot treatment, or often used in high-end skincare, anti-acne creams, and gels.

If it is used as a spot treatment, essential oils should always be diluted in a carrier oil first. Read more on carrier oils vs essential oils, and how to choose an oil for your skin type.

Once diluted, you can apply it with a cotton pad or clean fingers onto cleansed skin, moisturise as usual, and keep it on overnight to get the most from the benefits of this oil.

2. Jojoba Oil

Jojoba oil is a fairly expensive natural oil remedy, but it’s said to be worth it by many who have used it. It is collected from the jojoba shrubs seeds, and its texture is waxy. This waxy oil has a nutty odor and contains healing properties in it with the ability to fix damaged skin.²https://www.sidemast.org/download/sidemast_20140401124048.pdf

This natural oil should reduce redness as it contains palmitic acid, arachidic acid, stearic acid, which all contribute to healing and moisturising the skin. It has a comedogenic rating of 2 so should be good for all skin types. If you have very oily skin, even a comedogenic rating of 2 can sometimes be too high, so it’s worth a trial and error before using this oil every day.

Applying this oil needs no diluting like essential oils, and can be applied directly on the skin, or use a product which contains this oil in it.

3. Aloe Vera

Aloe vera has been a popular ingredient for acne and redness for a very long time. It is a plant that you can easily grow at home; it doesn’t require much care or water. And applying fresh aloe vera gel is more beneficial compared to available products in the
market. It’s great for wounds and mosquito bites too!

Aloe vera gel contains natural antibacterial and anti-inflammation substances, which can help to reduce the redness or build up of acne. Moreover, amino acids, zinc, and sugar
molecules make a perfect moisturizer for your skin. Also, this natural ingredient can provide smooth and soft results for dry skin, lesions, and bumps.

The effectiveness of Aloe Vera for calming a breakout will depend on your skin condition and skin type, as most natural and ayurvedic products only suit some skin types. So it’s worth a trial and error on this ingredient too.

4. Light Therapy

This therapy can be used by purchasing light therapy devices for home usage. Or you can go to a spa that offers light therapy.

Yellow light is one of the recommended therapies to reduce redness, cure inflamed skin and encourage red cells to revitalize to heal your skin. It can repair UV rays damage and eliminate the visibility of veins through your skin.

Additionally, this therapy can reduce facial redness, telangiectasia, and flushing of your skin, so it can be a good option for rosacea too. This therapy contains low wavelengths that can reduce your skin’s acne redness and inflammation. It can decrease acne, pigmentation, and hair loss³Role of Low-Level Light Therapy (LLLT) in Androgenetic Alopecia by stimulating the collagen in your skin. Additional benefits can also include reducing wrinkles and fine lines due to the collagen stimulation.

5. Honey

Honey has antibacterial and calming properties, so it’s another great option to reduce acne redness naturally that you likely already have in your kitchen. Many who have tried it say that it’s great for clearing clogged pores around your nose, mouth, and forehead specifically. You don’t need to buy any specific honey product, but raw honey is ultimately the better option for applying to your skin.

Just apply a thin layer to cleansed skin, let it dry for 10 minutes, and thoroughly wash it off again before carring on with your skincare routine.

6. Green tea

This remedy works wonderfully to reduce sebum, or redness caused by acne. You can get the benefits from Green Tea either from drinking it daily, or applying it within a mask to reduce the redness around the acne. A great way to do this is to drink a cup of green tea, and then make a mask by mixing the brewed leaves with a bit of honey. Apply to cleansed skin for 10 minutes and rinse of thoroughly.

Green tea contains catechins known as polyphenol antioxidants. Because of this you could also use the tea bags as an eye mask for brightening dark circles. Apply to closed eyes for about 15 minutes, and remember it’s consistent use over a period of time before you really begin to see results, so try it a couple of times a week for a few weeks to see if it makes a difference for you.

Another really effective way to use Green tea for your skin is if you apply steam therapy for around ten minutes. This will allow the green tea to penetrate into your pores better and work its magic from within!

Green tea also works wonderfully if you suffer from oily skin. It contains a lot of antioxidants, which helps your body process and eliminate chemicals and waste from your skin. Drinking green tea has long been touted as a really healthy habit to incorporate in your daily routines.

7. Echinacea

Echinacea is mostly known as a remedy to take when you are under the weather. It contains anti-inflammation, anti-microbial and immune boosting properties. It’s the these properties that can help with acne redness and breakouts when used topically.

As echinacea is an essential oil, you can dilute it in a carrier oil such as jojoba oil, and apply it directly to the affected skin area to reduce acne redness and potentially reduce acne too. Many people temporarily add this to their diet to get benefits from the inside out. It’s always a good idea to check with your doctor before starting a new supplement though. Echinacea is not recommended to take for longer than 8 weeks as longterm use can start to affect your liver.

9. Purified bee venom

Not as easily found in stores as some of these other remedies but I definitely believe this one is worth mentioning! This natural remedy sounds dangerous, but has been shown to have some great benefits for your skin⁴Bee Venom Cream: Everything You Need to Know. It has antibacterial properties, such as enzymes and peptides, that can reduce redness and treat inflammation. It works by penetrating through your skin to trick your skin into thinking its been stung. Your body’s natural reaction to this is to increase blood flow, elastin, and collagen production to try and ‘heal’ your skin again, providing you with lifted and smooth skin.

You can apply this gel or cream for around six weeks to reduce acne lesions, swelling, and redness. It’s usually found in drug stores as opposed to grocery stores.

10. Coconut  Oil

This remedy can be great for body acne or bacne, especially if you are breaking out due to dry skin, leading to excess sebum production. I’d only ever recommend this remedy for the body and not the face, as coconut oil has a high comedogenic rating, and even those with dry facial skin can get clogged pores from this oil, leading to worsening of your acne.

Coconut oil has anti-inflammatory and antibacterial compounds that can help with acne redness and itchiness. This ingredient has healing properties that can help you achieve smooth and healthy skin.

There’s a large array of coconut oils available on the market. The best option for your skin would be Coconut virgin oil that is recommended for use on skin specifically. It’s also a great oil to have as an ingredient for a body lotion.

Bottom Line

Any of these remedies could help you minimise acne redness and inflammation, but it’s very likely going to be a process of trial and error. Everybody’s skin and body is different and will react better to some remedies than others. Remember to patch test anything new, if you are suffering from any adverse reaction, rather don’t use that remedy again andtry a different one. If your reaction is severe, always consult your doctor immediately.