I’m sure most of us have had the occasional bout with either pimple or teenage acne. When I was at that age, I always used the commercial preparations which almost always were drying to the skin. If I happened to overuse the commercial preparation, my skin would become flaky and irritated. And, it seemed that after using the medicine, my skin seemed oiler than every after using it, or was so dry that it hurt.

Now when I have the occasional breakout, I prefer to use some homemade acne remedies rather than going straight for those over the counter acne medications. Read on to find out more about homemade acne remedies.

Oatmeal Mask – the oatmeal soothes irritated skin without being too drying. Grab about a cup of quick cooking oatmeal. You can either put it in the blender or rub the oats between your fingers to crumble it into powder. Mix in some warm water until the oatmeal mix reaches a nice creamy, consistency. You may also add a drop of lavender for further healing qualities. Smooth the mask on your face and let it sit for 10-15 minutes. Rinse and your skin should feel smoother and less irritated.

While you’re in the kitchen here’s another homemade acne remedy: grab a white potato, slice it and hold the slice of potato to your pimple. This should also reduce swelling and the life of that pesky pimple.

Did a pimple pop up in a most inopportune place? This is a great treatment to use overnight – get some white toothpaste – not gel – and dab it on the pimple. It should work on the pimple overnight and give an improved appearance in the morning.

Cut the end of a peeled clove of garlic and press the cut end to the pimple. Garlic has anti-bacterial properties as well as anti-inflammatory properties, so it will reduce the swelling and redness of the pimple. Be sure to rinse before going out – garlic has a strong smell.

These are just a few remedies that may assist in getting rid of your acne and/or pimples that pop up. Stay tuned for part two!