Aspirin is created from the bark of the willow tree and it contains salicylic acid. Salicylic acid is especially helpful in treating acne because of its ability to penetrate the follicle. It encourages the shedding of dead skin cells from within the follicle, helping keep the pores clear of cellular debris. In this way, it reduces the number of pore blockages and breakouts on the skin.
It is common for someone having a breakout to want to just scrub it away. This is not the right thing to do. If you're having a breakout and you scrub the skin you will increase inflammation and compound the issue. Another typical home remedy is to apply astringents, such as rubbing alcohol, to the inflammed skin. Applying astringents not only dries out the skin, in turn causing it to overproduce oil, but it shrinks the pores and when your pores shrink, more oils are clogged in the pores of the skin.
The best combination is to keep the skin moisturized (jojoba oil is excellent for acneic skin) and to bring down inflammation. There are many professional products out on the market, such as PCA's Clarifying Mask, but if you're in a pinch and need to deal with a breakout "stat", give this DIY acne mask a try.
Ingredients:
5 uncoated aspirin
1 tsp honey, yogurt or aloe vera gel
Directions:
Crush the aspirin and mix with a small amount of water to create a paste. Mix in the honey, yogurt or aloe vera gel and apply to face for 10-20 minutes. Rinse with warm water.
No comments:
Post a Comment