Ok, so I know you have had those mornings when you wake up with a huge zit on your face in preparation of some big event.
You google everything, you don’t want to pop it but are clearly freaking out…
And honestly, I am sure we have all experienced such a situation at least once or twice (or maybe 50 times).
So here are the top acne hacks from the web that people claim will help their skin calm down.
Plus, you probably already have what you need in your kitchen and bathroom cabinet, and you won’t have to spend a lot of money.
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✨ Quick note: Most of these will work for mild to moderately severe breakouts. If your breakouts are extremely painful, very large, or persistent regardless of treatments tried, it may be time to see a dermatologist to find out what is causing them. |
💗 Just a little disclaimer: This post is for informational purposes only and isn’t meant to replace professional medical advice. Everyone’s skin is different, so what works for one person might not work for another, and if your acne is persistent, painful, or not improving, please reach out to a dermatologist or healthcare provider who can give you guidance specific to you.
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🤍 Tea Tree Oil Is Your New Best Friend
Tea tree oil is probably mentioned in almost all conversations about treating acne and blemishes from home. It is an antibacterial agent that attacks bacterial growth in clogged pores and reduces the inflammation, redness, and swelling that make blemishes look so bad.
However, due to its high strength, you should never apply tea tree oil directly onto your skin. So instead, add one to two drops to water or aloe vera gel (or both), place it on the pimple area using a cotton swab (ball), and leave it on overnight.
- Mix 1 to 2 drops with water or aloe vera gel before applying
- Use a cotton ball to dab it directly on the pimple
- Leave it on overnight and rinse in the morning
🤍 Aloe Vera Does Way More Than You Think
Most folks don’t see aloe vera other than for sunburns; however, it is certainly an underrated pimple hack since it contains anti-inflammatory characteristics that will help reduce irritation in your skin almost instantly, while at the same time being so mild that you could use it each and every day without stripping your skin of its moisture.
You can buy a true aloe leaf at your local grocery store and get the clear gel right from the leaf, or you can simply purchase a pure aloe product (with absolutely nothing else added) and apply it directly to your pimples like a spot treatment, keeping it on your skin as long as you’d like.
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💕 Pro tip: Mix your aloe vera gel with two or three drops of tea tree oil for a combo spot treatment that hits both inflammation and bacteria at the same time. |
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🤍 The Aspirin Paste Hack Is Lowkey Genius
So this one I’m going to tell you about seems a little crazy, but hear me out—as we all know, aspirin contains salicylic acid (which is used in many products intended to help fight acne), you can create an easy-to-make small paste at home using 1 crushed aspirin mixed with a small amount of water until it forms a large globular paste.
You simply apply it directly to the pimple, let it sit for approximately 10 minutes, and wash the product off your face, and hopefully it will be able to help remove some of the excess oil causing the redness and swelling associated with acne.
- Crush one aspirin and add a few drops of water to make a paste
- Apply directly onto the pimple only, not all over your face
- Leave for ten minutes then rinse fully off with water
🤍 Pimple Patches While You Sleep
If you have never used one before, then now is the perfect time to buy some pimple patches, as they will pull out all of the bacteria and fluid that is causing the pimple while you are sleeping. Pimple patches will prevent you from rubbing on the pimple when you are feeling like picking at it through the night, which can be almost as hard a battle as the actual breakout itself.
First clean your skin. Then place the patch directly onto the blemish. Leave the patch in place for at least six hours, allowing the product to complete its process. Most people find that their blemishes are significantly smaller, with less redness after waking up.
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💕 Good to know: Pimple patches work best on whiteheads or pimples that are close to the surface, and they won’t do as much on deep cystic bumps that don’t have a head yet. |
🤍 Ice Is Free and It Works Immediately
Wrapping an ice cube in a thin cloth and holding it on a pimple for a minute or two is one of the fastest ways to bring down swelling, especially on those deep painful ones that don’t even have a head yet, and it’s something you can do the second you feel one coming up before it gets worse.
- Never put ice directly on bare skin, always wrap it in a cloth first
- Hold it on for one to two minutes at a time, not longer
- Do this as soon as you feel a pimple forming under the skin
🤍 Raw Honey as a Spot Treatment
Raw honey has natural antibacterial properties and it’s also super soothing on inflamed skin, so applying a small amount directly on your pimple and leaving it for twenty minutes before rinsing does actually help reduce redness and promote faster healing.
Just make sure it’s raw honey and not the processed stuff in the cute bear bottle, because the processed version doesn’t have the same skin benefits.
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💕 Look for: Manuka honey specifically if you can find it, because it has even stronger antibacterial properties than regular raw honey and is worth the extra spend for spot treating. |
🤍 Niacinamide Serum for the Aftermath
Okay this one is more of a product hack than a full home remedy but niacinamide is so easy to find at the drugstore and it’s usually really affordable, and it helps calm down the red marks pimples leave behind after they heal which is honestly just as annoying as the pimple itself.
You can use it morning and night after your cleanser and before your moisturizer, and over time it makes your skin tone look a lot more even.
- Use it twice a day, morning and night, for best results
- Apply after cleanser and before moisturizer in your routine
- Look for a concentration between 5% and 10% for acne-prone skin
🤍 Stop Touching Your Face
This one sounds so simple but it is probably the single most effective hack on this entire list because your hands carry bacteria from everything you touch throughout the day, and every time you rest your chin in your hand or absent-mindedly touch your cheeks, you’re transferring all of that onto your skin and into your pores.
If you catch yourself doing it constantly, try switching to a silk pillowcase at night too because it reduces the friction and bacteria transfer that happen while you sleep, and your skin will thank you for it.
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💕 Also worth it: Change your pillowcase every two to three days if you’re breaking out a lot, because oil, bacteria, and product residue builds up on the fabric way faster than you’d think. |
🤍 The DIY Exfoliator That Unclogs Everything
Mixing half a cup of coconut oil with half a cup of raw sugar and a quarter cup of pure aloe vera gel gives you a gentle scrub that unclogs pores and lets your other skincare products actually absorb into your skin instead of sitting on top of a layer of dead cells and oil, and you can keep the leftover mix in the fridge for the week.
Use it two or three times a week in the shower and rinse it off completely, and your skin should feel noticeably smoother pretty quickly.
- Half a cup coconut oil plus half a cup raw sugar plus a quarter cup aloe vera gel
- Use two to three times a week max so you don’t over-exfoliate
- Store leftovers in the fridge and use within the week
🤍 Witch Hazel as a Toner
If your skin gets really oily throughout the day and you feel like your pores are always full, witch hazel is a natural astringent that tightens pores and cuts through excess oil without completely stripping your skin dry, and you just apply it with a cotton pad after cleansing like a regular toner.
It’s one of those things that’s been around forever and keeps coming back because it genuinely works for a lot of skin types, especially if you’re acne-prone and oily.
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💕 Heads up: Look for an alcohol-free witch hazel formula if you have sensitive or dry skin, because the ones with alcohol can be a little too stripping and end up making oiliness worse over time. |
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Disclaimer: The information provided in this article is for general informational and educational purposes only and is not intended as, and should not be relied upon as, medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of a qualified dermatologist, physician, or other licensed healthcare provider with any questions you may have regarding a skin condition, before starting any new treatment, or if you experience an adverse reaction to any product or remedy mentioned. Individual results may vary, and what works for one person’s skin may not work for another’s. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay seeking it because of something you have read here. Reliance on any information provided in this article is solely at your own risk. |
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