Become Acne Free Naturally With This Simple DIY Acne Mask

Have you ever wondered what our ancestors relied on to clear up their acne problems? I mean, there definitely wasn't any Proactiv around back in the middle ages!

Seriously though, can you imagine seeing a teenage prince endorsing it in front of the whole town, with the words behind him saying "Prince Henry IS Proactiv"!

Strawberries contain acne fighting salicylic acid.

No surrey bob, there was definitely no access to the products we have today. So the question is, what did they use to clean their face and keep their pores clear and acne free?

Strawberries!

Did you know that strawberries contain salicylic acid, a chemical that is highly effective at removing dead skin cells inside our pores that would normally be the major cause of the blockages that lead to acne breakouts?

I'm going to show you guys how to make your own DIY home acne mask using strawberries and a couple of other ingredients. Best of all...it's so cheap!

Like most of the remedies I like to use, the ingredients in this one can be found at your local supermarket. Contrary to popular belief, the process of reducing and preventing acne is very simple. In fact, keeping your skin acne-free requires only two things:

• That you clear away any blockages caused by dead skin, dirt and bacteria.
• That you reduce the amount of sebum (natural oil produced in your skin) production.

This acne mask should enable you to take care of the first step and I'll reveal a natural product at the end of this article which should help to reduce the amount of oil produced after applying the mask.

Here's What You'll Need

To make this DIY acne face mask, you need to get ahold of the following:

• 5 destemmed strawberries. As I mentioned earlier, we're strictly using strawberries due to the salicylic acid they contain. This is going to be our primary ingredient and will be doing the majority of the work by helping to exfoliate the dirt and grime from your pores.
• 1 tablespoon of honey. Honey plays two roles in this mask. First, it's a natural humectant, meaning it has the ability to lock in moisture which is something we will require due to the drying nature of salicylic acid. Second, it has antibacterial properties, which can help kill off any unwanted acne-causing bacteria. Honey is also going to help hold our mask together a little, allowing it to stay on your face a little easier.
• Quarter of a lemon. Lemons contain a high degree of vitamin C and other antioxidants which are going to play an important role in helping your skin replenish itself with new healthy cells. Lemon juice also has the ability to tighten pores, reducing the amount of room accessible to dirt and bacteria that lead to acne.

Lets Make Our Mask!

It should only take you about 5 minutes to make and it's almost impossible to mess it up! Just follow these steps and you'll be on your way to acne-free skin in no time:

Step 1: Prepare your skin by washing your face with soap or a cleanser of some sort. Wash off with lukewarm water, your pores should now be open and ready for your mask.

Step 2: Take your strawberries and mash them up in a bowl using a fork. Make sure the mix is nice and even. It should take about a minute, depending on how ripened they are.

Step 3: Squeeze your lemon juice into the bowl, add the honey and start mixing for about 2 minutes. Grab yourself a whisk if you notice the mix is a little lumpy and uneven.

Step 4: It's now time to get messy! You can literally just use your fingers to apply the mask. You don't need to worry about rubbing it in, but instead just make sure you apply it everywhere on your face.

Step 5: Get yourself a cup of acne-fighting green tea or another drink from healwithfood.org's anti-acne recipe collection, and chill out for 10-15 minutes before washing the mask off again with lukewarm water.

You are done! There are a few things I want to mention before you go away and start making your mask.

A Few Points Worth Mentioning

The first is that once you have finished applying and removing the mask, your skin is literally going to start go into crazy oil production mode, which is something we definitely don't want!

So in order to prevent this from occurring you must apply an oil-free moisturizer. The reason why your skin produces oil in the first place is to ensure there is enough moisture to create an environment suitable to new cell growth.

The problem is for a lot of us, our skin tends to overproduce sebum which — when combined with dirt, dead skin and bacteria — turns into a thick goo-like substance that clogs pores and leads to infection (acne).

So what we want to do is apply a moisturizer that doesn't contain any oil at all...or use argan oil! Argan oil acts as a sort of synthetic sebum, tricking your body into believing it doesn't have to produce anywhere near as much as normal. It's a neat little trick I learnt from Dr Oz — love that guy!

Anyway, I hope you liked this cool little remedy and you should have no problems making it, apart from the fact you might find it a little hard not to eat the strawberries (trust me, I know from experience).

About the Author: If you want to learn more DIY skin care recipes like this one, or find out what the author's favorite acne treatment is, then check out more from Vanessa via her site BESskincare.com.