It’s amazing how much I can find to say about spot treatments for acne. You’d think it’s a simple topic but actually there are a few right and wrong things you can do when it comes to treating individual pimples …
As I mentioned in the video, the most important thing is finding something that actually works. There’s no point in using a spot treatment that does nothing, you’re just wasting your money and your time.
If a spot treatment has done nothing for your pimple overnight then it doesn’t work so toss it out. By nothing I mean it hasn’t dried the pimple out, brought it to the surface or helped it heal. Trust me, you’ll know when it’s done nothing, you can tell.
My favorite spot treatment of all time is the Miessence Purifying Blemish Gel. It’s great at drying out the pimple and killing off the bacteria. It’s also 100% organic and 100% natural which is fantastic (of course). So no side effects or problems if you stop using it.
And these are the natural spot treatments I’ve recently been using which I mentioned in my video-
Clay mixed with apple cider vinegar
I you haven’t seen the video I recorded about this spot treatment then I recommend you take a look - How To Use Clay Masks To Spot Treat Pimples.
This is not my current favorite spot treatment but it does work at speeding up the healing process of a spot by bring all the toxins up to the surface. Don’t be alarmed if you wake up the next day with heads on each of the pimples that you applied this treatment to. Just don’t pick and they’ll be gone before you know it.
Also be careful of how strong some of these clays are (which I also mentioned in the video). For my pale sensitive skin, I’m better off with using the white clay or a mix of white and red or white and yellow.
Manuka honey
This honey is truly a gift from heaven. It’s an anti-bacterial, anti-viral and anti-fungal. There’s a lot of info on the web now about how to heal wounds and speed up the recovery of scars with manuka honey. Google it to take a look, but be careful because I did stumble across some really icky websites when I was doing research, it’s been used to heal some very serious wounds!
For spots I find it’s not a miracle product and it doesn’t do a lot, but it does work better than nothing. Just make sure your manuka honey has a high UMF which is the antibacterial property. The higher the number the better it works. Mine is at 14+ which apparently is just okay. Aim for at least 15+ and then you’ll probably get better results than me. And there are many testimonials on the net from acne sufferers that have had great results with using manuka honey topically, so maybe I just haven’t trialed it long enough. I might do a proper trial soon.
Live-Live Bee Yummy Facelift Mask
You know I’m Live-Live’s biggest fan so of course I have to mention their products. This facemask is great for hydrating the skin and doing what it says - giving you a natural facelift. But I also find it quite good as a spot treatment too. It’s kind of like using the manuka honey, but with the added benefits of royal jelly and kombucha mushroom.
This is another one however that’s a little tricky to use at night because it remains sticky on your face. So if you like to sleep on your side then you’re going to get it all over your pillow.
Read more about the Facelift Mask here.
Paw Paw ointment
I’ve blogged a little about how good paw paw and papaya is for the skin. I’m just learning more and more about it now and want to explore it more in the future so stay tuned.
What I can say is that it’s helped to heal my scars, especially when my skin is getting a bit scaly and dry around the scaring. I haven’t yet tried it on an active pimple but next spot I get I’ll give it a go!
If you have a favorite spot treatment or at home remedy that you use, please share in the box below, we’d all love to hear from you.
Fran Kerr is the founding editor of High on Health. To cure your acne, sign up to Fran's FREE acne cure mini-course or download her latest how to guide, Eat Away Your Acne.
21 responses ↓
My fave spot treatment is Clarify by Osmosis - it’s great as a spot treatment or all over a wider area… http://www.osmosisskincare.com
And my favourite paw paw product is by Pure Nutraceuticals http://www.purenutraceuticals.com - it’s in a completely natural base with very healing ingredients like grapeseed oil, calendula, shea butter and vitamin E (unlike the one in the red packaging which is in a petroleum jelly base) - it’s great for healing up a dry red wound, it’s also an awesome lip balm and great for rubbing into dry cuticles, etc…
But I might give the miessence blemish gel a go next time I see it somewhere…
I like to use “Rose’s Scarless Healer”. Although it doesn’t dry the zit out, it seems to heal the skin underneath and then the pussy head sort of breaks off. But it does leave red marks. I prefer it to clay, however, because it heals underneath the spot, whereas clay just seems to make a hard scab. Rose’s Scarless Healer is also great on scabs, it makes them go away so quickly.
I find that itchammol ointment seems to bring blind pimples to a head pretty well. It also gets rid of the inflammation around ingrown hairs, if you are prone to them. Both the scarless healer and the itchammol are very gooey, so it’s best to use a bandage on them if you use them overnight (which I do).
I live in Australia and both are available in health food shops.
i tried raw honey and then manuka honey +20 and it didn’t do anything for me. maybe i need more of a drying ointment instead.
Hahahaha Jenny!
I like Tea Tree Oil too, or pure ACV, or hydrogen peroxide (3%).
ACV — put on straight and topically — definitely can zap a blemish, wart, cut asap, and more!
Author of The Healing Powers of Vinegar. I promise you or a free book will be yours!
Thanks Fran,
your videos are always helpful.
But I’m wondering why every time when I have acne, even those small bumps, which does not bother me but leave scars? Is something missing from my body? I see my small sisters, who hits herself everywhere and ends up with scars but the scar disappear very quickly.
Thank you
Is there anything you know straight from nature that would help the pimple go away? I mean yeah, that gel is 100% natural, but it is a processed gel after all. Any fruits/vegetables/juices/herbs/whatever? Thanks in advance, Fran!!
maral - you may want to keep check of your vitamin and nutrient intake, especially protein, without the correct nutrients skin will scar more easily. You especially need to make sure you are getting adequate vitamins A, C & E, EFA’s (fish oils, etc), zinc & B group vitamins especially B5 as it makes the skin smooth, silica is another good one for skin elasticity and regeneration. A good quality multi-vitamin plus a few other individual supplements will definitely help improve your skin quality and resistance to scar formation…
Hi Katya, straight from nature … topically manuka honey is probably the best I can think of because of its anti-bacterial properties. Neem is another GREAT one so look into that. People say coconut oil too but personally it clogs my pores.
Aloe vera straight from the plant is good for healing the scabs and scars.
Diet and supplements are a MASSIVE topic in themselves.
Kitty- I’m so looking forward to being able to hire you one day to work at High on Health! Your knowledge is fantastic
I ordered the Miessence Purifying blemish Gel and honestly it doesnt do much for my skin at all.It does make the spot get a head but after that it’s done working.I love clay though! Works great!
hi fran.
is any of spot treatment can work on bumpy pimple?,i know somehow the spot treatment really work on acnes,i really wanna try a spot treat for my acne,but somehow i have bumpy pimple more the acnes.
I have been using coconut oil and one thing that I have noticed while using it is that it takes away the redness around the centre of the blemish which is perfect. Personally, I like to use something a little stronger like Origins on the spot.
Mardia, by “bumpy pimples” you probably mean comedonal acne. This is best fixed with exfoliation. Read this article: http://www.highonhealth.org/how-to-get-rid-of-whiteheads/
After reading about manuka honey here, I went to the organic grocery store close to my house to pick some up. I had been using organic honey for awhile without visible results, but within a few days using the manuka honey all over my face, I noticed a big difference already with my scars and active pimples. Both have been diminishing more and more with each application. Thanks Fran for the info!!!
How about the Faith Skincare Sulfur Mud Masque?
Michael, I’ve been using the sulfur mud masque and it’s great, I love it.
hi fran, what did you use to make your spot treatment?
Hi Erica, sometimes I use a clay mixed with apple cider vinegar. The clay draws out the toxins and the ACV is an anti-bacterial so it’s a good mix. OR I’ll use the clay mixed with manuka honey which has the same effect. If I can’t be bothered making my own, I’ll use Miessence Purifying Blemish Gel which does a good job at drying it out an killing the bacteria.
Hi Fran!
I’ve been following your blog for a while now ’cause i’m trying to treat my own acne more naturally nowadays so your tips have been great! ^^
Anyway, i started making my own spot treatment a few days ago when i got a few pimples on my chin again. I mix lemon juice, cucumber and green tea and i keep the mix in my fridge so it’s always available. And i must say it’s been working great. I had a new pimple (with the white head and everything) this morning, i applied the spot treatment twice on it during the day and now it’s gone! It’s also worked on old scars too. ^^
Hi Fran what do you think of bio- oil for acne/ pimples? i get pimples now and then and it always leaves dark scars and at the moment im using palmers cocoa butter, do you think Bio-oil will be good for acne scars
i used toothpaste and it worked for me.
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