How to use garlic to get rid of acne on your face

Garlic is a plant belonging to the onion family, or Allium. For centuries, various cultures have used garlic to treat and prevent a range of diseases. Research shows that garlic has powerful anti-inflammatory and antimicrobial properties. In theory, these properties should help treat acne. However, no studies have directly examined garlic's potential as an acne treatment.

Acne is an inflammatory skin condition where excess oil accumulates inside the hair follicles of the skin, leaving bacteria beneath the surface of the skin. Some of these bacteria produce chemicals that promote inflammation.

Does garlic help with acne?

The biologically active substance allicin, which is contained in garlic, has an antimicrobial effect on acne, pimples and redness.
Allicin – fights any type of bacteria. Once in the human body, it continues to act, remaining in the blood and gastric juice. The substance acts the same regardless of the method of application: external or oral.

In addition to allicin, garlic contains:

1. Ascorbic acid. This component has whitening and exfoliating properties, thanks to which garlic is used as a lightening agent against hyperpigmentation, scars, and enlarged pores.
2. A nicotinic acid. Eliminates skin pigmentation, restores the functioning of the sebaceous glands, improves blood microcirculation, suppresses inflammation that occurs on the skin.
3. Essential oil. It is an anti-inflammatory and antibacterial component that stops the spread of acne.
4. Zinc . The substance acts as a drying agent. The functioning of the sebaceous glands is stabilized, and excess sebum ceases to be secreted.
5. Folic acid. It also affects the functioning of the skin glands, bringing it back to normal. The component has an antiseptic effect and protects the epidermis from exposure to ultraviolet rays.
6. Niacin . Tissue regeneration occurs 2 times faster thanks to niacin.
7. Vitamin A. This is a powerful anti-inflammatory antioxidant. It does not allow the formation of age spots that appear at the site of acne.

Antimicrobial effect of garlic

According to a 2014 review, garlic contains compounds that inhibit the growth of certain bacteria and fungi. Thus, the authors suggest that garlic may help treat some skin conditions. However, they don't mention whether garlic can help treat acne. Researchers have attributed garlic's antimicrobial properties to a chemical called allicin

. A 2020 laboratory study examined the antimicrobial effects of allicin and two different garlic extracts against the bacteria Streptococcus epidermidis, one of several bacteria that may contribute to acne.

The study found that allicin inhibited the growth of S. epidermidis. However, two garlic extracts demonstrated significant antimicrobial activity. Scientists have concluded that garlic extracts contain additional chemicals that enhance their antimicrobial effects.

It's important to note that the authors did not mention whether allicin or garlic extracts could help treat acne.

How to properly use garlic against acne?

Undiluted herbal product may burn the skin or cause severe irritation. Before use, it must be diluted with water or other substances. It is often used as an additional ingredient in the preparation of herbal infusions, masks, and lotions.

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Rules of application:

1. If necessary, grind the garlic into a pulp, applying it pointwise to problem areas.
2. To affect acne not only from the outside, but also from the inside, it is recommended to eat garlic daily.
3. If the rashes are large and painful, the product is crushed to a mushy substance and a compress is applied for 2 hours. The procedure is carried out until the inflammation goes away completely.
4. For small rashes, you need to take 1 clove, remove the husk from it and cut it. The cut site will begin to secrete juice, which is used to lubricate the pimples. The procedure is done daily before bed and the inflamed areas will gradually disappear.

It is prohibited to apply the herbal ingredient externally if the integrity of the skin is damaged, there is dermatitis or there is a high sensitivity to this product. For ulcers, gastritis and other gastrointestinal diseases, garlic should not be taken orally.

Contraindications and harm

Most contraindications for consuming garlic relate to the ingestion of drugs containing it. When used externally, the only limitation is overly sensitive skin or a possible allergic reaction.

It must be remembered that the use of fresh spices to combat acne should be progressive. The first procedures should not last longer than 2-3 minutes, and only if the dermis reacts normally to the influence, in the future you can keep the compositions on the skin for the time prescribed according to the instructions.

Recipe for garlic tincture against acne

You can get rid of skin rashes not only with masks, but also with tinctures.

When preparing the tincture, you need to follow the instructions written in the recipe:

1. You will need 1 medium sized head of garlic. Each clove is peeled and placed in 200 ml of vodka. Instead of vodka, you can use 40% alcohol.
2. Garlic should be infused in alcohol for 14 days. To do this, place the glass with the ingredients in a cool place, away from light.
3. The prepared solution is used locally by cauterizing acne.

Do not allow the tincture to come into contact with healthy areas of the skin, otherwise it will cause a burn.

The nature of acne

Acne can appear at any age. In adolescence, this is a reaction to hormonal changes in the body; in adulthood, it is the result of poor nutrition, a consequence of certain diseases, as well as the same manifestations of a hormonal surge. Acne is an equally unpleasant phenomenon for both boys and girls, regardless of their age and social status. There are a great many ways to get rid of acne. However, before engaging in treatment, you should understand the nature of the formation of unaesthetic rashes and understand what their nature is. The fact is that the treatment of boils will differ from the methods of combating acne. And teenage rashes should not be treated with the same methods as age-related acne. It should be understood that traditional medicine, just like classical medicine, has some contraindications and consequences.

Preparation of lotions and tonics

To prepare the tonic you will need garlic - 1 head and 200 ml of water.

The solution will help quickly eliminate problems that appear on the face:

1. The plant product is cleaned, thoroughly crushed and filled with water.
2. After 5-7 minutes the lotion will be ready for use. The product does not store for a long time, so it is placed in the refrigerator. This will allow you to use the tonic for 14 days.

For oily epidermis, it is recommended to mix garlic juice, apple cider vinegar and water in a ratio (1:1:2). Inflammatory areas are treated daily before bedtime.

All the power of garlic

Garlic has a pronounced aseptic and antifungal effect, which helps get rid of various infections and promotes rapid healing of wounds. Garlic juice soothes the skin, relieves irritation and inflammation. Garlic contains a fairly large amount of antioxidants, which strengthen the immune system and make it more resistant to various infections and pathogens. Based on all of the above, we can conclude that garlic is an excellent folk remedy that can be used as a medicine to help fight acne. To get rid of acne or boils, you can use a garlic mask. It is done very simply. To prepare, you need to carefully chop a few cloves of garlic, wrap them in gauze and place them on problem areas of the skin. You should keep this compress for about 20 minutes. Do not apply crushed garlic directly to the problem skin itself, as this will cause extremely unpleasant sensations and may leave minor burns. There is another great recipe: take 8 parts alcohol for 2 parts chopped garlic; Mix the ingredients thoroughly and apply the paste to the affected areas of the skin. This alcohol tincture dries the skin and prevents the spread of infection.

Garlic juice is effective in combination with other natural antiseptics. So, crushed garlic can be mixed with lemon or onion juice, and also combined with some softening ingredients (honey, glycerin, aloe vera juice, and so on).

Steam baths

To make a herbal decoction, pour 1 liter of water into a saucepan, add garlic - no more than 2 cloves, 3 tablespoons of chamomile and calendula, then boil. When the broth boils, remove the pan from the stove.

The liquid is poured into a clean container, then they sit over it and cover their head with a sheet or towel. The procedure is carried out within 25 minutes.

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Reviews

You can find real evidence online that garlic helps with acne. Users report that the juice successfully copes with inflamed rashes, and the masks help reduce oiliness, which prevents the formation of new acne elements.

The reviews also specifically stipulate that garlic should be used no more than once a week. Some have learned from their own sad experience that the vegetable can burn the skin. After reducing the frequency of procedures, the problem was eliminated.

Precautionary measures

Before using a garlic mask, it is necessary to conduct a sensitivity test, since the herbal product sometimes causes severe allergies when it comes into contact with the skin. Place 2-3 drops of squeezed garlic juice on your wrist and observe for 15-20 minutes. If the test area becomes red or severely irritated, do not add garlic.

Any mask is good for the skin, but which recipe to choose depends on the type of skin epidermis. If you have tried garlic masks, share with readers which recipe is more effective.

Maybe you know other recipes to help get rid of redness on the face? Share in the comments.

Skin interaction

Garlic is best known as a powerful remedy for viral diseases, but is also beneficial for the skin. Due to its strong antiseptic effect, it quickly reduces the number of rashes of various etiologies on the face and body.

In addition, garlic cloves help:

• Improve skin color thanks to enrichment with vitamins;
• Tighten and rejuvenate the dermis;
• Smooth out wrinkles;
• Eliminate the action of microbes and fungi that cause acne;
• Speed ​​up the opening of a ripening pimple;
• Clean and disinfect pores, narrow them;
• Reduce inflammatory processes;
• Dry the rashes.

Composition and beneficial properties of garlic

The benefits of garlic are due to its chemical composition. This plant, familiar to everyone, contains truly unique substances - PHYTONCIDES, as well as other useful components:

• Fat-soluble vitamins A, E and K, water-soluble vitamins C, B1, B2, B3, B6 and B9;
• Phosphorus, zinc, selenium, manganese, copper and iron;
• Antioxidants;
• Essential oils.

In folk medicine to this day, garlic is successfully used to treat viral, bacterial and parasitic diseases. During the cold season, garlic has proven its effectiveness to prevent infection with acute respiratory viral infections, as well as purulent-inflammatory diseases of the nose, mouth and pharynx. Plant tinctures are used both systemically and topically. In cosmetology, garlic is valued for its antiseptic, local irritant, antioxidant and wound-healing effect.

Garlic has the following beneficial properties:

• Activates local skin immunity;
• Stimulates nutrition of the epidermis;
• Tightens the skin and reduces fine wrinkles;
• It has a bactericidal effect on pathogenic bacteria that are present on the surface of the skin, in the mouths of the sebaceous glands and hair follicles.

When applied to the face, volatile essential oils also enter the upper parts of the respiratory system. Thus, the plant has not only local, but also systemic immunomodulatory and bactericidal effects.

Unconventional uses of garlic

In fact, it has been used for these purposes for a very long time. Over time, recipes have changed and modernized.

And, it seems to me, modern teenagers should thank technological progress, which not only gave them many pharmacological agents, but also modernized existing ones.

Anyway, back to acne. You can make a special lotion against them. Chop some garlic and place on cheesecloth.

Apply a little Vaseline or vegetable oil to the skin, then apply gauze to the skin and secure with a band-aid. Place gauze soaked in warm water on top.

Try not to overexpose the resulting structure to your face, otherwise you may get burned. Before using garlic on your face, try a small amount on the crook of your arm or wrist.

This will help ensure that you are not having an allergic reaction.

A little advice. The Magnetic Mask cream mask has proven itself to be excellent. By penetrating the skin cells, the mask minimizes the negative effects of sunlight and toxins.

Under the influence of a magnetic field, tissue trophism improves, more oxygen enters the cells, and metabolic processes accelerate

Back to the topic, it is not recommended to use garlic to treat acne in a child. Children's skin is very delicate and can easily be burned this way.

And the reasons for the appearance of skin rashes in children require the use of a huge number of other means to solve the problem.

Garlic can be used without any additional additives. Or you can make a “thermonuclear” remedy from vodka and garlic.

The latter needs to be grated and poured with alcohol. It is recommended to store the mixture in the refrigerator, but must be heated before use.

Do not overdo it with this product - it’s not for nothing that I called it “thermonuclear”, otherwise you risk getting burns or, at a minimum, drying out the skin.

A good lotion for cleansing the skin is made from garlic. To do this, mix a small amount of honey, glycerin, alcoholic infusion of garlic (the same one I wrote about just above), borax and water.

Everything should be mixed thoroughly. Apply the solution to the skin (can be not only on the face, but also on the back, for example) and rinse with warm water.

It should be noted that when using garlic against acne and acne, a slight burning and itching is felt.

In fact, this is normal (as long as the sensations are not unpleasant). After all, if it itches, it means it’s working. Whether it helps is up to you to decide.

Mechanism of action on the skin

The positive effects of garlic on the skin are achieved through several mechanisms:

Essential oils, which give garlic a specific smell, irritate the skin and provoke blood flow. With increased nutrition, fibrillar proteins and polysaccharides (collagen, elastin and hyaluronic acid) are more actively produced in the epidermis. They form the skin frame, model the oval of the face and provide its turgor (elasticity). Regular production of structural skin proteins helps fill fine wrinkles and slow down ptosis (sagging) of facial tissues.

Phytoncides, being natural analogues of antibiotics, destroy pathogenic microorganisms. Pimples with a white head are formed due to the accumulation of pus (a waste product of bacteria) in the lumen of the pores, which causes inflammation. Having a detrimental effect on streptococci, propionobacteria and other facultative anaerobes, phytoncides prevent the appearance of new acne and inflammation. Already existing pimples mature faster due to the bactericidal effect of garlic juice, as well as the active flow of blood and the immune cells it contains - leukocytes.

Ascorbic acid and other antioxidants neutralize free radicals. When certain areas of the skin become inflamed, neutrophils (leukocyte cells) produce large amounts of hydroxyl and peroxide compounds. Free radicals that damage healthy keratinocytes (skin cells) are also formed due to exposure to UV rays. Antioxidants inhibit (slow down) the destructive effects of reactive oxygen species and slow down skin aging.

Vitamins and microelements stimulate metabolic processes in the epidermis, help restore the skin's protective barrier and regulate the secretion of sebum (fat).

Contraindications for the use of garlic

Can everyone burn pimples with garlic solution, tincture or other means?

The answer to this question is quite straightforward: only with very sensitive skin should you not constantly use garlic lotions .

It should also be taken into account that garlic is a very “hot” product , which should be kept on the face for no longer than 4 minutes in any concentrated form.

You should not do procedures with the vegetable too often, as it can cause allergies and burn the top layer of skin . Before use, it is advisable to test the reaction on the bend of the elbow.

Garlic therapy

Pimples and acne need to be treated comprehensively, that is, using various methods and techniques. It is not recommended to use fresh garlic juice, as it can cause irritation and excessive dryness of the skin, but you can use this folk remedy as the main component of various masks and tinctures by adding special ingredients that soften the effect of the natural antiseptic. To treat pimples, pimples, acne and other unpleasant rashes, softened garlic pulp is often used. All kinds of masks and compresses made from softened garlic can be kept on the affected areas of the skin for no more than half an hour, but this is only if the procedure does not cause significant discomfort. Masks can be done several times a day, in the morning and before bed. The course of acne treatment with this method can last for 3-5 days. In the complex treatment of acne and acne, it is important not to overdo it. Garlic and its products are a strong irritant; repeated use may result in an allergic reaction. It is advisable to consult a dermatologist before using a natural antiseptic.

The most effective garlic acne treatments

A source of antioxidants, a natural antiseptic, and an excellent acne-fighting agent, garlic can be used as the base for a wide variety of cosmetics that will help keep your skin clear and beautiful.

1. Using garlic in its pure form. Fresh juice effectively fights inflammatory processes - you just need to lubricate the problem area of ​​​​the skin with a cut clove of garlic.
2. Mask or compress. Garlic is crushed using a special press or knife. You can add special emollients (honey or glycerin). The resulting paste is applied to individual areas of the skin and left for several minutes. This compress effectively fights inflammatory processes, dries the skin well and prevents the further spread of infection. You can use softened garlic, but this can be harmful for very dry skin. You may experience some discomfort while applying the mask.
3. Crushed garlic against acne on the face and body with the addition of egg white and chalk. Several times a week you can use a special anti-acne mask: one teaspoon of garlic juice, a tablespoon of carrot juice, the same amount of honey and crushed chalk, as well as 2 beaten egg whites. The mask is applied in several layers after the previous one has dried. When the entire mixture has completely dried on problem areas of the skin, remove the mask using cotton pads and rinse with water.
4. An effective garlic-based acne cleansing mask helps relieve inflammation and also prevent the spread of infection. To prepare it, you need to chop three cloves of garlic, mix with a tablespoon of honey and the same amount of curdled milk or kefir, one egg white, a teaspoon of lemon juice and half a teaspoon of aloe vera juice. The resulting mixture is applied to problem areas of the skin and left for 20-30 minutes. You can repeat this procedure several times a week. To enhance the effect, it is advisable to open the pores before applying the mask. To do this, pour dried chamomile, nettle and St. John's wort with a small amount of boiling water and hold your face over the steam bath for several minutes.
5. Facial toner based on garlic juice. To prepare it, you need to mix garlic juice with the same amount of vinegar. You can treat your skin with this lotion several times a day. The main thing is to monitor the condition of your skin. The slightest redness or burning at the site of application of garlic tonic indicates that the skin is too susceptible to a natural antiseptic, which means that you should not abuse such a cosmetic product.

In addition, there are several more ways to get rid of pimples and acne using this natural product, which has a lot of beneficial properties. All kinds of garlic masks and compresses, tonics and lotions can be used as additional therapy to combat various unaesthetic rashes on the face and body.

It is important to monitor the reaction and carefully try garlic and its products as a medicine, since it is a fairly strong allergen.