Easiest DIY Acne Cream
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Today, I'm sharing a surprisingly simple Homemade Blemish Cream.
Summer is basically over, but you won't find me putting my sunscreen away anytime soon. Why? Let me tell you.
I've had problem skin on and off my whole life, with the worst bout being in my mid to late 20s. I had acne so bad. I tried all everything it seemed. Things that I had bought in drugstores and off of infomercials — acne cream, topical antibiotics, Clearasil®, Sea Breeze®… Pretty much you name it.
It got so bad that I talked to my doctor about Accutane. Scary stuff, that is. They make you take blood tests regularly to make sure it isn't damaging your liver, and you have to take birth control at the same time since if you have a baby while taking Accutane you're basically guaranteed to have a horribly deformed child.
Anyhow, I tried everything. Eventually, my problems got better. I don't even remember what changed, but it might have been my stopping some of my gluten over-indulgence. I remember going through a period of thinking I had a wheat allergy at some point around that time in my life, so it's possible that a reduction in my gluten intake reduced my symptoms.
However, even though I am quite a bit older now, I occasionally get breakouts — sometimes worse than others. I have tried, with varying success, grapefruit essential oil, an antibacterial essential oils blend (that worked quite well on and off), putting straight alcohol on a cotton swab and holding it on the offending spot (ouch), castor oil packs on my liver (helpful when the breakout has to do with a detox/liver clogging issue), and yet still I find myself needing something more to deal with the offending zits.
So this summer, I got some new ammunition against breakouts.
The Unusual Origin of This DIY Acne Cream
I was at a convention that turned into a vacation afterward, where I met Dr. “Wiggy” and Emily Saunders and we really connected. Dr. “Wiggy” specializes in thyroid issues and Emily is a trainer, so you can imagine why we connected, right? And they are just lovely people.
We talked about all kinds of things, but one crazy thing that Emily told me is that she had a great way of dealing with acne.
Zinc oxide!
I discuss zinc oxide in this post about sunscreen safety tips (hint: it's considered to be safe as long as it isn't nano), but I'd never heard of it being used for acne.
I was sure game, though.
When I got home from our work/vacation, I just had to try it out. I had a variety of sunscreens at home so I tried it, and it worked!
Whenever I've had a small breakout since (which is very rare since I've worked hard on my overall health), instead of using sunscreen, I've used this DIY acne cream with great results.
So basically, since zinc oxide is in most safe sunscreens, you could use sunscreen on your face, like I did. Or, you can make your very own Homemade Acne Treatment.
Concerns About Zinc Oxide Safety
Does it matter what kind of zinc oxide you buy?
Well, you could just go online and buy whatever zinc oxide you see, but it's important to know exactly what you're buying.
- Zinc oxide can be contaminated with other heavy metals. Read more about heavy metals in cosmetics and contamination here.
- Zinc oxide can be sourced in many places, including countries with questionable manufacturing standards.
- The particle size of the zinc oxide may be a concern. The reason is that if the particles are really small (nanoparticles), then they might be able to penetrate the skin.
In general, basically it seems that we don't know enough about nanoparticles in sunscreen or other topical products to know if it's really a problem or not, but I would personally rather err on the side of caution.
For one, I do not recommend using spray sunscreen, because for sure inhaling these compounds is dangerous.
Basically, if you don't want white cream all over yourself, you do need a small zinc oxide particle, but it's best to go with the largest particle size that you can.
Where to Buy Zinc Oxide
The solution? Buy a zinc oxide product that you can trust.
When I first wrote this post, I recommend a brand called Raise Them Well. Their zinc oxide was from Canada and was tested for heavy metals and was non-nano.
Sadly, they don't sell this product any longer, so I'm on the hunt for another good option.
For now, this zinc oxide appears to be a solid choice, but I'll have to investigate more.
Note that zinc oxide doesn't spoil so you can use it next year too (and the year after, and the year after.)
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon Zinc Oxide
- 1 tablespoon aloe vera gel
- 1-2 drops lemon or lavender essential oil (optional) {From Adrienne: I would recommend trying grapefruit as well. For why I chose this essential oils company, see this series.}
Instructions
- Blend all ingredients together in a small jar.
- Apply a dot to affected area.
- Store in refrigerator for better redness reduction.
Trustworthy Anti-Blemish Products You Can Buy
In addition to a spot treatment like this, it's sometimes a good idea to have a whole face system. Also, if you don't feel like making your own homemade blemish treatment, or aren't able to sometimes here are some alternatives.
Rowe Casa
Rowe Casa has a great line of anti-blemish products that have fantastic reviews. I'll be testing them out and will update you with my thoughts, but so far I've been really happy with just about everything I've tried from their company.
The whole line gets great reviews for blemish control without too much drying.
In addition, using a good scrub like their Microderm Scrub on your skin is fantastic for skin turnover to help with acne.
Crunchi
Crunchi also has some great skincare products. While they don't have a line specifically for blemish-prone skin, many of their products are great for addressing blemishes. I personally think that their I Am Polished, Charcoal Mask, and Charcoal Bar are great for this type of skin.
Speaking of soap, to keep yours lasting a LONG time, make sure to get these Soap Savers. SO much better than regular soap dishes that end up making your soap all goopy and runny on the bottom.
So what are you waiting for?
Tell those pimples goodbye with your new DIY acne cream!
What acne remedies have you tried?
How have they worked?
what does 1 T of aloe vera mean, one entire tube? So the ratio is one scoop to one tube?
Hi Keith – that is 1 Tbsp. Hope that helps and hope it works for you!
I use Zinc regularly on my skin due to enviromental issues I have been suffering with for a couple years. It is wonderful for many personal care products. It had anti fungal properties as well. Clears up poison ivy and oak. Main ingredient in butt cream for little ones. I second a comment on deodorant with zinc. I am not sure why that would not be the main active ingredient in deodorant, to be honest. For a night cream when in need i will mix up zinc with some probiotics, zeolite and oregano oil. Additionally to zinc I have gained knowledge into enzymes and probiotics. Those three ingredients truly will change your skin and with in a short amount of time is very noticeable. Even if I had perfect skin I would never go a day without. Additionally zinc for oralcare, incredible. Never thought I would be a user of anything not clay based.
What does the zinc do for your oral care? Zinc oxide?
My daughter just take a zinc supplement. 50mg once a day(not with magnesium as it prevents mag uptake). It prevents acne breakouts. She also takes magnesium(with it’s cofactors vit b6, mag bicarbonate, boron, vit a). Most of us at best are severely mineral deficient. See magnesium advocacy group on the web and facebook for the details.
Thanks for the information. I do think I recall doing this when I was younger. So if you take the Zn away from Mg it shouldn’t affect the Mg?
Yes, Adrienne. I and my kids take zinc at a different time than magnesium. The magnesium advocacy group has more info on the best types of magnesium to take and when. Just google and facebook them.
great advice. thanks for the coupon, I just bought mine and can’t wait to get it!
Great!! Enjoy!
Where do we insert the coupon code at Amazon? I’m buying after the 17th…
There should be a place at checkout. If you don’t see it, please let me know. Thanks and hope you enjoy it!
Should this be left on overnight? I’m anxious to try it!
You can leave it on overnight or wear during the day (of course you might not want to :)). 🙂
Does zinc oxide bleach like benzoyl peroxide? My child uses an over the counter acne cream with benzoyl peroxide and it bleaches out everything it touches…… towels, shirts, sheets, etc. Getting tired of this!!
No, it doesn’t :)!
When I was 19, 35 years ago, my dermatologist put me on zinc cream. It did work very well. Now that I’m reading this, I wonder what kind of zinc was used in the cream? Now as an adult, I have used witch hazel or tea tree oil. That has worked very well too.
How interesting. I bet it was zinc oxide. 🙂
Most acne is a sign of a candida overgrowth in the gut. And antibiotics only make that worse. A special diet as well as a probiotic with an anti-fungal can help clear up an overgrowth.
I think gut health is crucial for so many things. Thanks! Totally agree on the antibiotics.
I know this was a while ago but I had to comment here. I’m not sure where you got this information but direct cause of most acne is bacterial growth within clogged pores many times made worse by hormone imbalances since hormones can cause too much oil production and support bacterial growth. That is why it is more common in teenagers going through puberty. Hormones can cause our skin to create too much sebum which may mix with dead skin and dirt clogging the pores. If there body is unable to expel the clog, it may become infected (bacterial) resulting in inflammation. Bathing too often can also cause acne since it causes increases in sebum production to make up for the daily loss. In some cases acne may be caused by “gut leakage” from the gut but there is little evidence or rather research supporting candida being a direct cause of acne. I looked for some sort of research article and all I could find were websites with unsubstantiated claims from personal experiences which is not scientific and frankly not convincing.
There is not one necessary cause for the presentation of acne. Although a healthy balanced diet along with proper hydration is necessary for our internal and external health, saying candida overgrowth in our gut causes “most acne” is not really supported by enough evidence to make that statement (when I say evidence, I mean evidence gained from numerous scientific peer reviewed studies from high impact scientific journals not pseudoscience or websites making extraordinary claims). While taking antibiotics longterm is problematic and can cause other health issues, it has shown to be affective for most to clear up their acne but if the underlying cause of the bacterial growth or oil production is not addressed, the acne will return if resistance by the bacteria results or use is discontinued. The bottom line, the mode in which you treat acne is dependent on the underlying cause (mostly hormonal-testosterone, progesterone, cortisol, estrogen imbalances) though some treatments can be used for many cases such as Zinc Oxide. There is no one cure-all and most people end up having to combine treatments to clear up their acne. (I’m a biochemist (PhD) by the way).
On another note, thank you for this page. I recently went off hormonal birth control and my body went haywire resulting in my skin becoming suddenly unbelievably oily and eventually resulted in crazy clogged pores and cystic acne all over my torso and along my jaw line. My doctor put me back on hormones which has offered some release but I don’t like my mood while on hormones so I really hope this works for me so I can be released from the shackles of hormonal birth control. There are numerous things that could have caused my hormonal imbalance caused by me while I was on birth control that didn’t show its ugly head until my body was free to do as it wished. I’m hoping this offers me some relief while I make the necessary adjustments for my body rebalances itself.
Hi Rachel,
Oh how terrible. I hope this helps for you too! I wonder what else could be going on. I use a few essential oils blends for balancing….I wonder if some could be a help for you. Sometimes I use oils on my acne, but lavender doesn’t really help me for that though it’s touted as being good for acne. The other thing I try sometimes is a clay mask. I really hope you can get some relief.
I wonder – have you tried going low carb? I don’t remember what really worked for me, but my acne used to be terrible and finally stopped. I had a bad flare recently but I think it is silica in a supplement that I was taking – it’s happened to me 3 times now so I guess I can’t tolerate it for some reason
I suffered horrible acne all thru my teens and 20’s. It got better in my 30’s and 40’s but I would still have breakouts. The problem was I may get just one pimple but it would be deep and painful, take forever to heal and then leave a red mark that would last for up to a year. I went to five different dermatologists and took antibiotics, and other prescriptions that total screwed up my body. I finally gave up on western medicine and went the alternative route. Cleaned up my diet, started taking herbs, essential oils, massage and other alternative health modalities, but still had the occasional breakouts described above. I finally read about using honey as a facial mask. Once a week, gentle pat your face for about five minutes. Worked miracles for me.
Wow – that’s wonderful! I used to use topical antibiotics for my skin. Wish I never had. So glad you are doing better!
Another great use for the zinc oxide is home made deodorant. Put some in a spray bottle, add a few drops of essential oil (lavender or tee tree) and fill the rest with water. Shake and spray! It’s super easy and it actually WORKS!! (Shake before each use since the zinc oxide settles to the bottom). I’ve also tried mixing some in with my cream deodorant recipe that uses coconut oil and baking soda. It makes for a softer consistency and less irritating. PS- any white residue usually disappears within an hour, and this will not stain your clothes!