Don’t get me wrong — I’m not opposed to medicine in situations where medicine is required. But in looking at my current whitehead expansion, from upper arms to forearms, I don’t think I need to take drastic medical measures. There are plenty of natural remedies for whiteheads that I’ll be trying over the next few weeks. I’ll keep you updated on my progress.
Seems like the very best thing you can do for whiteheads (and blackheads) is be consistent with your cleaning. Wash daily with mild soap. Believe it or not, I DO already do this. However, I may switch to an all-natural, hypoallergenic body wash. Probably one with tea tree oil in it — tea tree is a natural antibacterial that will help clear the bacteria out of clogged pores. A body wash with benzoyl peroxide is another option, but that stuff tends to leave me very dried out. I’ll try the tea tree first, I think.
Vitamin A is supposed to be good for sebum production — sebum is the oil your body produces to keep skin and hair soft and healthy. Some foods that are high in vitamin A include:
- Liver (yuck, not gonna happen in this lifetime!)
- Sweet potatoes
- Carrots
- Mangoes
- Cantaloupe
- Apricots
- Milk
- Mozzarella cheese
Looks like I’ll either need to add a multivitamin to my day or eat more orange foods. Since there’s no way I’m going to eat liver just so my skin looks better! Vitamin E and C are also good for skin health and healing, so a multivitamin may just be the way to go… at least for a little while.
Some alternative remedies for various forms of acne include:
- Apply aloe vera juice or aloe vera gel twice daily
- Apply lemon juice or apple cider vinegar once daily to help remove excess oil and kill bacteria
- Apply carrot juice — hey, it’s a good source of vitamin A
- Apply oatmeal to soothe irritated skin
- Try tanning — the UV rays can help kill bacteria on the skin and dry up excess oil
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