How To: Natural DIY Skin Remedies For Different Skin Types

Oily Skin

Although you may be battling with a shiny forehead and chin, you may be pleased to hear that oily skin wrinkles less over time than does drier skin. This is because the natural oils on your skin help lubricate the fine lines you may hardly see now, but later on, can develop into wrinkles. Think of the oil as a natural moisturizer

The goal for this type of skin is not to strip it of oil entirely; you still want your skin to have its natural oils, which is where that healthy "glow" comes from. Besides, if you're skin is indeed, very oily, the oils will only reappear! What you really need is balance. Yes, oily skin can cause your pores to become blocked and look enlarged, subsequently causing breakouts, but there must be a healthy medium somewhere?!

Why the oil?

As are many things in life, your skin type is a mixture of genetics and environment. Sebum, which is the fatty substance secreted by glands beneath the skin helps protects and lubricate the skin, can sometimes grow in excess and cause oily skin. The amount of sebum secreted on your skin varies throughout your life, fluctuating greatly around puberty and menopause, and phases of a menstrual cycle.

How to deal, naturally:

Avoid adding more oils! Pull hair back, and avoid touching your face, as your hand can transfer its oils (and bacteria!)

Toner- Apply Apple Cider Vinegar or with a cotton ball, allow to stand for 5 minutes, then rinse off.

Apple cider vinegar is naturally antiseptic and antibacterial, and it helps balance the pH of your skin. Apples are loaded with nutrients like potassium, pectin, malic acid and calcium. The fermentation process used to make cider vinegar from the apples fortifies the vitamins and minerals, making them even more powerful.

Scrub- Mix together honey and brown sugar to create a paste, apply to face and scrub gently for 3 minutes.

Images: Amalkhan

Dry Skin

At some point in your life, you may have experienced dry skin on some part of your body. The most uncomfortable is dry skin on the face, which could make it more difficult, even painful, to function normally in extreme cases.

Why it happens?

Genetics definitely doesn't help, but your environment is probably to blame. The bottom line is that your face is not receiving the adequate amount of moisture it needs to remain smooth and prevent protection from the elements. Dry skin wrinkles faster than oily skin as it does not have substantial lubrication and fortification. But the bright side is that you probably don't break out as bad. Sliver lining?

Try using a humidifier on overnight in the room you sleep in to infuse your entire body's skin with moisture- even your lips! This is the most low-maintenance way to saturate your skin: you will literally wake up with better-balanced skin.

You also may not need to wash your face with anything besides water. If your skin is already dry, why would you want to further its plummet into desertland? Nearly all face washes are designed to extract oil from our face- which is like throwing the good out with the bad. You want some of that natural oil, even if its just a small amount. Try washing your face twice a day with only water, removing any makeup with petroleum jelly.

Moisturize!:

Massage glycerin onto face- Glycerin is what is called a humectant, meaning that it attracts water. When glycerin or glycerol is applied to the skin, it seals in moisture that might otherwise escape

Massage Coconut oil- coconut oil helps to strengthen skin tissue more deeply and eliminate dead skin cells while absorbing quickly into your skin.

Mask:

Combine mashed avocado, with oatmeal and honey. Mix into paste, adding olive oil if necessary. Apply as often as necessary, leaving on for 15 minutes.

Images: Amalkhan

Blemish-Prone Skin

This type of skin is interesting because it usually partners up with either oily or dry skin to truly wreak havoc on our faces! Essentially, any type of moisture imbalance, whether genetic or environmental, can mess with our body's ability to create sebum.

Sebum is sometimes a friend, and sometimes a foe. Once this oily substance makes its way to the surface of your skin, it keeps your skin waterproof. It's a barrier in two ways: It keeps too much water from getting into your body, and it prevents you from losing too much water through your skin. Sebum also protects skin from bacterial and fungal infections. But sometimes sebum isn't your friend and too much of it can be bad for your skin. When hair follicles become clogged with sebum and dead skin cells, bacteria grow and cause acne. Clogged follicles below the surface cause whiteheads, and clogged follicles on the skin's surface cause blackheads. But sometimes the follicle wall can break down from the pressure of this buildup, and when this happens sebum leaks into tissue and forms pustules [source: WebMD].

So what you want to do is lightly scrub your face a couple times a week to help remove excess oil. Try using coffee grounds. Yup, you read that right! Coffee is incredibly rich in antioxidants, and contains caffeic acid, which has anti-inflammatory effects and can boost collagen production. Mix the grounds with either water or oil to turn into a paste.

Or try the grounds in mask form: combine 1 part honey, 2 parts coffee grinds, 3 parts milk (whole), heavy cream or yogurt. Form a paste and massage unto face, letting stand for up to 20 minutes. This delectable mask will help tighten pores and remove oil. The coffee grinds will help reduce puffiness and swelling, while the honey and milk will add moisture to your skin. (but hopefully not too much)

Also try using freshly squeezed lemon juice to soften and smooth skin by exfoliating dead skin cells. However, you do not want to apply it on and walk around in the sun. Massage and apply when you know you will not be in direct sunlight for at least 8 hours

For anti inflammatory relief, take uncoated aspirin pills, and with just a dab of warm water, you'll develop a paste Scrub your face with this mild yet potent abrasive, being careful to avoid the eyes!

Images: Amalkhan

Sun-Damaged Skin

The Vitamin E found in coconut oil soothes eczema, sunburn and psoriasis, and its antiviral and antifungal benefits even help to treat bug bites.

Images: Amalkhan

This post was adapted under CreativeCommons Sharealike from an Instructable originally posted by Amalkhan

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