Your skin is the superhero of your body. It protects you from harmful environmental dangers, such as viruses and bacteria; protects the body's nerves, blood vessels and organs; regulates body temperature; repels water; and minimizes water loss. So, you can see why it's so important to take good care of your skin.
The problem that arises from taking good care of your skin is that so many skin-care products contain ingredients that are harmful to the human body, such as parabens, formaldehyde, synthetic color, sodium lauryl sulfates and tuloene. Yuck! I certainly don't want to put any of that on my body!
One way to avoid putting chemicals on your skin that will be absorbed into your body is to use only natural ingredients in skin care products, as well as, to remove warts, skin spots, skin tags and moles. Here are some natural remedies to use for those problem areas instead of chemicals:
Dark spots
Dark spots are caused by long-term sun exposure, hormonal changes and vitamin deficiencies. Natural remedies for dark spots include:
Lemon juice - Lemon juice can be applied directly to dark spots. Apply and leave on for 30 minutes, then rinse off with cool water. You can also mix lemon juice with enough sugar to make a paste, gently scrub onto dark spots, leave on 5 - 10 minutes, then rinse off. Use either remedy once or twice per day and watch those dark spots fade away!
Buttermilk - Buttermilk contains lactic acid that will gently exfoliate the skin. Simply apply some buttermilk with a cotton ball, leave on for a few minutes, then rinse. If you have acne or oily skin, you can mix some lemon juice in with the buttermilk. Continue this treatment until you are happy with the results.
Apple cider vinegar (ACV) - ACV can help fade and dry out dark spots. Mix ACV with an equal amount of water and dab onto dark spots. Wash off after a few minutes. Repeat daily until the desired results are achieved. You may use ACV undiluted, but it may irritate the skin. Be sure to use ORGANIC apple cider vinegar that contains "the mother" as it is the most effective.
Castor oil - Castor oil is known for its healing properties and can effectively fade dark spots and even out your skin tone. Simply apply to the affected area, leave on a few hours, then wash off with a mild cleanser. Do this daily until the dark spots fade.
Warts
Warts are usually caused by viruses in the Human Papillomavirus (HPV) family. The virus will enter the skin through a scratch or other opening and invade the surrounding tissue causing rapid growth of cells in the outer skin that results in a wart. Some natural remedies for warts are:
Apple cider vinegar - Good old ACV has so many uses and this is a good one! Soak a cotton ball with ACV, squeeze out excess liquid until it's not dripping, place over wart and keep in place with gauze or cloth tape. Repeat every night before bed and the wart should be gone in one to two weeks.
Raw honey - Raw honey has anti-fungal and antibacterial properties that make it a perfect natural remedy for warts. File away as much of the wart as you can, place a thick layer of raw honey on it and wrap with a cloth or gauze. Leave on 24 hours, then repeat. Do this daily until the wart is gone!
Banana - Bananas contain an enzyme that eats away at the wart. Scrape the white stuff off of the inside of the banana peel. Place on the wart and cover. Repeat twice a day until the wart is gone.
It's very important to wash your hands well after touching the wart to help prevent spreading them around.
Moles
Moles are caused by skin cells known as melanocytes, which are also the cells that give our skin pigment. Moles occur when melanocytes grow in a cluster instead of spreading over the skin. Some natural remedies for moles are:
ACV to the rescue again! - Applying ACV to a mole will make it scab over and fall off over time. Dab ACV on the mole and leave on overnight. Continue until the mole is gone.
Castor oil and baking soda - Mix 1/2 teaspoon of Castor oil with 1 teaspoon of baking soda to make a paste. Place on mole and leave on overnight. Repeat daily until mole is gone.
Garlic -Apply a paste of garlic to the mole and cover it overnight. Repeat until the mole is gone.
Flaxseed oil and honey -Mix a paste of flaxseed oil and raw honey. Place on the mole for at least 30 minutes before washing off. Repeat once or twice daily until the mole is gone.
Skin Tags
Skin tags are small, soft skin growths on the skin that are very common. Although harmless, they can be annoying and unsightly. They occur most commonly on eyelids, armpits, neck, around groin folds and under the breasts. Some natural remedies to remove skin tags are:
Oregano oil -Oregano oil has very strong anti-bacterial, anti-melanomic, antiseptic, anti-inflammatory and anti-spasmodic properties. Create a mixture of 2 drops of oregano oil to 4 drops of coconut oil. Apply to the skin tag several times per day until it falls off, usually within a month. Be sure to always use a carrier oil with oregano oil and DO NOT USE AROUND EYES! Oregano oil is very strong and can be very irritating if used alone.
Teatree oil - Teatree oil has antifungal and antibacterial properties and can help dry out the skin tag so that it simply falls off the skin. Wet a cotton swab and then apply teatree oil. Swab the skin tag and the surrounding area of the skin with it 3 times per day until the skin tag falls off. Teatree oil alone can be irritating to skin, so be sure to wet the swab first with water.
Yep! ACV again! -Soak a cotton ball with ACV and swab the skin tag with it. Let dry, and repeat up to 3 times per day. If your skin is sensitive, the ACV can be diluted with a little water but will take longer to get rid of the skin tag.