Many of us are troubled by skin rashes like acne, eczema or psoriasis? Natural remedies exist to help all these conditions

Many teenagers, both boys and girls, suffer embarrassing skin rashes at this sensitive time in their lives.

When I was 17 or 18 I grew a beard in order to cover up my teen acne problem.

I’ve come full circle with a teenage son who showed signs of this common skin disorder, but armed with a stock of home remedies we have forestalled his need for a beard ( he’s also too young to grow one).

Adult acne persists for the unlucky few, so whether you are 13 or 30 you should consider the following natural solutions to this type of skin rash.

1. Aloe Vera acne treatment is effective because of the anti-inflammatory and antibiotic qualities of the gel from the inside the leaf.
   

   Remove an aloe leaf from a plant and cut away the thick skin leaving a thick piece of inner gel.

   Apply directly to the skin and repeat this daily.

   You can store the surplus gel for a week in the fridge.

   See our Aloe Vera section to learn about drinking aloe as a juice, or in the gel form, as it is particularly effective for skin rashes.

2. Nettle Tea and other forms of consuming the common stinging nettle have been known for centuries as helping clear up acne.
   
   • Using gloves to handle fresh nettles remove the leaves from the stalk and put them into a teapot.
   • Pour boiling water onto the leaves and leave for 5 or 6 minutes to steep in the pot.
   • Flavour the tea with honey, lemon or ginger, also good for the skin.
   • The tea will flush the system of toxins and act as a calming agent on inflamed skin.

   Nettle soup and even nettles as a cooked vegetable are returning to usage having been lost like many hedgerow recipes during the 20th century.

   Nettles are a diuretic and should not be taken by pregnant women.

3. Mint is yet another traditionally helpful herb in dealing with Acne and although peppermint (containing menthol – a natural analgesic) is more effective than spearmint, both are useful as anti-inflammatory agents in combating the causes of the problem.

   Again there are many ways to consume mint, the most popular is mint tea, the national drink of Morocco, and many believe responsible for the absence of skin disorders in that country.

   Crushed Mint leaves are a more direct remedy, involving the use of a mortar and pestle to rupture the leave and create a mint juice.
   This then is rubbed into the skin and left for 5 minutes, prior to rinsing with cold water.
   Repeated daily this will clear the skin in a short time.

4. Oatmeal facemasks have often been the stuff of humour and you can see why.
   Imagine applying a cooked serving of plain oatmeal (mixed with honey for the purposes of adhesion) to your face, allowing it to cool for 15-20 minutes.

   If you do this the oatmeal will cleanse the pores and exfoliate the skin. For some this apparently comical device is effective in keeping a clear skin.

Often skin rashes are the result of environmental reasons, pollution, poor diet or having oily skin which is not washed frequently.

Look at what you eat, don’t complain of poor skin if you don’t want to give up your diet of fry-ups.

I recommend sauna’s as a great way of cleansing your body of toxins and relaxing at the same time.