Home : Beauty tips : Skin : Acne and zit tips : Garlic cloves

Garlic cloves for acne

For acne, crush garlic cloves and apply on the face, once or twice a day.

Visitors comments

I agree Comments By: cherisa on 2005-09-01

Garlic is part of the allium family which includes onions as well. Onions, like garlic, have sulfuric acid. It's this sulfuric acid that kills the bacteria that causes acne. The powerful combination of hydrogen peroxide and sulfuric acid is what makes products like Proactiv work so well. I haven't tried using peroxide on my skin as it's too drying. But onions have been a blessing for me for the acne that I've gotten during my pregnancy. AND I don't feel uncomfortable with onions because they are a natural product that my skin is absorbing unlike most of the products you buy off the shelves. After a while your skin will clear up so well you won't ever need to wear makeup. You will usually see the beneftis in less than 24 hours if you keep rubbing a little onion on your skin everyday or every other day. God bless

I agree, but... Comments By: Jezz on 2006-02-20

I agree that the sulfuric acid would help acne, but I am not so sure about rubbing garlic or onion on my face if it will stink. Will it smell, like bad I mean?

DO NOT DO THIS Comments By: LearnFromMyMistake on 2007-08-07

I tried this, but I went to the extream, I crushed up a Garlic clove and spread the paste and juice all over my zits, then I put bandage on it and went to sleep. It burned like hell but i just was desperate to get rid of it. I woke up the next morning with MASSIVE BLISTERS!!!! it took 2 weeks to go away! I twas so embarrassing, I had to go ot work and everything! Horrible! im never touching garlic again!! Just eat it!! Don't put it too long on your face!

ew Comments By: anon on 2007-12-29

wont that just make you stink?

gralic doesnt stink Comments By: Sabrine on 2008-02-23

it doesnt smell. on ur face that is. be mature. it worked 4 me. it made my acne calm down and in 2 weeks, i had clear skin!!!

Just trying it out. Comments By: David on 2008-06-09

I have Fordyce Spots on my upper lip. They are disgusting. I cannot afford laser treatment and I am a big believer in natural solutions. I cut a clove in half and rubbed it on my lips. It did burn a bit. I also noticed that the lip swelled a bit. To cool it down I soaked a green tea leaf bag in some cool water and that helped a lot. I am hoping to continue this until those spots are gone!

Anyway, I will post the results.

Results Comments By: David on 2008-06-13

This is a promised update. If anyone is interested, I thought it would be helpful to let you know what the results were.(I tried the rubbing raw garlic on my lips for my Fordyce Spots on my lips. Well, its been a few days and it seems to work. I must caution anyone doing this to do so in moderation. I have cleared away a good number of the spots. However, I also got my lips chapped sligltly. The results were so good that I got exicted. Another problem is that I got the duck lips for a while. The lips swell up when you put this on them too much.

I went to a local Vitamin Shoppe and bought Allicin 4000 Garlic caps (you can get 300 hundred tablets for about 20-25 dollars). I have read that if you want the benefits of fresh garlic you need to buy something with Allicin in it. That is is what kills bacteria.

For soothing use vitamin E gel caps (snip the end with a needle or sharp point and rub on lips. Let it sit for an hour, then wash off gently). Tea bags (I use green tea, but you can use herbal too. Soak in a dish of cool water for five minutes. With your head resting on a pillow-put some relaxing music to listen to-and place on lips. Let sit for an hour) Honey is nice too, and it kills bacteria in wounds. (So if you get a blister just put some on the sore skin and pop in a good dvd. Be careful, the honey will taste so good you may be tempted to lick it off your lips, LOL!)

Remember. Use with moderation on the raw garlic. Someone else posted they got nasty burns. Well, the left the stuff on way too long. No longer that a couple of minutes (twice a day if you like) but better if you do it alone. No point in putting off anyone with the garlic stink! LOL!

Anyone who wants to share their experience is welcome to. I would love to hear from you.

Good luck people! : )

Peace!

Update on fordyce spots Comments By: David on 2008-09-28

It has been a while since posting here and I wanted to make one last update.
After searching far and wide on line I discovered a simple remedy that seems to be helping reduce the spots almost completely. I read that chamomile tea is a wonderful anti inflammatory. It is used all over the world for things like cramps and any condition where inflammation is a problem. Not long after that I read that inflammation is a key problem with acne. It is not just a matter of drying up spots, its also a matter of clearing away inflamation in the tissue around the spot. Thats why spots can come back after clearing them up. The other is bacteria. This is what the garlic is good at killing. Another problem is hygiene. You need to keep skin clear so the pores do not become blocked. Also consider your diet. About three months ago I gave up all dairy but eggs. A lot of milk in America (not sure about UK) comes from cows fed grain that contains growth hormones. I read that it increases production. These hormones have been linked to health problems in humans. Not sure, but they could be contributing to the inflamation. Also avoid processed foods. If it comes in a box, look over it carefully. There is most likely something in there that may lead to uneven blood sugar levels, which is the number one cause of inflammation. I eat a lot of fresh fruit and veggies. I eat whole grain pasta and rice. Try eating Jappanese or Indian food. Avoid really spicy stuff though. A curry sounds nice, but it could make matters worse. Also: drink lots of water. And finally the last and most important issue is circulation. I began exercising each day.

1. Drink 3 to 5 cups of chamomile tea. At first it won't seem to make a difference, but studies that I have read found that the body builds up levels of it and they remain after for weeks. So drink it. It tastes great, is cheep, and easy to make. Try it with some honey.

2. Garlic. Get some of the allicin tablets I mentioned before and take one with each meal. Also try rubbing some raw garlic for a few seconds to kick start it. Be careful however, as you can burn the skin.

3. Exercise. Get a bike, go for walks, buy some Billy Blanks DVD's (I have some and they are fun).

4. The diet helps you lose weight too. I am in the process of losing weight, and it is a hard thing. You gotta get off your but and keep busy.

I hope this helps. Don't believe everything you read on line. And also, doctors sometimes don't have the right answer, and sometimes with a little hard work you can find a healther and better one.

Gook luck!

honey and onion juice Comments By: Tara on 2008-09-30

pure honey is an antibacterial and it contains hydrogen peroxide and onion has sulfur. these two combined is like a not irritating cheaper version of proactive. 2 parts honey 1 part onion juice.leave on for 20 minutes once a day! make sure its pure raw honey the processed kind dont have these ingredients to the max. Hope this helps some one :0)

To dave Comments By: Steve on 2008-10-15

Hey dave idk if you still visit this site, but do you have an email? id like to ask few questions about your fordyce spot removal.

i want to get rid of pimples! Comments By: anon on 2009-06-05

i have a scar on my face and nose how do i get rid of it overnight! i have a wedding 2morroww!!! idk wat to dooo noneof this worksss! help meee :/

Lord have mercy!!!! Comments By: Diana on 2009-06-08

I rubbed garlic over my entire face, left it on for about 30 minutes, and whoi!! My face is red (lobster red) and swollen. I have blisters and it itches like crazy!! The garlic has to be diluted with something. Probably honey has another person suggested. It's really powerful. I'm HIDING (LOL) at home embarrassed to be seen because my face is DISFIGURED from the swelling. This is some severe, severe irritation. I hope that it will clear up quickly, because this certainly will not do. Lol. I can't help laughing at what I have done to myself, even though it's uncomfortable. Take my advice and dilute the garlic or you might regret it, like I do.

Just tried it Comments By: do not wanttttt pimplezzZz on 2009-11-05

I just read that garlic helps pimples, so in a desperate state a crushed some garlic and put it straight on my face. After a couple of minutes i realised it was really burning, so i only left it for a max of 5-10 minutes - but i wasnt counting, I estimated. I kind of thought that burning that much couldnt be good & my mum's a beautician and ive had some pretty insane burning masks, etc. Then i read up on it some more & heard how people got blisters and stuff - so luckil i didnt leave it on too long. Also i found melting a cube of ice all over my face helped & it felt cool and nice after. I can already feel one of my pimples going down and my face is a bit red - but that can be from the ice too. definately dilute the garlic with water before putting it on your face, and if you put straight garlic onto your face NO MORE than 5 minutes.

I think its helping though

dilute the garlic Comments By: Anon on 2009-12-17

I've been using garlic on and off.But it's giving me incredible results!!Now i didn't do any studys whats so ever on this remedy,i simply tried it.Now i'm not saying do it.It just worked for me!!Look you have to dilute the garlic with milk FOR ABOUT HALF AN HOUR!!thats the secret..

please help Comments By: mhel on 2009-12-31

i am so impress with the comments. i agree with most of them. i got a question and i hope you could help me. my lips are getting dark, probably it is cause by the make up i aply. how will i make it naturally red again?

Update/ Low GI diet Comments By: David on 2010-02-11

It has been some time since writing about the garlic treatment and I thought I would share some additional discoveries that other people may find interesting. You may all be familiar with the saying: "You are what you eat!" Well about a month ago I started dating a girl who is a vegan, and I decided to give up my diet and try hers. To make this short I soon found that rather than treating the spots with garlic (only for them to come back worse) I found that her vegan diet, which is also low GI has cleared up my spots completely! I have been on this diet for about a month and a half now and I don't have a single spot on my lips. They are all gone! I expect it is because it is low GI. I did some research online and found out that some dermatologists are recommending low GI diets to their patients and report amazing results. Look it up for yourself. It's not an easy diet, but it has so many benefits that you may not miss that cup of tea with sugar, or that Mars bar. So for the past three weeks I have not had to use garlic or any over the counter treatment for my acne or Fordyce spots. Like I said, it requires extra work and means no processed foods or soda pop or sweets or anything that has a high GI (over 55). This also includes dairy products too. So my advice is give it a try if you can live without the dairy. You can still have the tea if you want, but try honey instead.

be careful! Comments By: folasade on 2010-02-24

i just recently started getting acne this yr and am soo vain that i could stand the few marks on my face, i tried garlic, diluted with water and put it on my face for 3 mins.... it burned so badly, within hours i began developing what i would call a heat rash... the next morning i woke up i was mortified at what i saw in the mirror...heats, heats all over my little face. everyone was amazed. i rubbed my heats with two slices of raw patato and it help soothe my face within hours and the bumps were gone.
these days i drink a mixture of garlic water(three cloves to one bottle) and alternate lime and raw patato to my face to get rid of my scars... garlic IS amazing but can be dangerous, so be careful. do not.. i repeat..DO NOT APPLY GARLIC DIRECTLY TO UR FACE OR TO ANY SCAR U MAY HAVE ON UR BODY... it will do more harm than good!...goodluck with the acne battle..

UGHHH Comments By: brit on 2010-03-05

i dont even know what to believe i jus finished putting garlic on my face for my pimples to go away and it didnt burn as bad as some people make it sound!! but im scared im going to wake up with an ugly face tomorrow!!!

Do NOT OVERNIGHT garlic on your FACE Comments By: Lydia on 2010-03-27

Garlic is very strong,it will burn your skin if you leave it on all night. It is recommended to leave it on for 5mins,and wash it off.

oh my god! dont apply garlic Comments By: berney on 2010-07-01

I will never dream to touch garlic. its horrible. it left a blister on my face.. oh its terrible.. please dont belive any one and apply garlic..

Trooper Comments By: Sky Larson on 2010-07-22

This is just from my experience. I used a little honey, garlic and onion powder. The honey knocks out the smell of both. I made a paste of it, rubbed it into my skin then added a little water to smooth it out. That stuff worked great. Then washed my face with my favorite soap. My skin was so smooth and soft.

In response to the garlic Comments By: Janet on 2010-07-22

My mom used to make some kind of paste for us as kids, I can't remember what exactly was in it, flour, garlic, oil and maybe some salt?

She used to spread it on our upper arms and chest and it pulled out all the white little bumps we had, like whiteheads I guess. We removed them then with a washcloth and baby oil

Garlic BURNS people. To leave it on for any great length of time is foolishness. In order to buffer the burn, you HAVE to mix it with vegetable/olive oil. You NEVER apply straight garlic to your face!

GARLIC BURNS Comments By: Sue on 2010-08-31

I had a few pipmles on my skin and read somewhere on the internet that GARLIC helps. I applied raw GARLIC directly on the face and left it for quite some time.. like 2 hours...I got this heavy burning sensations and the skin spots where I applied were all red and swollen... By next day morning it was all black and burnt.. Doctor prescribed some anti-biotics which did help reduce the pain and get rid of the swelling.. However it has left some serious scars.. Its almost three months now but the marks are still there... HELP PLS!!! I reaally need to get rid of them as I am get married in couple of months

i mistake garlics as onions Comments By: ezra on 2010-09-12

i've read a few from the internet saying that onions are good for hiding scars. so i tried it!

but it wasn't an onion i rub to my face.. it's GARLIC! and i left it for like two hours.. i terrified to wake up and see my face! :'(

but i put moisturizer though, hope it will help..

and worse is, i also rubbed garlic on my two brothers' faces! :'( i'm so dead!

Garlic worked amazing for me!!!!! Comments By: Miss Mandy on 2010-09-16

I would be careful if you have sensitive skin.. but I don't think I do. I left the mashed garlic on my face all night, and woke up to my pimples about half the size they were before. I think everyone is different. I would test it on your skin before applying it all over, and see what happens. Always be cautious when introducing something new to your skin, but I'm telling you I can't believe the results it has given me! :o)

use garlic wt caution Comments By: suchi n sunan on 2011-03-25

dont b blindfolded..i recently had pimples on my cheek n came across an article online stating d magical effect of garlic clove.i applied a little raw on skin n d same gave terribl burning sensation n finally lft my cheek all red wt heat rash.my sistr followed me and her skin gt burnt..we just hope sm miracle hppens!!

Im scared to try garlic Comments By: Vanessa <3 on 2011-03-30

Im so scared to try garlic for my acne. Not to long ago i had a massive pimple. I read online that toothpaste would help, so i tryed it on overnight and the next morning i woke up with a disgusting scab on my face! It looked so much worse after i applyed the tooth paste then before when it was just a pimple. It burned my face :( So im scared to go to school again with another burn on my face. What should i do? Try it or move on?