Urgh spots, a.k.a the bane of my existence. Why is it that those pesky bastards crop up when you need to look at least half decent. Picture day? Guaranteed chin cyst. Meeting an old friend? Red beacon of a pimple on my nose. Holiday? Full face breakout.

Oh how I love my sensitive acnegenic skin.

I shouldn’t complain too much, it is a million times better than it was when I was a teenager. In fact, in the last year I have managed to venture outside the house au au naturale. Something I would have never done a few years ago.

4 major things contribute to the overall health of my skin:

1. Diet: lots of colourful fresh fruit & vegetables, lean meats, healthy fats, no processed/artificial rubbish and for me, no dairy.

2. Skin care: organic/natural, not too many ingredients, focused on calming and brightening. Absolutely no scrubbing with harsh grains! And don’t poke sewing needles in your face, pick the spot or put toothpaste and lemon juice on open wounds. Seriously, what was I thinking???!

3.Exercise: move your body, distress, sweat out toxins and get oxygen rich blood flowing to you face.

4. Mood: stress is the enemy! Anxiety, stress and low mood all result in my skin looking just as sad and stressed as I feel.

Due to years of cystic acne, I have tried my fair share of spot treatments:  Clearasil, Avon, Clinique, Nelsons, Dr Organic, La Roche Posay, to name a few.

But dear reader, I swear on my brand new awesome pair of sunglasses, none of them work as well as this DIY treatment.

Spec-tacular 😎

Shout out to my mum for first making this miraculous concoction for me when I was faced with a chin full of cysts the night before collage, so painful it hurt to talk and eat.

This homemade fix costs a fraction of the price of a shop brought acne product, and you probably already have the ingredients in your cupboard.

Oatally awesome at treating acne

Ingredients

2 tsp ground porridge oats

2 tsp full fat milk

1 crushed aspirin tablet

1-2 drops essential oil (i’d use lavender oil) (optional)

Method

In a pestle and mortar, grind the porridge oats to fine powder. The finer the oats, the less likely you are to have oat clumps crumbling from your face.

Transfer the oat powder to a little pot. Pour in 2 tbsps milk and mix well. Then crush an aspirin tablet, add it to the bowl and mix again.

If you wish to, add a drop or two of essential oil. Mix again.

Lavender vida loca 🎶

That’s it you’re ready to zap those little buggers. Grab a cotton bud and paste away.

I usually dab the treatment on in the evening and leave it to do its thing overnight. It’ll only store in fridge for a few days before it starts to smell and then sprout fur balls.

Why these ingredients?

Oats will absorb excess oil and soothe sore, painful skin.

Milk contains lactic acid, a gentle exfoliant that declogs pores and calms sensitive, reddened skin. Plus, it’s rumoured that Cleopatra regularly bathed in milk to achieve glowing skin. If it’s good enough for an Egyptian queen, it’s certainly good enough for me.

Aspirin contains acetylsalicylic acid which can help reduce the size of the pimple by tackling inflammation.

The addition of an essential oil like lavender not only smells good, but is antimicrobial. Other essential oils to consider are chamomile, frankincense, clary sage, rosemary and juniper berry. Some people swear by tea tree and lemon oils but for me they are a little too harsh and drying.

May your face be clear and your smile sincere.

Yours skincerley Elle x

Or if my skin’s breaking out; The Scarlet Pimple-Elle .