In this article, we tell you everything about how to treat acne with apple cider vinegar.
Why is apple cider vinegar good for treating acne on the face?
Apple cider vinegar contains acetic acid which helps regulate the skin's pH and kill bacteria.
If you want to use apple cider vinegar to treat your acne, it is important to dilute it with water and test it on a small area of skin before applying it to your entire face. Here you will find our miracle apple cider vinegar recipe to fight pimples and acne. The before and after results are quite impressive.
Archie Apple Cider Vinegar Tonic
- Water
- Archie's Apple Cider Vinegar
- A spray bottle (ideally glass)
- Option: 1 drop of organic tea tree or lavender EO
Dilute 1 volume of water to 1 volume of vinegar (or less depending on the sensitivity of your skin). After cleansing, apply to the face.
Beat post-pill acne naturally. Quite a story and yet, in hindsight, not such a complicated path. The discovery of apple cider vinegar has a lot to do with it! It is very difficult to discover after 25 years that the quality of the skin that you have always had was not sustainable. It is as if under the pill, your perfect skin texture was living on borrowed time. When I made the decision to stop it, I had to learn to manage the skin damage.
“I would like to stop it too but I am afraid”
We all have a good reason to want to stop these synthetic hormones but with the expected rebound effect, we understand that there is reason to fear the passage to the other side. For my part, I stopped without transition, clean break. The first months passed without a hitch, nothing to deplore. It was only 2 to 3 years later that serious things began. Story of this epic:
After unsuccessful attempts to follow dermatologist prescriptions, parapharmacy creams and medications, it was looking at diet that really helped me. If I was able to explore this avenue, it was because I was becoming sensitive to every food I ate. There was clearly a problem that went hand in hand between my stomach and the state of my skin. “Active on the inside, it shows on the outside…” all that. I decided to conduct my own experiment.
Step 1: Food mission
I was vegan for 7 years. However, I allowed myself at that time, and recently, to eat cheese whenever I felt like it (morning, noon, and night). That was the first thing I stopped. I also started looking to see if certain foods were making my acne worse. So I discovered that I particularly broke out when I ate: soy, cashews, tomatoes, coffee, and last but not least: GLUTEN! Disappointed.
Role of Apple Cider Vinegar in My Acne
This is where apple cider vinegar came in. Of course, when I stopped eating these foods, my digestion was a little better. What I noticed most was that when I took apple cider vinegar after eating them, I had absolutely no problem digesting them. No unwanted appearance on my skin either! So no need to deprive yourself too much, no guilt to overcome post-pill acne naturally. This is the first reason why apple cider vinegar on a daily basis has never left me.
Step 2: Cosmetic routine
Every time I tested new products, I listened to the advice religiously, from the pharmacist to the Sephora saleswoman (I was lost & every word counts). When I started to take an interest in apple cider vinegar, I came across mountains of articles praising its miracles on acne when used externally. You should know that the pH of apple cider vinegar is the same as that of healthy skin, and that unpasteurized vinegar contains good bacteria necessary for healthy skin flora and the fight against acne. Tim Ferriss' podcast (who also did his own experiments), talking about his acne and the importance of bacteria for the face came back to me. It clicked (see our article on apple cider vinegar and its bacteria).
Review the basics and discover the external use of apple cider vinegar against acne
By stripping my face I was removing everything, the good bacteria & the bad, so my skin felt bad and produced sebum to defend itself which also caused my pimples to appear… That’s what I understood. I prepared a facial tonic made of water + cider vinegar and I gave my skin time to do its job, knowing that I was giving it what it needed. From there, I undertook a minimalist bathroom operation.
As for soap, I kept it simple: to remove my makeup, I used Aleppo soap and that was it. As for cream, a magical exchange with my boyfriend made me change my way of seeing life:
“But you don’t need cream! Should I put cream on?”
– If I don't wear any it pulls, we don't have the same skin.
– Well, don’t put any more in, you’ll see, it will pull until it doesn’t pull anymore.” …
Today it doesn't feel tight anymore. I only wash my face when I have makeup on or in the shower. When I wear makeup, to avoid drying out caused by the not-so-clean foundation I use, I use this mixture as a base: jojoba oil (or black cumin) + aloe vera. Perfect.
I admit that it is sometimes difficult to challenge the idea that women absolutely must wear cream, adopt a particular cosmetic routine. Personally, giving my vinegar and my skin's natural regeneration processes a chance has been the best idea I have had to overcome my acne.
The little coquetry that I kept is to make my cider vinegar + clay mask 3 times a week. It brightens and makes my skin very soft, I love it (that's also why we sell it ;-).
Step 3: Maintain over the long term
Today I know my skin. Every day I refine my knowledge a little more about what it likes, what it doesn't like. I know that my cider vinegar, which came into my life 3 years ago, will never leave me again, whether in my belly or on my face. I know that during my period there will be 1 or 2 new little friends for a few days and a little more relief on my forehead but it's ok. My skin is alive and it's clear enough for me. I don't forbid myself anything anymore, I know that the situation can be under control. I just avoid making my body work too hard unnecessarily.
Cosmetically, I have become impervious to the “clear skin” talk touted by cosmetics salespeople. I still give a lot of credit to vegetable oils and small beauty brands with clean formulas, but I use very little of them.
How long did it take?
If we count the whole process before I found my current routine? 2 years.
If we count from the moment I asked myself the right questions, started taking my cider vinegar and changed my diet? 2 days. The effects on my digestion were immediate and truly in 3 weeks I had found skin that really satisfied me.
I don't claim to have a miracle and universal cure here. On the other hand, after 2 years of unsuccessful tests, research, reading, before finding my routine, I think I have grasped a few tips. So, if I can save time for those who will pass by on how to overcome post-pill acne naturally, that's all that matters. I am convinced that 90% of the poor condition of our skin comes from internal imbalances, and that the benefits of collagen can also contribute to this, although everyone is different.
Today this topic fascinates me and I almost thank my acne for leading me to discover apple cider vinegar and to carry out all this exploration. I said almost…
*To date, there are no published French scientific studies on the benefits of cider vinegar. To fill this information gap, Archie has formed a Scientific Committee dedicated to providing the greatest possible transparency regarding the benefits of cider vinegar.
