An All Natural Postpartum Acne Treatment

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If you’re tired of suffering from unruly skin with redness, acne breakouts, and possibly dry skin after giving birth to your baby; you’ve come to the right place! Prepare to ditch the postpartum breakouts with these ALL NATURAL POSTPARTUM ACNE TREATMENT ideas (along with some clinical strength alternatives)!

This post may contain affiliate links from which I receive a commission if you click or make a purchase. In addition, the information on this site is NOT intended to be medical advice. Please seek professional medical care if needed. See my full policy for more information.

Trust me, mama, I spent SO MUCH TIME looking into solutions & products for my already sensitive skin. Pair that with the horrendous acne I developed after having my son, it was horrible.

In this post, I will share with you the affordable, natural, and simple skincare products I’ve been using that actually worked to make my postpartum acne become a thing of the past!

If you’re ready to kick that postpartum acne to the curb, I’m cheering you on mama! First, we need to understand why it’s so common in the first place, so let’s dig in.

Why do I have so much postpartum acne & breakouts?!

Do you remember throughout pregnancy how your hormones were fluctuating and then seemed to drop off after the baby was born?

Well, that “drop” in hormones happened to contain our 2 friends Estrogen & Progesterone and it doesn’t always sit well with our skin. However, it’s not just our skin that gets angry, you may notice mood swings, hair loss, fatigue, and even just heightened stress.

One thing to note – if you’re a breastfeeding mom, these symptoms could last up towards a full year (or until breastfeeding ends). It’s also important to note that when you do stop breastfeeding, you may experience yet ANOTHER wave of stopping breastfeeding hormonal changes.

Now that you understand a little bit about how these pesky hormones can affect and contribute to your postpartum acne, let’s talk about some ways to get rid of those annoying breakouts!

Natural Postpartum Acne Treatment Ideas

Knowing which natural remedies will work best for postpartum acne might be trial and error for you, but I’m going to share some affordable and esthetician-level products that might be able to help!

My Morning Skincare Routine for Postpartum Acne:

This routine is 100% budget-friendly for moms looking to have clear skin without the price tag, however, as of October 2021, I began going to an esthetician for monthly facials and have completely revamped my skincare routine which I will share in the updated routine portion below.

• Step 1) Wash with any oil-free face wash (my preference is either Clean & Clear Morning Burst or Belli Beauty Blemish Wash).
  – I personally have been using Belli Beauty due to the more natural ingredients. I found them during my pregnancy and love their products!

• Step 2) Use the Thayer’s Witch Hazel + 1 drop Tea Tree Oil on a cotton pad/ball as a toner. Rub in upwards motion over the entire face (avoiding eye and lip).

• Step 3) Moisturize with 1-2 drop Argan Oil.

• Step 4) Apply Makeup as usual.

I am in the process of looking for more natural makeup now that my skin has cleared up & I don’t need or want anything too heavy.

A big problem for me has been that my pores have been clogged and the acne breakouts were out of control.

SO if any of you reading this have any good recommendations for natural makeup, please COMMENT them below!

My Nighttime Skincare Routine to fight off the postpartum acne:

• Step 1) Wash with any oil-free face wash (same as above).

• Step 2) Use the Thayer’s Witch Hazel on a cotton pad/ball as a toner. Rub in upwards motion over the entire face (avoiding eye and lip).
  – I DON’T use the tea tree oil with the toner at night because I use cream instead and don’t want my face overly dry.

• Step 3) Apply The Body Shop Tea Tree Oil Night Cream to affected areas.

• Step 4) Moisturize with L’Oréal Hydragenius.
  – I found that at night, the Argan oil makes my skin too oily whereas the hydra-genius doesn’t. You can choose to apply whichever way works best for you!

Results – Notice the postpartum breakouts disappear?

One point I do want to make about this skincare routine for my postpartum acne is that I had great results in as little as 7 days. However, this isn’t normal. I would give ANY skincare routine at least 4 weeks to see any kind of results.

Acne After Baby – Updated Skincare Routine AM/PM

As mentioned earlier in this article, I recently changed my skincare routine to focus more on using clinical-grade products. Though most topical acne products barely pass over and get to the baby, it’s always best to run it by your primary care provider to be extra safe.

Updated Acne After Pregnancy Routine :

• Mega Purifying Cleanser (AM)
• Gentle Face Wash (PM)
• Fulvic Elixir (AM/PM)
• Facial Hydrator (Every Other Night)
• Daily Repair Moisturizer (AM/PM)
• Photo Age SPF-30 (AM)
• Ageless Resurfacing Mask (once a week)

This is the routine I’ve been following to a T since my esthetician recommended it and I have NEVER been happier with my skin. The texture is smooth, the breakouts are minimal, and my pores are much less large and prominent. Remember, this routine was specifically created for me based on my skin issues and needs.

If you want to check out their products, you can check them out online here (this is where I order mine through my esthetician) or by finding your own local esthetician to purchase directly from them once you have a recommended routine to follow!

Here is the Before and After of my updated routine September 2021(left) to October 2021(right)

Postpartum Acne Products & Ingredients

I have used my fair share of skincare products since having children. One of the things I’ve learned is that using top-of-the-line products recommended by an esthetician or dermatologist is the best-case scenario and I’m fortunate to be able to use them on a daily basis.

The list below not only includes professional product recommendations, but also affordable acne products you can find at a local drug store.

Witch Hazel

Witch Hazel is an astringent & anti-inflammatory. It’s best known in the skincare world to combat inflammation, puffy/swelling, and soothe redness!

However, due to its ‘drying’ properties, it’s not recommended to use on dry skin. Normal – Oily skin would be most ideal.

Being that acne is caused by clogged-up pores filled with dirt and bacteria (dead skin cells, excess oil due to hormones, or not washing face enough); Witch Hazel makes a great staple in any skincare routine to really keep those pores nice and clean.

Glycolic Acid

Glycolic Acid is an alpha hydroxy acid (AHA) — known as one of the best AHA ingredients that help to exfoliate dead skin cells to minimize dryness, wrinkles, acne, and hyperpigmentation. Just be sure to wear some sunscreen when using glycolic acid on your skin as it can very much make your skin more sensitive to sunlight and UV rays.

Tea Tree Oil for Acne:

One of the more commonly known anti-acne products out there, Tea Tree Oil is known for its anti-inflammatory and antiseptic properties.

Tea Tree Oil can be extremely drying and even cause skin irritation when not diluted properly, so make sure if you do use this, you purchase an already diluted option or dilute appropriately.

IF you’re hesitant to try the oil, I would suggest trying a night cream or a solution that contains tea tree oil as one of its main ingredients. The Body Shop makes a great line of Tea Tree Products and one of my favorites is actually their Nighttime Cream.

Fulvic Acid

Fulvic Acid is an underrated substance that works wonders on the skin by improving the skin’s cellular metabolism. It helps to reduce inflammation, transport nutrients to the skin cells, brighten and tone the skin.

Because of its high potency and effectiveness, this one is best to get in a formulation recommended by an esthetician or dermatologist. You can, however, try out a facial mist formulation that has a lesser concentration, and as the reviews show, most who use it still see incredible results.

Argan Oil for the Face

Argan oil really is a one-of-a-kind beauty oil. It’s a relatively lightweight oil great for ALL skin types!

It contains vitamin E (which helps to reduce wrinkles and keep skin glowing), omega fatty acids (smooth skin, helps it stay hydrated + many more benefits), and linoleic acids.

How using argan oil can help with acne? Our skin produces MORE oil when our skin is actually dry (So even though you think you have an ‘oily’ face, it could be because it’s actually dry!).

It’s our body’s way of trying to compensate for what we lack.

By adding in a product like Argan oil, it can actually help to prevent that from happening by moisturizing, balancing out your oil, and smoothing out your complexion!

The results? CLEAR BREAKOUTS!

Are there other skin problems after pregnancy that are common?

As you guessed, there are some other skin problems after pregnancy (or during pregnancy) that are common for many women. We will briefly go through some of them and I have also provided excellent resources under each condition for you to check out!

As always, check with your doctor before using ANY products while pregnant or breastfeeding!

Melasma after pregnancy (dark spots on the skin) aka ‘the mask of pregnancy’.

Melasma is pretty common during and after pregnancy for many women. It’s often referred to as ‘the mask of pregnancy’.

Due to elevated levels of estrogen and progesterone hormones, this triggers excess cells responsible for darkening the skin! In addition, being out in prolonging sun exposure can make this worst.

Some tips to help avoid this is:

• Use a protective sunscreen on your face & skin.
• Try a microdermabrasion skincare kit to get rid of damaged cells and promote healthy cells.

Resources: Baby Center Melasma Treatment

Dermatitis (inflamed itchy, flaky, dry skin)

Let me tell you, I had some of the WORST dry skin throughout my pregnancy. Normally I have combo skin, but throughout my pregnancy, it was so dry and flaky.

Now, this skin condition wasn’t just on my face. It was on my arms and legs too!

I found using a really high-quality lotion & facial moisturizer at least twice a day helped significantly.

Dark circles & puffiness under eyes

This one can easily be attributed to the fact that you aren’t getting enough sleep.

I’m not sure I’ve ever had bags under my eyes like I did those first 4 weeks after giving birth.

The level of sleep exhausted is a whole new world. This reminds me, if you need some tips to get some more sleep, check out my post all about helping your little one sleep which means mama gets to sleep too!

How to combat the puffy eye effect?

• Do your best to get as much sleep as you can!
• Use an undereye mask once a day to help hydrate and freshen up your skin!

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Now that you better understand why postpartum acne happens in the first plan along with some natural postpartum acne remedies, which ones will you be trying out next time?

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