10 Things You Should Know About Lemon Water

If there’s one drink that every nutritionist and health expert is going to advise you to take, its lemon water. Sounds simple, but it is actually a very powerful drink, and the perfect way to get your body ready for the day ahead. Lemons are full with vital nutrients, like magnesium, calcium, fiber, potassium, iron, vitamin C, and B-complex vitamins. They are pretty much like little yellow balls of healthy goodness! Combined with the hydrating H20, you’ve got yourself the ultimate wake up drink. Here are ten more benefits that you can get from lemon water:

1) Helps with Digestion. In Ayurvedic traditions, it is believed that toxins that are building up in our stomachs can cause diseases if not cleansed on time. Lemon helps your digestive system by stimulating the liver to produce more digestive fluid. It also helps it by adding more acid that helps break down food and flush out toxins.

2) Freshens Your Breath. Lemon helps you get rid of gingivitis and helps against toothaches. Just be sure not to brush your teeth for at least a couple of hours after drinking lemon water as the citric acid in lemon can erode tooth enamel.

3) Relieves Constipation. Lemon water is a natural way to relieve constipation as quickly as possible. Lemon stimulates the bowels, and it helps your intestines produce mucus, which is needed for optimal functionality. It also hydrates the colon and moisturizes dry stools.

4) Helps You Get a Clear Skin. Lemons are full of antioxidants that are needed by your skin in order to be blemish-free. These antioxidants also help decrease wrinkles. Fun fact: when used regularly, lemons can help diminish scars and dark spots!

5) Cleanses the Lymphatic System. Some medicine practices believe that a dehydrated lymphatic system is a general cause of illness. Drinking lemon water helps hydrate the lymphatic system. When it is not properly hydrated, it makes you feel tired, constipated, or just plain sickly. Lemon water can help you cure all these symptoms and also upgrade your immunity, which helps prevent them in the first place

6) Reduces Bloating. Lemon water helps in relieving constipation, which causes you to lose water weight. Lemons also contain pectin fiber, which is helpful against hunger cravings.

7) Reduces Inflammation. Drinking lemon water regularly decreases the level of acidity in your body. In particular, it reduces uric acid in your joints, which helps ease joint inflammation.

8) Gives You Energy. Drinking lemon water on a daily basis helps your body become healthier, which means that the energy that it was losing fighting off toxins and illnesses will be free to spend anyway you want!

9) Boosts Your Mood. Lemons are rich with potassium, which is an essential nutrient for proper nerve and muscle functionality. Potassium is the key in helping your nerve system produce and deliver more neurotransmitters that boost your mood. Low potassium levels can be linked with anxiety and depression.

10) Helps You Cut out Energy Drinks and Caffeine. With all the healing and energy your body will receive from drinking lemon water, caffeine and energy drinks will be past! Plus, drinking this as your first drink in the morning—rather than a coffee—might help you lose your desire to grab a latte afterward.

From Healthy Food

Ask a Dietitian: Does It Matter How Much You Chew Your Food?

Many of us are guilty, at least on occasion, of scarfing down food and swallowing large mouthfuls. Beyond that, who hasn’t heard some variation of the chew-your-food-X-number-of-times counsel? Such advice may sound like dietary superstition, but how well a person chomps actually matters. Chewing rate can have a significant impact on digestion of nutrients and may also affect hunger levels.

The Tooth of the Matter

In recent years, several studies have determined that chewing food thoroughly makes more nutrients available for absorption. Extra chewing allows compound within the food an additional opportunity to combine before they make it further down the digestive tract, which may have a positive influence on health. According to some studies, taking more time to chew also promotes a slower rate of eating, which can help with better appetite control and (in the long run) improved weight management.

Chomp Like a Champ

There may not be a magic number of times to chew, but a more leisurely nibbling pace has its benefits. Here’s how to maximize your opportunities at the table.

1. Be mindful. Take the time to enjoy what you’re eating, and that includes making efforts to limit distractions like TV, computers and cell phones at mealtimes.

2. Don’t eat alone if you don’t have to. Instead of privately hovering over food, find ways to partake in a more relaxing meal and some good old conversation.

3. Carve out time. Going long periods of time without eating can force energy levels to plummet and hunger to spike. This leads to a greater likelihood that you’ll grab food and practically swallow it whole.

Written by Dana Angelo White, MS, RD, ATC, is a registered dietitian, certified athletic trainer and owner of Dana White Nutrition, Inc., which specializes in culinary and sports nutrition.

14 Mega Metabolism Boosters

Metabolism is the process your body uses to convert food into energy. If your weight loss has plateaued, it could be a sign that your metabolism is in need of a boost. Learn what to eat and drink to turbocharge your metabolism and shed unwanted pounds fast.

BCAA Powder

Branched-chain amino acids (BCAA) can help repair and build muscle even when you can't make it to the gym! Muscle burns at least three times the number of calories as fat, which makes building muscle a priority for boosting metabolism. BCAA does just that by helping your body repair and rebuild muscle. Get the benefits by adding 1000 mg of BCAA powder to your morning smoothie. Always ask your doctor before starting a new supplement.

Greek Yogurt and Lemon

This indulgently flavored dynamic duo will help you start your day with a mega metabolism boost. The vitamin C in the lemon can help your body absorb the metabolism-boosting calcium in the Greek yogurt.

Sage Leaf Tea

Compounds in sage leaf tea help move sugar out of the blood and into your cells, sending the message that it's time to start breaking down nutrients to use for the entire day. Having one cup of this tea with breakfast can help keep your metabolism revving all day long.

White Bean Extract

Every time you eat a sugary snack your body gets a huge rush of sugar, which spikes your blood sugar and promotes fat storage. White bean extract may stop your body from breaking carbohydrates down into sugars and storing them as fat. Take 500 mg of white bean extract once a day before your most carb-rich meal to get the benefits. Always ask your doctor before starting a new supplement.

Chili Peppers

Chili peppers get their heat from a bioactive compound called capsaicin, which may help curb your appetite by raising your body temperature. Get the fat-fighting benefits by incorporating more red peppers, cayenne, jalapeños, habaneros or Tabasco into your diet.

Vinegar

Cooking with vinegar can slow the absorption of carbohydrates and help prevent sudden surges in your blood sugar. It may also slow the passage of food through your stomach, keeping you fuller for longer.

Ice Water

Drinking ice water forces your body to burn calories by bringing your body temperature back to normal. Drinking eight glasses of ice water a day could work off almost 70 calories! Additionally, drinking a full glass of ice water before a meal will help you feel fuller quicker, helping to keep you from overeating.

Black Pepper

Black pepper contains the alkaloid piperine, which can help speed up metabolism. Try reaching for the pepper mill when you'd normally use salt; you'll boost your metabolism and reduce your sodium intake. If you want to multiply black pepper's metabolism-boosting effect, try adding it to tomato juice. Tomatoes contain lycopene, an antioxidant that helps protect your mitochondria.

Oolong Tea

Oolong tea contains polyphenols that may help block fat-building enzymes. Research shows that oolong may boost metabolism for up to several hours after every cup of Oolong. This young tea is also lower in caffeine than black tea or coffee, so substituting it could help you avoid a caffeine crash.

Papaya

Papaya contains an enzyme called papain, which improves protein digestion and absorption, which is key to boosting metabolism and burning fat

Matcha Green Tea

Matcha green tea contains the polyphenol EGCG, a thermogenic component believed to boost metabolism. Unlike other varieties of green tea, where you steep and discard the leaves, matcha tea is ground into a powder that completely dissolves in water. When you drink it, you ingest the tea leaves and all of their healthful nutrients. It has great antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. Enjoy matcha green tea cold – cold beverages require your body to work harder, burning more calories. For a metabolic boost, aim for three cups a day.

Cacao Nibs

Cacao nibs are the unsweetened, raw material that chocolate is made from. They’re chock-full of healthy, anti-inflammatory polyphenols to blast belly fat without the unwanted refined sugars in candy bars.

Spicy Wasabi Peas

If you're craving a crunchy, savory snack, reach for wasabi peas. The heat from the wasabi stimulates your body’s metabolic engine, while the fiber from the peas helps keep you full.

Ginger

For a metabolism-boosting meal, slice fresh ginger and stir-fry it with vegetables. Ginger not only aids in digestion but can also increase metabolic rates as much as 20 percent after eating.

Written by Dr. Oz

How to Prevent, and Treat, Sunburn

Story at-a-glance

• While it's true that excessive sun exposure resulting in sunburn may increase your risk of skin cancer, it’s a fallacy to believe that sun exposure should be avoided altogether
• When UVB strikes the surface of your skin, your skin converts a cholesterol derivative into vitamin D3, which is critical for overall health and disease prevention
• As a general rule of thumb, to optimize your vitamin D levels, you need to expose large portions of your skin to the sun – including your legs, back, arms, and chest, but avoid your face to reduce photoaging wrinkling
• The key is knowing when to cover back up. You only want your skin to turn the lightest shade of pink. Once that occurs—which can happen in as little as 10-20 minutes—cover up or get out of the sun
• One of the most effective first-aid strategies I know of is to apply raw aloe vera onto the burn. It’s loaded with powerful glyconutrients that accelerate healing. Several other natural first-aid treatments are also reviewed

You've heard the advice before: stay out of the sun or use plenty of sunscreen to block cancer-causing ultraviolet (UV) rays. But while it's true that excessivesun exposure resulting in sunburn may increase your risk of skin cancer, it's a fallacy to believe that sun exposure should be avoided altogether.

The key is to find the right balance, where you're exposing plenty of skin to the sun's rays, but not staying out to the point of getting burned. Sun exposure can only be therapeutic when it's done in appropriate and measured timeframes.

Excessive sun exposure provides no benefit and can only result in damage like sunburn, which is an inflammatory response in your skin to UVB overexposure. However, UVB exposure is precisely what you want, in appropriate amounts, because when UVB strikes the surface of your skin, your skin converts a cholesterol derivative into vitamin D3.

The benefits of optimizing your vitamin D stores cannot be overstated, and I've discussed this in a large number of articles spanning more than a decade. Ironically, one of the benefits is actually a significant reduction in cancer risk—both skin cancer and many other types of cancer.

Most recently, researchers again confirmed that adequate vitamin D stores increases the survival chances for bowel cancer patients. Another recent study found that low vitamin D levels increases the risk for advanced liver fibrosis in patients with hepatitis C.

Research continues to support that vitamin D truly is a "master key" for optimal health and disease prevention. This is why it's so important to strike the right balance. You need sun exposure—but not so much that you burn your skin.

UVAs versus UVBs

So, how can you get the benefits without raising your risk for skin damage? It's important to remember that the sun can either be helpful or harmful depending on what type of ultraviolet light you're getting. The ultraviolet light from the sun comes in two main wavelengths:

• Ultraviolet A (UVA) – Considered the unhealthy wavelength because it penetrates your skin more deeply and cause more free radical damage. Sunblocks containing SPF filter out the beneficial UVB, not these cancer-causing UVAs, unless they also contain a UVA blocking ingredient.
As a result, wearing sunscreen may prevent you from burning, as excessive UVBs are the chief cause of sunburn, but you still receive a large amount of skin-damaging radiation. Moreover, UVA rays areconstantly available, even on cloudy days.  There are likely some benefits to UVA in moderation that we do not fully understand, as there appears to be with many spectrums emitted from the sun.
• Ultraviolet B (UVB) – This is the 'healthy' wavelength that helps your skin produce vitamin D. While both UVA and UVB can cause tanning and burning, UVB does so far more rapidly.
Contrary to UVAs, which are more readily available, UVB rays are low in morning and evening, and high at midday or solar noon, making this the most optimal time for vitamin D production (roughly between 10:00 a.m. and 2:00 p.m.). Ironically, this is the timeframe most mainstream experts warn you to stay out of the sun.

What Constitutes 'Safe and Appropriate' Sun Exposure?

As a general rule of thumb, to optimize your vitamin D levels, you need to expose large portions of your skin to the sun – including your legs, back, arms, and chest. For optimal benefit, strive to have at least 40 percent of your skin uncovered.

The key is knowing when to cover back up. You want your skin to turn the lightest shade of pink. This can occur in as little as 10-20 minutes, depending on your skin tone and other factors, such as location and cloud cover.

At that point, you've reached your skin's equilibrium or saturation point, and your body will not produce any more vitamin D. It can take three to six times longer for darkly pigmented skin to reach the equilibrium concentration of skin vitamin D.

You can create as much as 20,000 units of vitamin D per day this way. Best of all, your body has this built-in feedback loop that prevents you from overdosing on the nutrient when you get it via sun exposure.

If you're taking supplemental vitamin D3, not only do you need to get your level tested regularly to ensure you're taking enough to maintain optimal levels (between 50 and 70 ng/ml), you also need to be mindful of increasing your intake of vitamin K2. When using the sun, having and maintaining a tan can serve as a "visual measure" of your vitamin D status.

Technological Aids

According to experts in the field, you can likely get sufficient amounts of UVB radiation when the sun is as low as 30 degrees above the horizon, or whenever the temperature is warm enough to expose large amounts of skin. Dr. Ola Engelsen with the Norwegian Institute for Air Research has noted that the sun must be more than 15 degrees above the horizon during cloudless conditions, in order to provide beneficial UVBs. He also developed a helpful calculator that takes a number of factors into consideration to give you an estimate of how many minutes of exposure you need to produce the equivalent of 1,000 IUs of vitamin D.

Sunburn: Signs and Symptoms

It's important to remember that there's no additional benefit to staying in the sun past the point of "pinking." For some light-skinned individuals with minimal previous sun exposure, this could only be a few minutes. You're only raising your risk of sunburn, which is something you definitely want to avoid. The risk of sunburn is higher if you have a lighter complexion. Telltale signs of sunburn include:

• Redness of the skin or erythema
• Skin that's warm or hot to the touch
• Discomfort when skin gets touched or rubbed against clothes
• Peeling or flaking of the skin
• Extreme dryness or wrinkling of the skin

These symptoms are frequently not immediately visible, but become obvious a few hours after overexposure. They tend to be most painful in the first 24 hours. Like ordinary burns, sunburns are classified into three degrees: first, second, and third. First- and second-degree sunburns are fairly temporary and are manageable at home. In third-degree sunburns, infection-prone skin blisters, fever, and chills can occur, and immediate medical attention is recommended to avoid complications.

How to Avoid Sunburn in the First Place

The benefits of sun exposure definitely outweigh its risks, but you do need to be smart about it. Taking a few sensible steps to avoid sunburn will ensure you're maximizing the benefits while limiting any potential adverse effects. To continuously enjoy the positive effects of sun exposure without getting burned, I recommend following these safety tips:

• Protect your face and eyes by wearing a wide-brimmed hat or a cap. The skin around these areas is much thinner than other areas of your body and is more at risk for cosmetic photo damage and premature wrinkling.  If it's too hot to protect your skin by covering with light clothing, be sure to use a broad spectrum sunscreen on your skin - these products often contain zinc.
• Limit your initial exposure and slowly work your way up. If you are a fairly light-skinned individual who tends to burn easily, limit your initial exposure to just a few minutes, especially if it is in the middle of summer. The more tanned your skin gets, the longer you can stay in the sun without burning. If it is early or late in the season and/or you are a dark-skinned individual, you could likely safely have 30 minutes on your initial exposure.
• Build an internal sunscreen with beneficial antioxidants. Astaxanthin – a potent antioxidant – has been found to offer effective protection against sun damage when taken as a daily supplement. Do note that it takes a couple of weeks for it to build up in your system, so you cannot simply take it the day you're hitting the beach. Astaxanthin can also be used topically. You can make your own lotion by adding astaxanthin to organic coconut oil, be careful of staining your clothing as astaxanthin is a very dark red. Other helpful antioxidants include proanthocyanidins, resveratrol, and lycopene.
• Moisturize your skin naturally. Before sunbathing, apply organic coconut oil on the exposed areas of your skin (as noted above, you could add some astaxanthin to the oil for an added measure of protection). This will not only moisturize your skin to prevent dryness, but will also give you additional metabolic benefits.

Eating Your Veggies Helps Protect Your Skin from Sun Damage

The amount of antioxidants you get from your diet actually plays a major role in how you effectively avoid sunburn. The more antioxidants you have in your skin, the lower your risk of getting burned. They act as an internal type of sunscreen and allow you to maximize your sun exposure while minimizing the risks. Carotenoids, for instance, are critical to the photosynthetic process and protect a plant or organism from damage by light and oxygen.

By consuming plants or organisms that contain these pigments, you gain a similar protective benefit. Vitamins A and C are also important – your cells use them to regulate both light absorption and protection against sun overexposure. Besides astaxanthin, which is taken as a supplement, dietary sources of effective antioxidants include whole fresh vegetables and fruits such as raspberries, blackberries, and blueberries. Although the exact pathway by which antioxidants help protect your skin from burning has yet to be elucidated, it's most likely related to the antioxidants' anti-inflammatory properties, as sunburn is actually an inflammatory process.

How to Treat Sunburn Naturally

Taking measures to prevent sunburn from occurring is clearly your best course of action. But should you end up getting overexposed, the following strategies can help speed the healing of your skin, and minimize the damage. One of the most effective first-aid strategies I know of is to apply raw aloe vera gel topically to the burn. It's loaded with powerful glyconutrients that accelerate healing. Aloe is also easy to grow if you live in a southern location, and is an excellent medicinal plant to keep in your home garden (or keep one in a pot on your balcony).

You need to be careful of the species as many have very flat leaves with virtually no gel. The best plants have the thickest leaves. They are relatively easy to propagate and you can turn one plant into six or more in under a year. I now have about four dozen aloe vera plants on my property, which I use both for oral and topical use. After cutting the leaf from the plant, you want to first cut off the prickly edges. Then, using a peeler, peel the skin off one side. You can now rub the jelly side directly on your sunburn. For a demonstration, see the following video. Apply it five times a day until your condition improves.

Applying cold compresses to the sunburned area can also help lessen the burning pain. To avoid further irritation, do not wash sunburned skin with harsh soaps. Speaking of water, you also want to make sure to stay properly hydrated by drinking plenty of water. Young children need to be carefully monitored for signs of dehydration.

Avoid applying petroleum jelly on your sunburn, as it may exacerbate the burn. It is also a petrochemical that is loaded with toxins you don't want in your system. I would suggest never applying petroleum jelly topically. Also, it's inadvisable to take over-the-counter anti-inflammatory medications or painkillers in most cases, as they may simply worsen your condition. Besides aloe vera, there are plenty of other topical food-based remedies that can help ease the pain and speed healing. For example, you can use:

Potatoes - Potatoes have starch-based compounds that may help soothe sunburn. Chop an uncooked potato into slices, and rub or pat down a piece on your sore sunburned spots. You can also try grating a cold raw potato and applying it as a poultice.	Honey - The ancient Egyptians were known to use honey as a topical salve for skin burns. Just make sure you're using high-quality honey, such as raw organic honey, or Manuka honey, which has very potent medicinal qualities. The "Grade A" type honey you find in most grocery stores is more akin to high fructose corn syrup, which is more likely to increase infection, and should never be used to treat topical wounds.
Vinegar - The acetic acid found in vinegar is said to reduce pain, itching, and inflammation. Add a cup of apple cider vinegar into your bath water and soak your burned skin into it. It can also work like a natural aspirin. Simply dab a bit of white vinegar on to your sunburn for 20 minutes of instant pain relief.	Green tea - Green tea's catechin and tannic acid help soothe sunburn pain. Soak a couple of tea bags in cool water. You can either use the tea bags themselves as a cold compress on the burnt areas, or wash your face gently with the cold tea extract. Studies also suggest that drinking just two cups of green tea a day can provide additional sun-protective benefits.
Cucumbers - With cucumber's cooling effect, simply putting it on top of your sunburns is guaranteed to provide instant soothing effects. You can also use it as a paste by mashing it and applying it on your skin.	Lettuce - To take advantage of lettuce's painkilling benefits, boil its leaves in water. After straining, allow the liquid to cool. Keep it chilled inside the refrigerator. Using clean organic cotton balls, carefully apply the lettuce juice over the affected area.
Calendula - It has natural anti-inflammatory and healing properties that are especially beneficial for burns. Although there are many calendula creams sold in drugstores today, you can make your own calendula poultice using fresh calendula blossoms for faster healing of your sunburns.	Coriander oil - For a soothing effect, use it as an essential oil by lightly rubbing it onto your sunburn.

Sunscreens May Do More Harm Than Good

As noted earlier, sunscreens effectively protect against UVB, which is the main cause of sunburn, and are classified into their level of sun protection factor or SPF:

• SPF 15 - Blocks 93 percent of UVB radiation
• SPF 30 - Blocks up to 97 percent of UVB radiation
• SPF 50 - Blocks up to 98 percent of UVB radiation

This means that when you apply sunblock, even at a lower SPF 15, you're effectively eliminating any chance of raising your vitamin D level. And, as mentioned earlier, most sunscreens do not filter out the more damaging UVAs, unless it also contains a UVA block. So you're still being exposed to harmful UVA rays, even if you don't get burned. Besides preventing vitamin D production, sunscreens are problematic for other reasons as well.

Many contain toxic and/or hormone-disrupting ingredients, which migrate through your skin directly into your bloodstream. Products that contain vitamin A and its derivatives, retinol and retinyl palmitate, may also increase the speed at which malignant cells develop. Consumer Reports recently warned that parents should stop applying spray-on sunscreens on their kids until more research is done to assess the dangers of titanium dioxide and zinc oxide—two key sunscreen ingredients. According to the report, children may be inhaling these chemicals when the sunscreen is sprayed on.

Vitamin D Performance Testing Can Help Optimize Your Health

In my view, sensible sun exposure is so important for optimal health, you're really doing yourself and your kids a disservice by not learning how to do so safely and effectively. A robust and growing body of research (totaling in the neighborhood of 34,000 studies) clearly shows that vitamin D is absolutely critical for disease prevention. Researchers have pointed out that increasing levels of vitamin D3 among the general population could prevent chronic diseases that claim nearly one million lives throughout the world each year. Incidence of several types of cancer could also be slashed in half.  

This is why I am so excited about the D*Action Project by GrassrootsHealth. It is showing how you can take action today on known science with a consensus of experts without waiting for institutional lethargy. It has shown how by combining the science of measurement (of vitamin D levels) with the personal choice of taking action and, the value of education about individual measures that one can truly be in charge of their own health.

In order to spread this health movement to more communities, the project needs your involvement. To participate, simply purchase the D*Action Measurement Kit and follow the registration instructions included. (Please note that 100 percent of the proceeds from the kits go to fund the research project. I do not charge a single dime as a distributor of the test kits.)

As a participant, you agree to test your vitamin D levels twice a year during a five-year study, and share your health status to demonstrate the public health impact of this nutrient. There is a $65 fee every six months for your sponsorship of this research project, which includes a test kit to be used at home, and electronic reports on your ongoing progress. You will get a follow up email every six months reminding you "it's time for your next test and health survey."

Written by Dr. Mercola

How to Get Rid of Pimples Fast

Pimples are a normal skin condition that affect many people. Pimples are an inflammation of the skin in which the sebaceous glands (oil glands) become infected with bacteria, swell up, and fill with pus. Excess sebum secretion by the oil glands is the primary cause behind this problem. Pimples generally occur on the face, neck, back and shoulders. Though not a critical condition, pimples can make a person feel miserable due to their appearance.

There are a lot of lotions and medicines on the market to treat pimples but they can take time. Many natural methods are effective in treating pimples within a very short time period.

Here are the top 10 ways to get rid of pimples fast.

1. Ice

Ice can be used to quickly get rid of pimples. It helps in improving blood circulation to the affected area, and in freezing the skin pores and removing dirt and oil accumulated on the skin. You can use ice cubes or crushed ice, whichever is convenient.

1. Wrap the ice in a piece of cloth and hold it on the affected skin area for a few seconds.
2. Wait a few minutes and repeat the process.

When used repeatedly on the pimples throughout the day, ice helps reduce inflammation or swelling and will immediately soothe your skin.

2. Lemon

Another quick way to get rid of pimples is the use of lemon juice, which is rich in vitamin C. Lemon juice helps pimples dry up faster. Be sure to use fresh lemon juice and not bottled juice, which has preservatives. There are a couple of ways to apply this remedy.

• Dip a clean cotton swab in fresh lemon juice and apply it to the pimples before going to bed.
• You can also make a paste by mixing one tablespoon of lemon juice with one teaspoon of cinnamon powder and put it on the pimples overnight. In the morning, wash the skin well with lukewarm water. However, this particular remedy is not suitable for those with sensitive skin.

3. Honey

Honey is a source of natural antibiotics that can speed up the healing process, as well as help prevent infections.

1. Dip and clean cotton swab in honey, put it directly on the affected area and leave it on for half an hour.
2. Wash the skin well with lukewarm water.

Another option is to mix honey and cinnamon together to make a paste and applying it over the pimples before going to bed. In the morning, there will be less inflammation or swelling. Wash the skin well with cold water.

4. Toothpaste

The toothpaste that you use every morning to clean your teeth also can be used to treat pimples quickly. It is most effective when used following the ice remedy. You must use white toothpaste; avoid using gel toothpaste.

1. Apply some white toothpaste over the affected skin area before going to bed.
2. In the morning, wash your face with water and you will see a significant improvement in the swelling.

If you wish, you can repeat the process in the daytime also. Just make sure the toothpaste remains on the pimples for at least half an hour.

5. Steam

Steaming is wonderful for your skin at any time, but particularly when you have pimples. The steam will open your pores and allow your skin to breathe. This helps get rid of oils, dirt and bacteria trapped in the pores that can cause infection or inflammation.

1. Fill a large container with hot water and allow the steam to come in contact with your face for a few minutes.
2. Rinse your face with lukewarm water and, after drying, apply an oil-free moisturizer.

This treatment will also give your complexion a lovely glow.

6. Garlic

Garlic is an antiviral, antifungal, antiseptic and antioxidant agent that can help in the fast treatment of pimples. The sulfur in garlic also promotes quick healing of pimples.

1. Cut a fresh garlic clove into two pieces.
2. Rub the garlic on the pimples and leave it for five minutes before washing the skin with lukewarm water.
3. Repeat the treatment several times a day.

Eating one raw garlic clove daily can also help purify your blood. But do not to eat too much raw garlic as it can upset the stomach.

7. Baking Soda

Baking soda is a good option for all, but especially those with sensitive skin because it will not cause any kind of skin irritation.

1. Make a thick paste by mixing one teaspoon of baking soda with some water or lemon juice.
2. Wash your skin well, leaving it slightly damp. Apply the paste on the affected areas and allow it to dry for a few minutes. Never keep baking soda on your skin for longer than a few minutes as it can cause dryness.
3. Wash your face with warm water and apply a moisturizer.
4. Repeat the process twice a day for quick results.

8. Peppermint

Peppermint is a powerful herb that can help eliminate pimples very fast. The calming, soothing effect of the menthol present in peppermint helps reduce the irritation and redness caused by pimples. Its antibacterial and antiviral properties also help kill bacteria that causes pimples.

1. Crush some peppermint leaves to extract the juice.
2. Apply the juice gently on your pimples and leave it for 10 minutes.
3. Wash your skin with cold water.

If fresh peppermint leaves are not available, you can use peppermint oil, which contains a number of vitamins and essential fatty acids. Take two to three drops of peppermint oil and apply it on your pimples. Massage the oil for a few minutes and then rinse with water.

9. Cucumber

Cucumber is a rich source of potassium and vitamins such as A, C and E. It also has a cooling and soothing effect on the skin.

1. Cut one or two fresh cucumbers into pieces and soak them in water for about an hour. The nutrients, such as vitamin A, potassium and chlorophyll will transfer to the water.
2. Strain the water and drink it, or use the water to wash your face.

You can also make a face mask by grinding one cucumber. Apply the mask on your face and allow it to dry for 15 minutes. Wash your skin with warm water. This will help clean dirt and bacteria from your pores.

10. Papaya

Papaya fruit has a number of properties that help in the treatment of pimples. It is a good source of the antioxidant vitamin A, and it has enzymes that help reduce inflammation and make your skin soft and smooth. In addition, the exfoliating capability present in papaya will remove dead skin cells and help clear clogged pores. It is simple to use — just crush raw papaya pieces to extract its juice and apply it over the pimples.

From Top 10 Home Remedies