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Homemade Natural Remedy for Pimples: Science Behind the Ingredients

Jan 23, 2023 · 38K views · 4K likes · 21 comments · 16 shares

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AI Search Summary

This video evaluates a homemade acne remedy made from baking soda, honey, and apple cider vinegar, focusing on pH, skin-barrier risk, and the difference between plausible ingredients and evidence-backed acne treatment.

  • Main question: How can you create a homemade remedy for pimples using common kitchen ingredients?
  • Short answer: The specific paste is not a science-backed acne treatment, and the pH effects could irritate skin or disrupt the skin barrier.
  • Evidence type: pH demonstration plus related honey/acne evidence from a source page.
  • Search topics: homemade acne remedy, baking soda acne, apple cider vinegar skin, honey for acne, skin pH, acne science.

Common Search Questions

Is baking soda, honey, and apple cider vinegar good for acne?

The video warns that this mixture is not a science-backed acne treatment. Apple cider vinegar can be irritatingly acidic, baking soda can push the mixture toward neutral or basic, and healthy skin is normally mildly acidic.

Why does skin pH matter for acne remedies?

Skin is normally somewhat acidic, around pH 5. Raising skin pH with a neutral or basic paste may disrupt the skin barrier rather than help acne.

Is honey good for acne?

Honey has evidence in wound-healing contexts, but acne-specific clinical evidence is weaker. The related source page notes that one small randomized trial did not show a clear added benefit from adding honey to antimicrobial soap.

Key Takeaways

  • Familiar kitchen ingredients are not automatically safe for facial skin.
  • Vinegar can irritate or burn skin.
  • Baking soda can disrupt the skin barrier.
  • Acne treatments such as salicylic acid work partly because they are acids; neutralizing or raising pH is not the same mechanism.
  • Honey may have wound-healing evidence, but that does not automatically make it an acne treatment.

Transcript / Article Basis

The home-remedy claim

The video tests the claim instead of just vibe-checking it.

Mixing baking soda, honey, and apple cider vinegar into a paste is not a science-backed acne treatment.

The pH demonstration

A pH meter shows water near neutral, apple cider vinegar around the acidic range, honey still acidic, and the combined baking-soda mixture moving back above neutral.

That matters because acne treatments like salicylic acid work partly because they are acids that help break down dead skin cells and oils. Randomly neutralizing or raising skin pH is not the same thing.

Why familiar ingredients can still be risky

Home remedies often sound safer because the ingredients are familiar. But familiar does not mean harmless, especially on skin.

Vinegar can irritate or burn, baking soda can disrupt the skin barrier, and a neutral paste may push skin away from the mildly acidic environment it normally uses to protect itself.

Honey evidence nuance

A related Distilled Science page notes that honey has evidence in wound-healing contexts, but the acne-specific clinical evidence is much weaker.

In one small randomized trial, adding honey to antimicrobial soap did not show a clear added benefit over the soap alone.

Additional Notes

Caption context

@creative_explained I love the plant knowledge, but let’s do some testing here.

Related source page

Related source page: Is Honey Good for Acne?

References