Last Updated on November 21st, 2021
By Dr. Jaggi Rao, MD, FRCPC, Double board-certified dermatologist
If you’re reading this, it is safe to assume that pimples have appeared somewhere on your body and you are wondering what to do. We have a suggestion for some simple solutions – namely, Mother Nature.
One natural resource which has been proven to counteract acne is ginger. It is a cheap and easily accessible remedy, with additional benefits besides treating acne.
Read on to learn if ginger for acne works and how to pair ginger with other acne-fighting products for the best results.
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Ginger is a proven annihilator of acne-causing germs. Its antioxidants are powerful agents when faced with the free radicals which cause inflammation. If your pimples are making you suffer physically, there are around 30 chemicals in ginger which alleviate irritation and discomfort (such as zingibain, shogaols and gingerols).
Ginger not only treats the symptoms of acne, but also acts against the condition itself. Acne is often caused by a glucose- and insulin-filled diet, and this natural cure can impose control over these substances in your system. It also stimulates your blood flow, which is not only helpful against skin problems, but contributes to your general well-being.
Ginger also carries various minerals and vitamins that work to rejuvenate your complexion on a daily basis.
For instance, its vitamin C content serves to reduce acne scars. Not only that, but ginger can actually boost your skin’s overall health and prevent the onset of age-based creases. More generally, this natural gift can even help you deal with stress and tension.
However, ginger alone won’t magically cure your acne. There are many factors that contribute to acne, and ginger isn’t the miracle cure for them all. If you really want to see results, we recommend a skincare system that has a 98% success rate and industry-leading money-back guarantee, like Exposed Skincare.
If you want to try incorporating ginger into your acne routine, we have some methods to try.
The ways you can use ginger are almost as numerous as the health benefits that it provides. You can mix it with other products, or you can rely solely on its own powers for achieving better skin.
You can eat peeled ginger root on its own. If the taste doesn’t sit well with you, you can try ginger tea, pastry, snaps, ale, tincture, spices, soups, etc. You can also take ginger-based vitamin pills.
If you are feeling creative, you can make some topical ginger juice, too. Grind up some of the root and blend it on its own, or with water, to obtain an even paste. If you are using water, extract the juice of this mixture and use it as an ointment that you let rest on your skin for a short amount of time. You can also mix in other beneficial ingredients like honey.
If you are solely using ginger, you can also simply peel the root and massage your skin with its slices. Do this even if you feel some momentary irritation, but know that if it tingles, it’s working! Remove the ginger with some cold water and enjoy better skin. If you notice an improvement, begin doing this every day for long lasting results.
You can also make some ginger-based drinks. Ginger-honey tea is an especially energizing choice. Mix a teaspoon of ground ginger into a couple of cups of boiling water. If you want, you can add some turmeric or a chopped up stalk of lemongrass to stimulate your skin and immune system even more. Lemongrass is especially beneficial if you are battling a flu, nausea, or digestive problems. For maximum benefit, mix in a dozen black peppercorns in their minced form.
Let this potion simmer for several minutes, then remove from heat and let cool for ten minutes. During this time, you can give it more beneficial oomph by adding pre-made herbal tea, such as the green variety, into the cooling liquid. Enjoy this with some honey, or even with some lemon for an extra boost. Drink this twice or three times a day for best results.
Tired of hot beverages and feel like a regenerating smoothie instead? The cold drink will not only bring down your skin’s irritation by ridding you of free radicals, but it will also act as an antioxidant for your entire system. Just blend three carrots, an orange and a piece of peeled ginger. You can also use a juicer, but ensure you mix the concoction very well.
Feeling racy? Make some ginger beer or ale! Unfortunately, we would not recommend adding alcohol to these drinks. To make ginger beer, grate about 140 grams of peeled ginger and some lemon skin, and blend the results with 15 milliliters of Muscovado sugar. Extract the juice of three lemons and stir it into the pulp. Add a liter of your favorite sort of sparkling water and let all of this sit for about 10 minutes. Use a strainer to get the pure liquid out of your concoction, and add sweetener and mint, according to taste. This tastes best when consumed ice cold.
If preparing this ginger drink sounds like a lot of work, be assured that this quantity will last for several uses! Just a quarter of it is enough to give your skin the necessary boost.
Our last edible option is not really a drink but more of a supplement—a papaya-based ginger additive. Boil together 30 grams of papaya and four to five grams of ground up, peeled ginger. Additionally, pour in about 50 milliliters of your favorite vinegar. Lower the temperature of the stove and let it all simmer to the point when the vinegar smell is no longer predominant over the mixture. Take it off the stove and allow it to sit. You should keep this mixture in the fridge for best results. Munch on two to three teaspoons every day. You should notice visible results in your complexion after about a week.
Do these recipes sound like a lot of work? Masks are a great topical choice for alleviating acne, without having to follow food and drink recipes.
To minimize irritation on your skin, try a powdered milk mask. A single ground teaspoon of ginger is enough for this procedure. You can use a pestle and mortar to make it more spreadable and then mix in two to three teaspoons of powdered milk.
If the result is still too hard to apply to your face evenly, drop in a small amount of water and stir vigorously. Spread it on your face with clean hands and let it rest there for up to 20 minutes, then remove with water. Do not use warm water, as that will only open your pores unnecessarily. Since the goal of this mask is to dry up excess oils, don’t forget to hydrate your face with a mild, ideally water-based, moisturizer at the end.
Garlic is another excellent cure for ongoing inflammation. Warning: This will make you smell like garlic, so save it for times when you won’t have to see others! Blend together two tablespoons of ground ginger and several cloves of garlic. Mix in water to obtain an even paste. Distribute this over your face and allow it to sit for some time. Once it feels dry, remove with water and hydrate the skin thoroughly.
For sensitive skin, you can create your own ginger spray. Add two tablespoons of cut up parsley into two cups of boiling water. Let this sit for about an hour. Use a sieve to extract the juice and boil it again with two tablespoons of minced ginger in it. Simmer this for 20 minutes, remove the juice again, and spray it evenly onto your face. Do this every time you take off your make-up, or even before you apply it, as well.
Are you battling acne over your entire body? Luckily, you can also bathe in ginger or make it into soap. Fix yourself a bath and mix in two tablespoons of ginger (or a dozen drops of its oil). Enjoy your bath for about half an hour, drinking some water throughout so as to remind hydrated. Do this a couple of times a week, but avoid it if you have heart problems.
While your acne may be caused by hormones or an unsuitable lifestyle, ginger can be of help – but don’t ingest more than four grams of it per day.
Remember, the more raw the ginger is, the better. Don’t use it if you have high blood pressure, thin blood, diabetes or gallstones, or if you are pregnant or taking any medicine that reduces inflammation. Avoid aspirin around the time that you take in ginger.
So now you know that ginger can help your acne…but you really need to eat it raw (which is not a taste most people like) or prepare complicated teas, juices or other concoctions to get its benefits.
In short, ginger is not a miracle cure for acne. However, using natural ingredients to fight acne will help. That’s why we love the Exposed Skincare routine. It combines ingredients like green tea, passion flower extract, licorice root extract and tea tree oil—all found in nature—to soothe and calm skin.
Like ginger, these natural ingredients help reduce inflammation, which is a major cause of acne. However, the benefit to Exposed Skincare is that the products also contain proven acne-fighting active ingredients like salicylic acid and benzoyl peroxide. To truly combat acne and see results, you absolutely have to use active ingredients like these.
We recommend Exposed Skincare because they are the only product line that we’ve reviewed that achieves consistent results. Here are a couple of the pros of Exposed Skincare:
So if you want to incorporate ginger into your routine, make sure to pair it with a proven skincare regimen that will actually get you results.
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