8 ways to treat and reduce facial redness

Redness in your face can be embarrassing, upsetting and unsightly, and can tend to flare up at the most inconvenient times.

If you have rosacea, your face can easily become red from wine or even the sun, and can flush your cheeks and nose. Other types of redness can occur around the mouth, chin and even eyes.

But no matter what your redness is caused by, there is help to reduce the symptoms with some simple home remedies.

Here’s 8 of our favourites…

1. Cucumber mask

The coolness of cucumber will help to counteract the heat from the redness. Cut up a cucumber into slices and chill it in the fridge, then apply to your face. Leave for half an hour and rinse with cold water.

2. Cat’s claw

The extract of this herb helps to reduce food sensitivities that can cause rosacea. It will also help to reduce the flare up of rosacea caused by food or certain medicines. Take 500mg three times a day.

3. Oats

Oats sooth and reduce redness, itching and is well known for its ability to calm skin. Mix the oats with water and apply. Leave on for 20 minutes and wash off.

4. Apple Cider Vinegar

Apple cider vinegar has anti-inflammatory properties. You can either drink two tablespoons of apple cider vinegar each day or apply it to the skin directly and repeat until you see a reduction.

5. Maintain a healthy diet

Nutritional deficiencies may increase the instances of rosacea. Eliminate excess sugars, and reduce consumption of corn, dairy, gluten and nuts if you are prone to redness. Eat lots of fruits and veges that are rich in anti-oxidants, plus fish with omega-3 fatty acids.

6. Feverfew (Tanacetum parthenium) skin cream

Feverfew reduces inflammation and is effective in treating inflammatory skin conditions, and it has been found that it reduces inflammatory markers and skin redness.

7. Lavender oil

Soak a cotton ball with lavender oil and massage into the affected areas, repeating daily. Lavender oil has antiseptic and anti-inflammatory properties.

8. Licorice

Believe it or not, studies have shown that licorice helps to reduce redness caused by rosacea. Licorice extract has powerful anti-inflammatory properties that help promote healthy skin cells. Plus, it reduces skin irritation. Mix one tbsp of licorice powder with one tsp of honey and aloe vera. Apply to your red skin and leave on for 10 minutes before washing off.

Do you have rosacea? What home remedies do you use to reduce the redness?