by Samira Mohamed Ali [email protected]
Having modelled since she was 11 years old for high profile brands and companies around the world, Samira Mohamed Ali is “very proud” to be half Portuguese and half Arabic, with a strong Welsh accent! Samira, who is a regular Algarve visitor, brings you natural remedies to clear skin blemishes this week.
For years I suffered with terrible skin, like many others.
Acne doesn’t just occur when you are a teenager. I actually started suffering from it in my mid-20s, which shocked me, as my skin had always been healthy.
Unfortunately, the first reaction, when you see a big beaming pimple, is to cover it with heavy concealer.
I realised this was not the way forward as it just made the problem worse and the breakout seemed to grow. I really needed to fight this problem.
Due to the pigmentation in my olive-based skin, my acne was a dark purple colour, which was very hard to disguise, much harder to try and deal with than red blemishing.
I went to see a dermatologist, my GP and various other skin experts. I also did all the necessary reading on the web to try and see if I could find a cure.
Well, I found a really great, simple ingredient that has done the trick, after two years of research and a number of products and ingredients later.
Onions! Yes, onions. I came across an excellent skin doctor who bases all his remedies from Indian spices or ingredients. He suggested a number of spices but I found the smells very overpowering on my face and they didn’t seem to work as well on my skin.
So he recommended a natural smelling ingredient, which was onion and this really did wonders! My eyes did water a little the first few times, but I seemed to get used to the onion aroma.
Onions, when left on the skin, have anti-microbial properties that support the healing process on inflamed, patchy, red/purple coloured skin. This method should not be used on broken/cut skin.
You will need:
• Red or white onion
• 2x small bowls
• Grater
• Cotton wool
• One of the following: rosewater/almond oil/vitamin E oil/olive oil
How to prepare it:
1. Grate red or white ¼ onion into a bowl
2. Squeeze the juice of the grated onion into another bowl.
3. Dip cotton wool into the onion juice and gently wipe over blemishing or affected areas.
4. Where you have wiped the onion juice over skin, take grated onion and pat into skin. Leave on skin for 2-3 minutes – tilt head back or to side, whatever is easiest, to prevent the onions from sliding off your skin.
5. Once complete, you can gently pat face with a luke warm wet flannel.
6. Then rub rosewater, almond oil, vitamin E oil or olive oil into skin
with fingertips.
See below for which one would possibly suit your skin type:
Rosewater – Acts as an anti-inflammatory and soothes irritated skin. Suitable for sensitive/normal skin.
Almond oil – Nourishes the skin making it smooth, soft and a great afterglow. Suitable for sensitive/normal skin.
Vitamin E oil – Protects and repairs skin, also great as an anti-ager to reduce fine lines and wrinkles. Suitable for dry skin.
Olive oil – Great moisturiser for skin. Suitable for dry skin.
Do this process three times a week until you start seeing an improvement in your skin tone and the affected areas become less visible and smooth.
This really beats many of the acne creams and lotions as the harsh chemicals dry out your skin to make it look improved for a short while, but there is long term damage and you’re left with a dull looking complexion.
This process can also be used if you have sun spots that have blemished your skin.
The onion process should help fade or even diminish the dark spots.
If you have any questions, feel free to contact me via the Algarve Resident or send me a message on Twitter- officialsamira.
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