How to Make an Anti Acne Smoothie for Clear Skin

In today’s post, I’m going to show you how to make an anti acne smoothie right at home. You can start drinking one every day for breakfast to help clear your acne day by day!

Smoothies pack a whole bunch of skin-friendly nutrients that are needed to start your skin’s healing process.

An anti acne smoothie contains anti-inflammatory and antioxidant rich ingredients such as leafy greens, fruits, berries, veggies, nuts and superfoods – all needed to attain that clear sin everyone wants!

What makes smoothies special for clearing acne? Let’s see the benefits below:

5 Benefits of an Anti Acne Smoothie

1. Reduce Inflammation

An anti acne smoothie is loaded with anti-inflammatory ingredients that makes it good for reducing inflammation. Inflammation is one of the main underlying causes of acne.

Acne is one of the physical manifestations of internal inflammation which is chronic.

Inflammatory acne is characterized by red swollen and painful bumps. They usually show up during your menstrual cycle and don’t improve with products or medication.

Inflammation is aggravated by too much acidity in the body. Drinking smoothies which are filled with alkaline fruits & vegetables helps balance the body’s pH hence reducing acidity and inflammation.

2. Loaded with Fiber

Smoothies are simply one of the best foods for acne because they contain FIBER. Fiber is needed for a healthy gut. The gut and skin have a major connection.

If your gut is unhealthy, that is, you frequently suffer from symptoms such as bloating, constipation, diarrhea and other stomach upsets, then chances are your skin will suffer too.

Fiber is the food for healthy gut bacteria. Gut bacteria help keep the gut well-functioning, hormones regulated and immune system strong.

Fiber-rich foods also help you get regular bowel movements. If you have constipation, fiber can help you get things moving along in the intestines.

Constipation is not good for acne because the longer wastes and toxins stay stuck in your body, the easier it is for them to get reabsorbed back into the blood stream.

These toxins then end up being purged via another elimination site which is the skin – giving rise to pus-filled acne!

3. Balances Hormones

Hormones are another big factors when it comes to acne. And what’s worse is hormonal acne doesn’t just happen during puberty. Many women get acne during their menstrual cycle, pregnancy, and menopause too.

This is because of hormonal imbalance. One of the hormonal imbalances that causes acne is cortisol imbalance. Because our skin naturally has receptors for cortisol, the stress hormone, it means when you are going through stressful times, your skin will respond in some way or another in form of acne, dullness or premature fine lines.

Smoothies help balance hormones because they contain ingredients that support hormone regulation such as fruits, vegetables and superfoods. Eating certain foods help get your hormones back on track.

For example, the fiber in raw carrots helps transport excess estrogen out of the body by sticking to the soluble cholesterol molecules in the intestines. Apples, beets and other foods also have a lot of fiber that supports elimination of excess hormones that are considered wastes in the body.

4. Supports Liver Detoxification

The liver is one of the most important organs in the body because it helps process, break down and eliminate toxins and wastes in the body.

Toxins can enter the body through a variety of channels, including through our diets and also artificial skin care/beauty products.

If the liver is not functioning well, it can’t do the detoxification process properly which leads to wastes floating freely in the bloodstream, which eventually accumulate and are purged through the skin as pus-filled acne.

Smoothies contain liver-friendly fruits, vegetables and superfoods that promote a healthy liver that does its functions of detoxification properly.

5. Regulates Blood Sugar

Spikes in blood sugar levels trigger the body’s inflammatory response. One of the major parts of this inflammatory response is the release of cortisol, also known as the stress hormone.

Chronically high cortisol levels are unhealthy for the body and mainly the skin because the skin has receptors for cortisol. These cortisol receptors respond by triggering production of more and more of the skin’s natural oils.

And you know what that means: more oils = more acne.

Drinking smoothies helps stabilize blood sugar levels by slowing down the absorption of sugar. Low rates of sugar absorption means lower spikes of blood sugar which can increase cortisol.

Top 8 Foods for Acne to Include in an Anti Acne Smoothie

1. Leafy Greens

One of the healthiest food groups on this planet is leafy greens! They include spinach, kale, dandelion greens, collard greens, turnip greens, romaine lettuce and more.

What makes them great for acne is their powerful nutrients as well as fiber content. They include vitamins such as vitamin A, B, C, D, E, K and minerals like potassium, magnesium, calcium, selenium, phosphorous, manganese, iron, zinc and more. All of these nutrients are very good for clearing acne naturally.

Leafy greens are also anti-inflammatory which makes them good at fighting inflammation in the body.

The fiber helps flush out wastes from the colon which would otherwise be eliminated through the skin as acne.

2. Fruits

All fruits are healthy so there’s no limit to what fruits you can choose for your anti-acne smoothie!

They contain powerful antioxidants, phytochemicals, vitamins and minerals that your skin craves. Fruits also have a lot of fiber in them.

Some of the top fruits for acne prone skin include:

Apples
Bananas
Berries
Kiwis
Mangoes
Pineapples
Peaches
Watermelon
Cantaloupe
Papaya
Citrus fruits
Coconut
Dates
Guava
Pears
Passion fruit
Pomegranate
And more!

3. Vegetables

Vegetables are also chockfull of nutrients and they belong in an anti acne smoothie. Some of the veggies you can add to make your smoothie include:

Carrots
Beets
Celery
Cucumbers
Pumpkin
Avocado
Tomato
And more!

4. Nuts

Nuts not only make a smoothie creamy but they are also loaded with proteins and hormone-balancing omega 3 fatty acids! Some of the nuts you can add to an anti acne smoothie include:

Almonds (where to get it)
Peanuts (where to get it)
Cashews (where to get it)
Pistachios (where to get it)

You can also use nut butter instead of nuts such as peanut butter (where to get it) and almond butter (where to get it). Seed butters are also AH-mazing like sesame seed butter, also known as tahini (where to get it).

5. Seeds

Seeds come in the same category as nuts when it comes to acne-fighting. They are loaded with omega 3 which helps in balancing hormones.

Seeds also contain a lot of fiber, which helps in waste elimination and also helps keep you fuller for longer.

Pumpkin seeds and sunflower seeds are also rich in zinc, a mineral that is known to have acne-clearing abilities.

Some seeds you can add to your anti acne smoothie include:

Chia seeds (where to get it)
Hemp seeds (where to get it)
Flaxseeds (where to get it)
Pumpkin seeds (where to get it)
Sesame seeds (where to get it)

Tip: Roasted seeds make for great smoothie toppings.

6. Plant Milks

Plant milks are a popular option for smoothie making these days. Not only are they dairy-free, which many people with acne appreciate, but they also thicken the smoothie and make it more creamy and palatable.

Some of the plant milks you can use in your anti acne smoothie include:

Almond milk (where to get it)
Oat milk (where to get it)
Coconut milk (where to get it)

My personal favs that also taste great are almond and coconut milk. Avoid soy milk because it may worsen hormonal acne in some women.

7. Superfood Powders

Since there’s often a hormonal component to acne, it doesn’t hurt to include some hormone-friendly ingredients in your smoothie. Here are a few to consider:

Maca Root Powder (where to get it) – It acts as an adaptogen that nourishes the adrenal glands that produce cortisol. This helps balance high cortisol levels.It also supports liver detoxification and balances sex hormones. It has a nutty kind of flavour which goes well with plant milks. You can put in ¼ to 1 teaspoon in your smoothie.

*maca may raise your libido, so if you don’t want that, then you may skip it.

Ashwagandha (where to get it) – Another adaptogenic herb, ashwagandha regulates cortisol and blood sugar levels. It’s also good at reducing anxiety and depression, both of which may be affecting acne-sufferers. Add just a little – ¼ to ½ teaspoons so it doesn’t leave an aftertaste.

Chlorella (where to get it) or Spirulina (where to get it) – I love adding either one of these two green superfoods to my anti-acne smoothies. They are great at detoxification of the body, contain a LOT of nutrients especially amino acids and they also help eliminate heavy metals from the body. Add ¼ to ½ teaspoons into your smoothies. It will make your smoothie turn green.

Matcha Powder (where to get it) – Matcha is green tea leaves that have been ground to a fine powder. It is rich in powerful antioxidants that green tea is known for. The antioxidants help protect, nourish and beautify your skin from the inside-out. Add 1-2 teaspoons to smoothies.

8. Herbs/Spices

Some of the best herbs/spices I keep using regularly in my anti-acne smoothies are turmeric and ginger. You can also add cinnamon, especially when making milk-based smoothies.

Ginger – it’s a strong anti-inflammatory and analgesic herb. Analgesic means it helps fight pain which is a god-send for those with painful acne! Use about ½ to 1 inch of fresh ginger. It is best added to smoothies that don’t contain plant milks. It adds a zingy exciting taste to smoothies! It works excellent with apples, spinach and pineapples. It’s also great in a carrot beet smoothie!

Turmeric (where to get it)– Turmeric also has the same properties as ginger – it is a powerful antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and pain-relieving herb. Its main component curcumin is what makes it so beneficial. Add just ¼ teaspoon of turmeric powder. It must be paired with a pinch of ground black pepper, which increases it’s bioavailability in the body by a LOT. It goes beautifully with ginger as well. You can add it to any smoothie of your choice.

Cinnamon (where to get it) – Cinnamon lowers inflammation and regulates blood sugar. It is great for those with hormonal acne for example, PCOS acne because those with PCOS most likely also have insulin resistance. Add ¼ teaspoons to your smoothies. It’s great in smoothies using plant milk.

Peppermint – Peppermint help with detoxification of the body. It is a powerful anti-inflammatory herb that helps heal systemic inflammation. When adding mint leaves, add just a few such as 5-10 so that it doesn’t overpower the taste of the smoothie but instead makes for a refreshing smoothie.