At first, oatmeal masks sound like your everyday home remedy. They sound like something passed down from your grandma or an enthusiastic friend, which is completely unproven, but has huge potential given its health benefits as a food.
Generally, experimenting with home remedies is a great idea for acne. You might achieve nothing, but just last year, strawberries were discovered to have natural sunscreen properties, while cinnamon has completely unexpected collagen-boosting powers.
However, oatmeal isn’t actually the home remedy it’s been masquerading as. It wasn’t invented by a teenage beauty enthusiast three or four years ago. Oatmeal has been used in skincare recipes since the days of conquering Roman soldiers 2000 years ago.
Oatmeal already has a ton of great evidence to its name which most people don’t know about.
The lore of oatmeal
Oats and humanity have a long history, as ancient cultivated oats have been discovered in Switzerland dating back to the Bronze age (2000BC to 700BC). Oatmeal face masks were mentioned by numerous physicians in medicinal texts of the Roman Empire. Such physicians include Columella and Theophrastus, while Pliny claimed that oatmeal flour, cooked in vinegar, could eliminate many dermatological diseases.
Following the collapse of the empire, oats lay dormant for nearly two thousand years, but by the 1800s, a London pharmacist called Henry Potter invented a tincture of oats called Potter’s Compound of Avena (scientific name for oats = avena sativa). For the next hundred years, oats were mostly available in pharmacies rather than as a breakfast staple.
The final surge in popularity (unless the Roman era repeats itself and a new dark age is unleashed) arrived in the 1930s. Several studies revealed that oat masks could alleviate itching and irritation, and scientists quickly invented colloidal oatmeal, a finely powdered topical form. The first commercial colloidal oatmeal was released in 1945, and a surge of customers added it to bathtubs, make-up, and face washes. The only disaster was a raft of customers complaining of clogged drains from such a fine powder.
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Starting from the 1930s, oats were also used as an antioxidant to prevent food spoilage. More and more benefits came to light, leading the FDA to classify oatmeal masks as “generally recognised as safe” by the late 1980s and by 2003, as an official skin protectant.
The FDA is NOT the ultimate acne authority – their website even denies that diet causes acne – but even they recognise the power of oatmeal masks.
It’s tempting to think that oatmeal is a fad; it sounds like a trick invented by a teenager in desperation. But no – it’s one of the oldest skincare remedies in existence. Honey and sulphur masks date back to Ancient Egypt, while the Romans were equally fond of crocodile oil from the recently conquered River Nile. Oatmeal was there alongside them.
Oats contain rare anti-inflammatory compounds
Oatmeal has no studies on acne directly, but what we do have are literally dozens of studies showing oatmeal’s anti-inflammatory properties.
In testimonials from the acne underground, a reduction in redness and swelling is the most common benefit from oats. Oatmeal is proven to inhibit numerous pro-inflammatory chemicals in the skin, including TNF-a and interleukin-8, two which are specifically found in higher amounts in acne patients.
Oats inhibit NF-kappaB, a master regulator which controls numerous smaller pro-inflammatory chemicals. Oatmeal masks also prevent the release of arachidonic acid from surrounding cells, a fatty acid which is used as raw materials for manufacturing pro-inflammatory neutrophils (which themselves generate free radicals).
The question that lingered for decades is how oatmeal lowers inflammation. There’s a wide range of antioxidants including caffeic acid, vanillic acid, ferulic acid and coumaric acid. However, during the last decade, the anti-inflammatory miracle compounds were confirmed to be avenanthramides, a group of 40 polyphenol antioxidants found almost exclusively in oats.
The main purpose of avenanthramides is preventing infection; like resveratrol from red wine, they are a phytoalexin with antimicrobial properties. For example, there’s a deadly plant pathogen called crown rust fungus which among grains, infects only oat crops. Symptoms include orange pustules on the plant, which spread from leaf to leaf.
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Farmers deliberately select fungus-resistant oat crops, but scientists have discovered that the more crown rust fungus an oat plant is infected with, the more avenanthramides it generates…
…and these ancient defences can help your acne too. When applied to skin cells, avenanthramides are able to inhibit the exact same pro-inflammatory proteins that oatmeal can: IL-8, TNF-A, NF-kappaB, and arachidonic acid.
Avenanthramide concentrations as low as 1-3 parts per million are enough to lower inflammation; that’s pretty pleasant news seeing as oats contain 300 parts per million (0.03%). Avenanthramides also have antioxidant properties 10 to 30 times stronger other oatmeal polyphenols such as vanillin and caffeic acid.
Avenanthramides are heavily concentrated in the bran and outer kernel of the oats. Oats contain avenanthramides in average concentrations of 0.03%, but debranned oat flour contains just 0.003 to 0.008%, while bran-rich flour contains 0.01% to 0.04%. In other words, avenanthramides are only a minor component of oats, but their effects are enormous.
Avenanthramides are the main reason why oatmeal can calm acne. They are actually structurally related to the anti-allergy drug Tranilast; whether this is a coincidence is unknown. Oat kernel ingredients in shampoos, soaps, and cosmetics even feature standardised levels of avenanthramides nowadays. Scientists are bunkered down in a lab as we speak trying to manufacture a synthetic version. Early reports claim that it’s as effective as the natural oat version, but why wait, when we already have oatmeal everywhere.
Weird but effective moisturising properties
Oatmeal is also a strong moisturiser, though not because it contains oils. Instead, oatmeal is an occlusive moisturiser.
The key lies with colloidal oatmeal, which differs from regular oatmeal by its small particle size. The rules are strict, as the fat content of this powder must be above 0.2%. No more than 3% of the grains may exceed a particle size of 150um, with no more than 15% being above 75um.
In its true form, colloidal oatmeal is an extremely fine powder, and through this fineness, colloidal oatmeal can form a very consistent, impenetrable film when applied as a mask to the face.
Oatmeal acts as a highly viscous barrier that literally locks in water. Colloidal oatmeal decreases trans-epidermal water loss (TEWL), the loss of moisture through the outermost layer of the skin. Stratum corneum hydration increases, while the risk of dry skin and hence weak skin decreases. There’s even an added bonus of protection from external irritants.
Sealing water in is what occlusive moisturisers are all about. They can have side effects too, such as blocking water loss when moisture is too high, thus allowing microorganisms to breed. They’re a blunter instrument than oils, but can be a treasure chest for people with chronically dry skin.
Here’s a small explanation of dry and flaky skin. Every skin cell in your face is bound to your skin by proteins named desmosomes. It’s unnecessary for dry and dead skin cells to remain on your skin, and therefore, your living skin cells produce several enzymes which degrade desmosomes, allowing the shedding of dead skin cells (technical name: desquamation).
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Genetic differences in these enzymes exist, and you can supply your own enzymes like papain from papaya, but hydration is key. When your stratum corneum loses moisture, when TEWL increases, enzyme production is inhibited and desmosome activity remains stubbornly high. Dead skin cells remain in place, and as they build up, the white, flaky patches of skin which everybody fears slowly appear.
Occlusive moisturisers, including oatmeal, can prevent this. Oatmeal even has unique properties due to its beta d-glucan. This natural polysaccharide is partly behind oatmeal’s cholesterol lowering benefits, but also has extremely powerful hydrophilic or water-binding properties. Therefore, beta d-glucan massively increases the water-binding potential of colloidal oatmeal, right down to the particle level.
Oatmeal is an unusual moisturiser, but a highly effective one.
Dodgy food, great topical treatment
Oats are not the perfect food for acne – far from it. They might have a wholesome, heart-healthy breakfast reputation, and the weird idea that Scottish guys wearing kilts are strong and hardy because of eating oats every day. They’re better for acne than wheat or corn, but they’re too high in lectins, phytic acid and other antinutrients to feast on daily.
Fortunately, none of those dangers occur when applied topically. Lectins wreak digestive havoc, while phytic acid binds to minerals in the small intestine. Other antinutrients in oats work by increasing inflammation in the body, but study after study has confirmed their anti-inflammatory powers when applied topically.
The only confirmed downside is that colloidal oatmeal can overload your skin’s moisture, if abused as an occlusive moisturiser. They can also stop your skin from breathing, so never smear colloidal oatmeal over 100% of your body, or you’ll end up like Jill Masterson from Goldfinger.
Popular internet recipes – reviewed
The baseline recipe for colloidal oatmeal is to combine the fine powder with water, to allow the beta D-glucan to suck in moisture. According to some, here are the possible next steps:
Oatmeal and honey – the classic recipe! Honey’s main gimmick is its antibacterial properties and it reduces inflammation decently as well. You have to use raw honey, cloudy and unpasteurised honey, in order to obtain the benefits. Pasteurised honey is runnier, and easier to mix with the colloidal oatmeal, but you have no choice: pasteurised honey is useless. No corner of the internet is safe from this recipe, but it’s a strong one.
Oatmeal, honey and yogurt – the second most popular recipe. The principles of honey remain, while the yogurt will add vitamin A and E. The problem is that the honey might wipe out some of this bacteria. Using yogurt and oatmeal alone is smarter.
Yogurt also acts as its own carrier oil, and will add extra moisturising properties, as its bacteria has been shown to increase ceramide proteins. Yogurt is extremely easy to mix in with the oatmeal, and forms a nice pliable texture.
Oatmeal and tomato – tomatoes are rich in the UV-protective antioxidant lycopene, and come with some bonus vitamin C and A. The problem is the mixture – how are you supposed to mix tomatoes into colloidal oatmeal? You’d need some colloidal tomatoes, to form a nice red paste, or spend hours mashing the tomatoes up, unless you have a juicer. You would have to add a carrier oil like grapeseed as well, since lycopene requires a fat for absorption. Therefore, the main downside of this internet recipe is hassle.
Oatmeal and baking soda – mentioned widely, but I never recommend baking soda topically. It’s far too alkaline, and thus the enemy of proper skin barrier functioning. Let’s move on…
Oatmeal and avocado – difficult to mash up into a consistent paste. Avocados are definitely rich in carotenoid antioxidants, and the penetration will be automatically enhanced due to its fats. Avocados can also promote collagen formation when applied topically. The oil is too high in oleic acid, at 63%, but in diluted whole food form it will be safer. The problem remains with the mixture; overall, avocado and oatmeal mixtures are too inconvenient.
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Oatmeal and banana – bananas are easy to create a consistent paste with, but they’re not the most nutritious fruit for acne. The benefits they do have function inside the body, including their magnesium and ability to improve sleep and stress.
Bananas contain some anti-inflammatory compounds like rutin and quercetin, Overall, many recipes are superior, but bananas could still have undiscovered topical benefits.
Oatmeal, watermelon and grapeseed oil – a recipe I have just invented based on the tomato science. Watermelon contains 1.5 times as much lycopene as tomatoes. The flesh contains next to no fiber and is easy to mash up finely. It’s also extremely high in water (an awe-inspiring discovery), at 92%, meaning that it acts automatically as the water base.
Grapeseed oil will enhance the penetration of lycopene. If a tomato and oatmeal mixture does work for scorching sunlight, this mixture will be even better.
Like with sea salt, the recipes follow no logic whatsoever, but spread like an uncontrollable virus. Some are excellent and some are shocking – it’s down to luck.
Stay on your toes, and avoid any recipes containing coconut oil, olive oil and lemon juice.
Conclusion
Colloidal oatmeal joins cinnamon and turmeric as a home remedy which has some real evidence behind it.
Topical oatmeal isn’t proven to clear acne, but it’s very close, given that inflammation is the main cause of it. What isn’t known is precisely how avenanthramides inhibit TNF-A, IL-8, and its inflammatory partners in crime. If you want to experiment with oatmeal, then giving up after 3 days would not be smart. The powerful benefits could take up to 2 weeks to reveal themselves.
The moisturising properties rely on brute strength, literally locking the moisture in a cage. Do NOT use colloidal oatmeal all night and day, as you need to give your skin time to breathe. Overnight will be sufficient.
If you suffer from chronically dry and flaky skin, then combine oatmeal with a natural oil like tamanu oil. An excellent bulk colloidal oatmeal product is this 2 pound bag of Traverse Bay Colloidal Oatmeal. The instructions tell you to add it to baths, but the choice is yours.
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Thanks for reading!
Is there any way to make the oats safe to eat? Like with ginger/ cinnamon/ raspberries? Because we kind of have to eat something. We can’t just apply food to our face all the time, even if we had no acne at all.
They are safe to eat, just not in heavy amounts daily. There’s no food which which you can add and eliminate the lectins, but keep lectins low elsewhere and you can have oats every other day. The avenanthramides will lower inflammation when eaten as well. Like the article said, oats are nowhere near as bad as wheat or corn. PS: Yes, you have to eat, but oats are neither necessary nor unique in the diet; all the benefits are available elsewhere.