It’s time to eliminate the guesswork of reading tricky labels on expensive, potentially harmful products and embrace the power of natural beauty!
If you’re used to filling up your cart with designer products in the pharmacy, then you might be surprised to learn that some of the most powerful ingredients for skin care grow in your garden or sit right in your spice rack.
Controlling what goes into the treatments we lavish on our skin just takes a little bit of a primer – and we’re here to help you rock the natural look.
From the cleansing magic of witch hazel to the redness-reducing herb chamomile, here are ten of the greatest plants that’ll keep you looking great, no matter what the season:
1. Chamomile
This plant packs a real punch, which is what makes it such a wonderful herbal tea for fighting off colds.
But chamomile is no longer just for tea! Harness this plant’s soothing properties to help skin flaring up from a break-out recover in no time flat.
Chamomile “has amazing anti-inflammatory properties that make it ideal for patients with rosacea,” dermatologist Leslie Baumann told the fashion and beauty bloggers at Total Beauty.
You can swipe a little chamomile oil across affected areas or even steep a chamomile tea bag in water for a few minutes before applying it to your skin. It’ll make redness or swelling disappear.
From our catalog: If you’re struggling with breakouts, try our Purity Hydrating Lotion, with its anti-bacterial essential oils and soothing anti-inflammatories, including chamomile.
2. Cinnamon
This warm spice is the perfect food and winter accessory for most curries and cookies – but did you know that its antioxidants can also work miracles on skin damage?
“Cinnamon has more antioxidant value than half a cup of blueberries,” nutritionist Keri Glassman told Everyday Health.
Since antioxidants help repair cells, sprinkling a little bit in your morning tea or evening hot cocoa can help make your skin that much stronger.
At the StyleCaster blog, Dr. Marina Paredo points out the charms of using cinnamon in facial masks. Turns out this spice is the perfect ingredient for cutting down on breakouts.
As an antimicrobial, cinnamon “works to stop the acne bacteria and essentially clear skin,” said Paredo.
From our catalog: Capture the power of cinnamon’s antioxidants in our Fruit Pigmented Lip Glaze and get a sheer wash of fruit pigmented color.
3. Black pepper
If you’ve overdone it on sweets or alcohol lately, your skin might be showing signs of wear and tear. Flush out your system with a little black pepper!
With high concentrations of “potassium, magnesium, iron, and vitamins C and K,” black pepper can help you whip your skin back into shape, suggests the beauty team at Bustle.
Looking for a DIY fix? This Black Pepper Exfoliate might be the tool you need to say goodbye to blemishes – and hello to youthful, luxurious skin.
Before you spread the mixture on your face, test it on the underside of your wrist to make sure your skin won’t send up a help signal – pepper can irritate people with especially sensitive skin.
4. Fennel
With its licorice notes and leafy stalks, fennel is technically a member of the parsley family. Containing nutrients like anethole, fennel can actually help you reduce inflammation and redness in your skin.
If you’re more familiar with slicing and dicing it into soups and salads, check out this post from Bustle for ideas about incorporating fennel into your beauty routine. They’ll talk you through everything from making a DIY fennel seed toner to an exfoliating mask.
“Applying fennel seeds topically will give your skin a direct source of iron, copper, potassium, and zinc so you can fight your aging and complexion needs one seed at a time,” writes Kristin Collins Jackson.
Yes, please.
5. Red clover
If you struggle with eczema or other skin conditions, the diuretic properties in red clover might actually help soothe your skin and reduce inflammation.
“Herbs like red clover help eliminate toxins in the bloodstream that appear to trigger inflammation,” herbalist Liz Earle old Everyday Health.
Help red clover get over its stigma as a useless weed and cultivate your own patch in a pot or a small plot to help you combat dry, scaly skin for good.
6. Green tea
Green tea’s got a lot going for it. Not only can this plant help reduce cancer and heart disease, it also contains both antioxidants and polyphenols – powerful weapons in your beauty arsenal.
According to Everyday Health, drinking green tea about a half an hour before you head out to the beach could even reduce your chance of developing a sunburn. (This doesn’t mean you should forget your sunscreen, though!)
“Topical green tea can also help thicken the epidermis, speed the healing of wounds, and inhibit an enzyme in your skin that causes uneven pigmentation, which means fewer sun spots,” Dr. Jessica Wu told Everyday Health.
From our catalog: If you’re interested in trying a powerful natural toner, check out our Jasmine Green Tea Tonique, which will help cleanse and moisturize your skin.
7. Hot peppers
The hotter, the better. We’re talking cayenne and paprika, chiles and jalapenos, which all contain vitamins essential for preventing wrinkles.
“Vitamins A and C in peppers help combat free radicals, preventing the breakdown of collagen to maintain the integrity of our skin,” Marti Wolfson, director at Blum Center for Health, told Everyday Health.
And we all know that collagen production is the key ingredient to getting wrinkles to disappear.
For additional DIY treatments, consider a hair mask (perfect for making your hair extra shiny), lip plumper, or acne-zapping mask, suggests beauty editor Kristin Collins Jackson at Bustle.
8. Sesame seed paste
No bagel would be complete without a crunchy coating of sesame seeds. But did you realize these tasty seeds can also help you wipe out acne marks?
According to the beauty bloggers at StyleCaster, sesame seed paste makes a face mask perfect for reducing the appearance of old blemishes and skin imperfections.
9. Witch hazel
If you’re looking for an all-around cleanser or toner to help unclog your pores and brighten up your complexion, you can’t go wrong with witch hazel.
Because it contains natural anti-inflammatories along with antioxidants, witch hazel will help you strip away dirt and pollution without drying your skin out.
According to Women’s Health, witch hazel “has astringent properties that soothe skin, shrink pores, lock in moisture, and maintain skin elasticity.”
10. Coconut oil
Once you’ve detoxed, soothed, and cleaned, it’s time to add oh-so-important moisture back to your skin. What better way than to turn to mega-moisturizing coconut oil?
“When applied on the face or body, coconut oil works as an all-natural moisturizer that replenishes the skin’s natural oils,” writes Lauren Valenti at Marie Claire.
All that natural moisture makes coconut oil an ideal hair mask, too.
“I use coconut oil for hair and on my skin for deep conditioning,” confirmed Dr. Tasneen Bhatia in an article for Prevention.
With plenty of vitamins E and K, along with iron, coconut oil is pretty much the best secret weapon you could ask for.
From our catalog: Capture the moisturizing power of coconut oil with our luxurious Coconut Nourishing Body Cream. This lotion is packed with potent anti-aging antioxidants, vitamins, skin softening fruit oils, and moisturizing cocoa and avocado butters – perfect for smoothing out any rough patches left over from dry, winter skin.
Introducing these ten powerful plants into your makeup bag or shower caddy is a surefire way to give your skin the healthy glow you’re looking for.
Whether you’re on the hunt for a new natural toner, an anti-inflammatory, or just looking to revive your skin with moisture, each of these plants offers an inexpensive DIY fix.
We hope you’ll join us in saying goodbye to labels with unpronounceable chemicals and hello to natural beauty – for good!
Have you discovered an herbal treatment that’s transformed your beauty routine? Tell us which plant hits your happy spot in the comments below:
The post Botanical Beauty: 10 Powerful Plants that Keep You Looking Great appeared first on Truly, 100% PURE.
- Tags: Skin Care
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The information in this article is for educational use, and not intended to substitute professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment and should not be used as such.
