16 natural products to include in your skin care routine for healthier skin
Who isn’t looking for that perfect fix for their skin? What haven’t you tried, sought after or found out about? You aren’t to be blamed. With thousands of products screaming for a spot in your skin care routine, it’s only natural for you to have tried a few.
What I’ve found however, is that most professionals and experts will tell you that natural treatments and remedies for your skin are more effective, have no side-effects and will cost you near to nothing, compared to expensive products.
I’ve argued with myself to straighten out the rationale of- why beauty products sell at all if natural products are truly effective? Do I pay all that money for nothing? What about all the claims they make?
Several well-renowned blogs begin with ‘Are you looking for healthy skin? Tips to get there now!? and lead you on to believing-in and purchasing a product.
The answers are simple. Firstly, Beauty products wouldn’t be selling like hot-cakes if they weren’t effective. Not to mention, a lot of cosmetologists work hard and long to come up with a concoction that is superior in quality as well as results, compared with existing products. So you are not paying for ‘nothing’.
Secondly, beauty products cannot use natural ingredients in their original form. This is primarily because these ‘active’ ingredients are volatile and do not have a shelf life. Therefore, when you read ‘tips for healthy skin’ that state you should use a product, it’s simply because its ingredients can’t be used straight-up or as it is.
Thirdly, when you follow the directions on the product label and assimilate it into your skin care routine, you will see a noticeable difference because they do work. How gradually or quickly you will see results depends on the quality of the product and the way your skin reacts to it.
Coming to the important part- Can I honestly make a difference to my skin by including natural remedies in my skin care routine? Yes, you certainly can and you will see results.
Below are some of the best natural methods for you to gain and maintain healthy skin. Tipsmentioned below don’t just work as topical treatments but also make superfoods that nourish your skin from within. You will also notice that most of the natural ingredients listed below are extremely easy to come by, some of which you’ll usually find around the house itself. The others may be slightly expensive but make for a great investment when working towards achieving and maintaining healthy skin.
1. It’s known as the universal solvent for a reason
Just like you depend on water to maintain personal hygiene and cleanliness so your skin looks and feels great, water works wonders on the inside too. Make it a habit to drink plenty of water.
It will help flush out toxins from your body, which will automatically render your skin with an unparalleled glow. Water also provides a number of trace minerals and nutrients which aren’t easily available unless you eat plenty of green foods.
2. Deeply nourish with almond oil
Almond oil works great as a base to prepare homemade facial or skin masks. The best part is that it doesn’t have an unpleasant odor and allows you the backing of its many boons, including being an antiseptic, anti-inflammatory as well as anti-bacterial agent. This means it works wonders, protecting your skin from breakouts and cleans it of impurities.
Those afflicted with dry skin should make it a point to use almond oil as part of their weekly or bi-weekly skin care routine. If you can’t get hold of almond oil, or find it too sticky to use on your skin, you could choose to indulge in eating some almonds every day. Its nutritional properties will fortify and enhance the appearance of your skin.
3. Coconut oil isn’t given as much credit as it should
You hear of many forms of oils that are beneficial for your skin. More often than not, these are from expensive nuts and exotic fruits, which is the basis of justifying why they cost so much. On the other hand, coconut oil is inexpensive and provides just the same about of goodness.
Like with almond oil, coconut oil also bears anti-septic, anti-bacterial and anti-fungal properties. You could use a fine layer of coconut oil to instantly revive as well as regularly treat dry or flaky skin.
Additionally, if you should suffer from a rash or even a minor cut, try applying some coconut oil over it and you will feel soothed as well as notice that the afflicted area won’t bear a mark or blemish.
4. Castor Oil may not smell the greatest, but works like coal for impurities
Yes, I had my reservations about it too considering that castor oil as part of anyone’s skin care routine sounds insane, primarily because it’s widely used for industrial purposes as well as lubrication. It is however derived from a vegetable seed and actually helps deeply cleanse as well as condition your skin.
When seeking to use castor oil, don’t use it single handedly or liberally as its viscosity is bound to make you over-apply it to your skin.
Instead, try and mix it in with another oil- coconut or almond- in the ratio of 1-part castor oil: 3-parts other oils. Layer it over your skin and let it sit for 15 minutes before you rinse it off with a mild cleanser.
If you think you can’t stomach the smell of castor oil, throw in a drop of two of an essential oil, whose aroma you appreciate. This will help you cope with the slightly unpleasant odor castor oil offers.
5. You can’t miss Jojoba oil
Who hasn’t seen the mention of jojoba oil at the back of a ‘nourishing’ beauty product? It’s been used as a remedy to both feed as well as soothe skin for generations and can be purchased in vials or bottles to use at home. The oil makes one of the Top 10 tips for healthy skin with me.
This is because it’s rich in a range of active minerals like selenium; B-complex vitamins as well as metals like zinc and chromium. Its anti-bacterial and anti- inflammatory properties also help with those battling acne.
Those with sensitive skin are also able to freely use some on their skin with no side effects usually. What’s best is that like coconut oil, jojoba oil works perfectly well even on your hair. Try conditioning your hair with a slight amount to maintain all day hydration as well as balanced sheen of your tresses.
6. If you don’t grow an aloe plant already, begin now
The boons of consuming extracts of aloe vera are endless. From aiding digestion to working as an excellent as well as inexpensive detoxifier, aloe vera is a cheap and effective method to deal with skin troubles.
Use its gel across your skin to treat rashes, flaky or itchy skin. It acts as both a conditioner as well as a cleanser.
Research shows that you could benefit from up to 75 active natural ingredients with the use of aloe vera. It is almost always used to treat most skin conditions in Chinese medicine and is both trusted as well as widely endorsed by nutritionists as well as cosmetologists around the Globe.
7. Lemon Oil
Again less commonly discussed as people prefer to use lemon juice, its benefits are multi-faceted. The very citric properties of lemon extract work effortlessly towards making your skin appear brighter. This is because it exfoliates the upper, dead layer of your skin to reveal untarnished skin underneath.
Now the reason I’ve mentioned lemon oil and not advised on using lemon juice is because fresh extract can be too acidic for some skin types, even if it is indeed diluted.
When used fresh, lemon extract renders an uncomfortable tingle across the surface of your skin. While the sensation is usually tolerable, you should know that your skin is suffering.
Lemon oil is manufactured with lowered concentrates of acidic agents that helps you treat your skin mildly. Those with sensitive skin should avoid using lemon extract products too often.
8. Tea Tree Oil
Some including myself would swear by Tea Tree oil. It literally has magical properties. It actively fights and reduces angry inflammations and reduces the amount of bacteria on your skin.
In-fact, Tea Tree extracts are so complex that its components allow healing benefits not only through the pores of your skin, but also when diffused in the air you breathe. Extracts are derived from a mix of over 200 types of Tea Trees.
The use of tea tree extract is most commonly used to battle acne prone skin as well as is popular among those who have oily or combination types of skin.
Should you know of someone trying to rid themselves of breakouts and achieve balanced healthy skin; tips like this one will help them go a long way.
9. Cleanse with Apple Cider Vinegar
You may or may not have a bottle at home, but it’s prudent to get some if you’re constantly battling rash or acne-prone skin. Like Tea Tree extract, including Apple Cider Vinegar to your skin care routine is a wise move.
It gets rid of inflammations as well as clears the surface of your skin of both bacteria as well as fungal infections.
Since it has an acidic base, it will help rid the upper patchy layers of your skin whilst revealing suppler skin underneath. Dilute a part of the cider vinegar with half a part of water if you have sensitive skin and apply it across the desired areas.
You could also add some vinegar to your homemade face-mask, but ensure not to use too many acid-based elements in the mix or you may end up with irritated skin.
10. Strawberries work as fancily as they look
If you’re looking to instantly revive your skin, you need nothing more than some strawberry paste to smother over your skin to enrich it; and make you feel royal. Strawberries are rich in anti-oxidants which help revive your skin.
They contain mild and natural fruit-acids that gently exfoliate the dead layers of your skin while its nutrients enrich properties nourish your skin in the process.
You can choose to use strawberry paste as is or mix in some yogurt for enhanced conditioning.
11. Yogurt and cucumber right out of your refrigerator
One of the most reliable tips for healthy skin is the use of a cucumber and yogurt mask. Yogurt contains a host of good bacteria as well as soothes the skin greatly. Cucumber is rich in minerals and also hosts anti-inflammatory properties that enrich its use with yogurt.
If you suffer from frequent rashes or get tanned in the sun often, you must try and make yourself a mask, mixed with these two ingredients. They’re both usually available in your refrigerator.
All you need to do is make a paste out of the cucumber and use 2-parts of the paste with 1-part of whole yogurt. Blend it in well and slap it onto the desired areas. Give it 30 minutes before you rinse it off.
Use an effective and gently perfumed cleanser as the yogurt will render your skin richly moisturized that may make you feel sticky. Another bother may be the smell of yogurt, which you could beat by simply adding a dash of your favorite essential oil into the mask before you apply it on your skin.
12. Honey is sweet on your skin
Honey is as beneficial to your skin as it is delectable to consume. Like Tea Tree and Jojoba extracts, honey too acts as an excellent anti-inflammatory agent.
It is used widely to treat both dry as well as rashy skin. It is documented to be effective for fungal infections as well as used as a common treatment for dandruff plagued scalps.
The saying goes, add 1 tablespoon of honey to three tablespoons of water and 1 tablespoon of lime to treat a dandruff ridden scalp. Alternately, you can use some mildly warm honey as a mask for your skin on the face as well as your body.
It will help cleanse your skin as well as nourish it will essential minerals leaving it well cared for, for a while.
13. Bath/ Sea Salts soothe the nerves and invigorate the skin
Sea salts are an effective method of indulging in a calming dip. You skin is largely fed with water and essential oils for hydration as well as minerals and vitamins for vibrancy, tenacity and vigor. Sea salts are an accumulation of a host of minerals that nourish or rather replenish what your skin very much requires.
The interesting part is that you don’t need to go through too much trouble to either acquire or use sea salts as part of your skin care routine. You’ll find that it’s readily available pretty much anywhere.
All you have to do is add the directed amount to the warm water you will use for your bath. The most effective method however is to dissolve the sea salt in a bathtub filled with water, which you will use to soak yourself for about 30 minutes.
Oily skin also benefits from a dip in a sea salt bath as it helps regularize the amount of oil your skin produces, by making it less shiny.
14. Turmeric masks help lighten darkened skin
Turmeric happens to be one of the top tips for healthy skin in Asian countries. It is widely known for its anti-septic and anti-inflammatory properties in western countries too. It helps lighten skin as well as cleanse it of impurities.
It is why it is used as a cleansing mask for an Indian bride-to-be just before her wedding day. Its use is known to result in glowing skin that appears noticeable fairer, although the results don’t occur overnight.
Take a little under a tablespoon of turmeric with either pineapple or lemon juice in the necessary amount to create a paste and apply it onto your skin. The citric nature of the solvent you use will enhance the exfoliating action and provide better results.
A milder mix would be that of turmeric and fresh cream or yogurt, whichever you could get your hands on more easily. Beware, turmeric is able to stain most surfaces including your skin so ensure to be careful while using it.
Do not leave your skin-mask on for any more than 20-30 minutes or you will notice a yellow tinge across your skin, which will fade away with a few showers.
15. Baking Soda works just like astringent
If you’ve constantly been troubled by oily or shiny skin; a quick application of baking soda should make it to the list of one of your top tips for healthy skin.
Baking soda offers anti-inflammatory as well as mild antiseptic properties which makes it great to treat skin that it also prone to acne.
To make a gentle mask, take a tablespoon of baking soda and mix it in with a tablespoon of water, add half a teaspoon of lemon extract for sensitive skin and a whole spoon for normal skin.
Apply the paste onto your skin and leave it for 15 minutes. Gently rinse yourself after and pat the area dry without rubbing against it too vigorously.
16. As hassle free as using ice
We’ve gone through all the priceless natural ingredients you can use to enhance the look and state of your skin. Ice is one of the simplest yet most effective methods of treating your skin when dealing with open pores, oily skin, acne prone skin as well as angry skin.
A cube of ice rubbed across rashes or inflamed skin will provide instant relief. It is a great way of also dealing with skin that is itchy without having to scratch or damage the affected area.
Another important boon of using ice is that it helps close pores that are open on your skin, hence helping it reduce the amount of sebum secreted as well as providing a matte finish for a few hours.
Conclusion
Like I began by saying in the very beginning, all products use natural extracts to fuel their results. It is basically where the information on the use of most natural elements and the benefits come from.
If you do decide to follow our tips and include them in your skin care routine, you should prepare yourself to be patient.
None of the remedies mentioned above are guaranteed to give you results overnight. The idea is for you to know that you can achieve noticeable and effective results with remedies that you can get your hands on easily.