You've probably heard that your skin is your body's largest organ...
...From regulating body temperature to protecting your internal systems from damage, your epidermis provides many benefits.
Skin health is an important yet sometimes overlooked component of your overall wellbeing.
You don't need harsh chemicals to keep your skin looking youthful. On the contrary, those ingredients can cause harm by exposing you to toxins and chemical byproducts. As an alternative, seek out natural ingredients that can be incorporated into your long-term daily care routine.
Building a Routine for Skin Health
It's never too early to begin a skin care routine. In fact, the right combination of products can help keep your skin refreshed and radiant at any age.
Cleanse With Green Tea
Each night, begin your routine by washing your face with a gentle cleanser. Green tea-infused cleansing products are especially helpful, since they contain many powerful antioxidants.
Green tea, a highly popular tea made from the camellia sinensis leaf, isn't just for drinking anymore. Its antioxidants can help prevent common signs of aging and protect against environmental pollutants. In particular, green tea contains EGCG (an acronym for epigallocatechin-3-gallate), an antioxidant that is powerful, yet soothing, to the skin.
Green tea contains many vitamins that can improve skin health. It contains Retinol (also known as vitamin A), a compound long praised by the beauty industry for nourishing the skin's top layers. Vitamin B3 (also called niacin) can help reduce the red "flushed" look commonly seen on the cheeks. Vitamin B2 (also known as riboflavin) can tighten and firm aging skin. Vitamin C can help even out skin tone and make for a brighter, more youthful appearance. Last but not least, polyphenols, special plant compounds, are known to help reduce the appearance of wrinkles.
Apply Serum With Vitamin C
After cleansing your face and gently patting dry, you're ready to apply your serum. To achieve the maximum skin health benefits, look for a serum with vitamin C for brightness and lactic acid for mild exfoliation.
If your serum is mostly water, you should apply it prior to moisturizing. However, if your serum is mostly oil, it should be applied after moisturizer.
Spot-Treat Acne With Coconut Oil
Many people will experience acne during their lifetime. Depending on the severity, this can be a painful and challenging condition to treat.
Luckily, there are natural products that can help keep acne under control. Coconut oil, as the name suggests, is extracted from either raw coconuts or kernels. It contains high levels of saturated fats, specifically medium-chain fatty acids, as well as some polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fats.
Praised for its anti-inflammatory properties, coconut oil can be used daily on the face to soothe acne inflammation. The high lauric acid content of coconut oil gives it important anti-microbial properties, which can improve skin health by protecting against microorganisms that can cause acne and folliculitis.
According to a study by the National Institutes of Health, coconut oil was found to effectively kill bacteria that cause painful, inflammatory acne. An additional study had similar results and showed that capric acid, another fatty acid present in coconut oil, stopped the growth of certain types of fungi.
Reduce Inflammation With Tea Tree Oil
Another beneficial natural ingredient is tea tree oil, an essential oil often used in beauty products, deodorants and mouthwashes. It is valuable for reducing acne inflammation. Although not scientifically proven yet, anecdotal evidence shows that those with skin conditions may benefit from tea tree oil’s immune-boosting and anti-inflammatory properties.
Unlike the other ingredients on this list, tea tree oil is very potent and needs to be properly diluted before use. To dilute, mix 1 to 2 drops of tea tree oil with 12 drops of “carrier” oil, such as almond or olive oil. Once properly thinned out, tea tree oil has many benefits and can help improve dry, itchy and even oily skin.
Tea tree oil has promising wound-healing benefits as well. In fact, according to a study conducted in 2013, tea tree oil helped nine out of 10 participants’ wounds heal faster than conventional methods alone.
Moisturize With Shea Butter
The next step in your routine should be a moisturizer. Many beauty products today contain shea butter, an ingredient from the fruit-bearing African shea tree. The nuts inside the fruit are boiled or crushed to extract the butter within.
Shea butter is great for skin health since it contains several beneficial acids, most notably oleic, stearic and linoleic acid. Like the other ingredients on this list, shea butter is praised for its moisturizing, antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory properties.
You probably know shea butter for its moisturizing benefits. Its high-fat composition allows the butter to be rapidly absorbed in the skin, creating a thick barrier on the skin’s surface. It’s so effective that many lotions and shampoos found in the store today contain some sort of shea extract.
Those with sensitive skin will love shea butter’s anti-inflammatory properties. In fact, it’s one of the best compounds for people prone to irritations like acne or eczema. After applying shea butter to the skin, the body slows its release of cytokines, the small proteins that signal to cells when immune responses are needed.
Like coconut oil, shea butter can improve skin health by fighting fungal infections. It eliminates the spores produced by these microorganisms, effectively slowing their growth.
Finally, shea butter can improve your skin by providing valuable anti-aging benefits. It contains high levels of collagen, an ingredient that helps keep wrinkles and lines at bay. It’s also an effective treatment for stretch marks and other cosmetic imperfections.
Finding Natural Products for Skin Health
The health of your skin is directly related to your overall health. Luckily, there are many natural ingredients with powerful anti-inflammatory, anti-aging and antioxidant properties that you can incorporate into your long-term routine to take better care of your skin.
Before using conventional products with synthetic ingredients, consider using natural alternatives that have a wide range of health-boosting properties. Gushiv is your resource for natural skincare that can boost skin health. Be sure to visit the Gushiv website to learn more and browse our bestsellers, such as the Native Elixir Face Cream