Healthy Skin Tea: Boost Your Skin Care Routine With These Natural Teas

Plans for the new year almost always involve finding better ways to improve your health and self-care routine. And skin health should be one of your highest priorities. But how can you support the health of your skin cells if you’re already using great products? Turns out, drinking tea (or using it topically) might support the health of your skin.

Read here to learn about drinking tea and using it topically for skin health in your beauty routine.

Can Tea Support Healthy Skin?

The fact that tea is good for you should come as no surprise. Tea always comes in handy when you are nursing a cold or if you need help calming down at the end of the day. But, there’s more to tea than you may know.

For example, take matcha green tea and white tea. Using these two teas topically has been shown to offer protection against the damaging effects of ultraviolet exposure to the skin. In fact, both green tea and white tea are possible photoprotective agents that — when used alongside other tried-and-true methods of sun protection — may be very helpful.¹

But the powers of tea for skin health are not limited to matcha and white tea. There are several different varieties of tea that may support the health of your skin.

Drinking Tea to Support Skin Health: Types Of Tea That May Provide Benefits

Green Tea

As mentioned above, green tea may be one of the best types of tea when looking to enhance your skin health and beauty practices. But let’s take a closer look at why this might be.

Photodamage can occur when your skin cells are exposed to sunlight. More types of damage can include oxidative stress due to scavenging free radicals and the wear and tear of collagen, enzymes, and glycoproteins in your skin.

So, how might green tea help? Green tea contains special flavanols. And in recent research exploring the effects of drinking green tea, researchers discovered several improvements in aging among participants who drank only green tea (as opposed to drinking no tea or only black tea).²

Burdock Root Tea

Have you heard of burdock root? Burdock root has been put to use therapeutically in America, Europe, and Asia for centuries. Research suggests that consuming the active ingredients in burdock root might actually support healthy blood circulation to the surface of your skin. This may, in turn, help support the quality and texture of your skin. Antioxidant compounds have also been discovered in burdock roots.³

Tea Scrubs And Masks: Can Tea Provide Skin Benefits When Used Topically?

Now, drinking tea is only one of the ways to absorb all of the nutrients and antioxidants tea has to offer. But a topical application — like a tea mask or scrub — may also be a great way to benefit your skin. Let’s take a look at a few types of teas that may provide benefits when applied topically.

Note: Many researchers agree that if a plant-based product is safe for consumption, it’s also safe when it comes to topical application.⁴ However, you should always ask your dermatologist first before applying anything new to your skin.

Red Clover

One more herb you may not know about is red clover. Traditionally, red clover topical ointments have been concocted and applied to the
skin to help with various skin issues.⁵

Green Tea

And in one study, topically applied green tea extract was shown to help with sun-damage initiated health concerns like:

• Red patches of skin
• Damage by free radicals
• Skin cell health
• Skin irritation^6,7,8

Of course to fully protect yourself from the sun’s damaging UV rays, wear sunscreen everyday and sport a wide-brimmed hat when in direct sunlight.

Supporting The Health Of Your Skin: Drink Tea Or Apply It Topically?

In the end, you should feel great about drinking iced tea or hot tea, as they really may benefit your skincare routine. You can also apply tea topically to your skin. Try making your own mask with your favorite tea blends.

You can also make your own tea blends to sip on. Try mixing loose leaf teas and discovering new flavor combinations. And for a sweet,
creamy addition add a bit of stevia and cream to your tea.

Also, try keeping some chilled steeped tea bags in your fridge. When you feel you need a luxurious little pick me up, place them on and under your eyes for a quick refreshing feel. Tea is your skin’s friend, so drink, apply, and enjoy.

Learn More:

Sources:

1. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19492999
2. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6571865/
3. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20981575
4. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2958188/
5. http://pennstatehershey.adam.com/content.aspx?productid=107&pid=33&gid=000270
6. https://www.mdpi.com/2072-6643/2/8/903/htm
7. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3583892/
8. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2958188/