Using green tea as a treatment for acne and blackheads. Its additional beneficial properties. Contraindications for use. Examples of recipes for lotions, scrubs, masks. Green tea is an effective remedy that has a lot of useful properties, thanks to which it has found its application as a component of traditional medicine "preparations". It is also used as an infusion for oral administration, usually in combination with other herbs as an adjuvant therapy for the treatment of various diseases, and as a local remedy for eliminating certain skin problems. In this article, we'll take a look at the effectiveness of green tea for acne and blackheads.
Does green tea help acne?
In India, China and Japan, green tea has been considered one of the best acne treatments since ancient times. In addition, today in the cosmetic industry, many products are made to combat blackheads and acne based on it.
Is this a sufficient evidence base for doubting the effectiveness of green tea? And, nevertheless, when it comes to traditional medicines, especially such simple ones, it is difficult to overcome skepticism - they say, can ordinary green tea help where professional cosmetics cannot cope.
But here you need to understand that cosmetics and cosmetics are different: unfortunately, the market today has enough low-quality and unnatural products. However, tea and tea are also different, infusion of poor quality is unlikely to help get rid of skin imperfections, but on the contrary, it can aggravate the situation.
Thus, the therapeutic effect of this folk remedy should be considered as follows: a high-quality product will benefit the skin more than cosmetics with an unnatural composition, but in comparison with professional good care products, green tea is likely to lose.
Benefits of green tea for acne
And yet, what explains the effectiveness of green tea in the fight against skin imperfections? Let's take a closer look at the useful properties of the product in order to answer this question:
- High content of tannins … Green tea contains a really huge dose of tannins, which are known for their disinfecting and regenerating properties. They help stop the inflammation that usually accompanies acne and speed up the healing process of the skin.
- Toning effect … This property will be especially appreciated by the owners of oily skin. Due to the high content of tannin and vitamin P in the composition, tea tones well, removes excess sebum, thereby preventing the formation of new acne.
- Whitening action … Tea also helps fight acne marks, thanks to vitamin K, which provides a whitening and evening skin tone effect. By the way, if you have age spots on your skin, folk remedies on green tea will help, if not get rid of them, then make them much less noticeable.
- Deep cleansing … The essential oils in the product help to cleanse the skin more effectively, which reduces the likelihood of blackhead formation.
It should be noted that, in addition to eliminating and reducing the likelihood of new acne and blackheads, the product as a cosmetic product has another very important effect. It has a pronounced anti-aging effect: the “fault” is the high concentration of vitamin C, which promotes the production of collagen and fights excess levels of free radicals, as well as polyphenol, an element that boasts a powerful antioxidant effect.
Green tea composition | Beneficial features |
Tannins | Disinfection and regeneration |
Tannin, vitamin P | Toning |
Vitamin K | Whitening |
Essential oils | Deep cleansing |
Vitamin C, polyphenol | Rejuvenation |
Contraindications to the use of green tea for acne
Unfortunately, despite such an impressive list of useful properties of the product, not every girl can use it to support a healthy looking skin and its youth. The tool has a number of contraindications, which it is important to familiarize yourself with before proceeding to consider the recipes for its use.
First of all, it is worth noting that, as with any other product, there is a risk of individual intolerance to the components, which can cause an allergic reaction. This means that before using the drink on the skin of the face, you need to make a test on less sensitive areas. Also, remember that if you are using a complex recipe - for example, green tea with honey, you need to test these ingredients separately for allergies.
It is also worth saying that the use of the product for cosmetic purposes is contraindicated in the presence of certain skin lesions, neoplasms of a different nature, as well as with herpes in the acute phase.
Green tea recipes for acne and blackheads
So, if you are convinced that you have no contraindications, it's time to move on to consider the methods of using green tea for your face for acne. It is worth saying that this product is truly universal, it is used both as a makeup remover and as a lotion after washing, and various masks and scrubs are also made on the basis of tea. Let's take a look at these applications in order.
Green tea cleansers
Washing can be carried out both as a pure product and in its combinations with auxiliary components. Here are some recipes:
- Pure green tea … Brew tea at the rate of 10 grams of dry leaves per 80 ml of boiling water. You need to infuse the broth for 30-40 minutes. The method of washing is very simple: soak a cotton pad abundantly in the infusion and wipe your face, and then rinse it with cool clean water.
- Green tea, lemon juice and honey … To enhance the effect of the previous remedy, you can add a teaspoon of lemon juice and honey to the warm infusion. Do not forget to check the skin for individual intolerance to the components, since both honey and citrus fruits are strong allergens.
- The power of essential oils … An excellent cleanser will turn out if you add half a teaspoon of peach oil and 1-3 drops of orange essential oil to weakly brewed tea (approximate proportion: 5 grams of tea leaves per glass of boiling water).
Note! All these funds can be stored in the refrigerator for no more than a day, after this time they will become not only useless, but even harmful. If you feel sorry for pouring out the remaining infusions, pour them into ice cube trays and freeze. It will be possible to wipe your face with cubes of healing ice for another 3-5 days.
Green tea lotions
If you are used to washing your face with more familiar means and think that the infusion will not cleanse your face well enough, you can keep your old way of removing makeup and ridding the skin of accumulated dirt and grease, and use tea as a tonic.
We recommend that you try these recipes:
- Anti-inflammatory lotion … Put on fire and bring a glass of milk to a boil, put 2 tablespoons of dry tea leaves in it and boil for 3-5 minutes. When the mixture has cooled, strain it. The lotion is ready.
- A toner that tightens pores and removes oily shine … Pour 1 tablespoon of green tea with a glass of boiling water. Add 3 teaspoons of lemon juice and 3 drops of lavender essential oil. After cooling, the tonic is ready for use.
- Refreshing lotion … To prepare such a lotion, pour 2 tablespoons of tea leaves with a glass of boiling water, when the infusion cools down, add a teaspoon of honey, glycerin, a couple of drops of mint essential oil. Ready!
Note! All described products can be stored in a refrigerator in a closed glass container for 3-5 days. You can extend their "lifespan" by adding a natural preservative, such as grapefruit seed extract.
Green tea face mask recipes
Washing your face or using a tea-based lotion alone will usually work well with regular use. However, if you want to enhance and / or speed up the healing effect, you can use additional care products, such as:
- Green tea and honey mask … Mix thick natural honey and strong tea infusion (approximate proportion: 2 tablespoons per glass of water), you should get a homogeneous consistency, not too liquid and not too thick. To make the mask “connect” better, tea should be used warm. The mask should be worn for 10-12 minutes. It is especially suitable for those with dry skin.
- Egg mask … Mix 1 egg yolk with 1 tablespoon of flour, and then dilute the mixture with infusion of medium-strength green tea (approximate proportion: 1 tablespoon to a glass of water). Wear the mask for 15-20 minutes. By the way, it, together with other beneficial effects, has a pronounced anti-aging effect.
- Mask with kefir and olive oil … This recipe should be preferred by owners of normal to combination skin. For the mask you will need kefir (50-70 ml), olive oil (30 ml) and a tablespoon of dry green tea. If it turns out to be liquid, you can "hold" it with flour. The product is applied for 15-20 minutes.
- Yeast mask … Finally, let's take a look at the recipe for a mask for oily skin. For her, you need to mix dry yeast (standard store packaging), the juice of a quarter of a lemon and a couple of tablespoons of brewed tea (the proportion is a tablespoon to 200 ml of water). You need to wear the mask on your face for 20 minutes.
Note! All masks are recommended to be applied to thoroughly cleansed skin, and after removing them, it is required to use a cream.
Green tea scrubs
Finally, let's take a look at the recipes for preparing such an auxiliary care product as a scrub:
- Scrub for oily skin … Brew tea in the proportion: 2 teaspoons per 200 ml of boiling water. When the infusion has cooled, pour a couple of tablespoons into a separate container and mix them with lemon juice from a quarter of the fruit and 50 grams of sugar. Apply the scrub to your face, massage and rinse.
- Deep cleansing scrub suitable for all skin types … Prepare the broth in the proportion: 1 tablespoon to 200 ml of boiling water. Separately combine 20-30 grams of oatmeal, 1 tablespoon each of sugar and honey and a couple of pinches of sea salt. Pour in the tea slowly until you get the consistency of thick sour cream. Rub the scrub into your face for a couple of minutes, then rinse.
- Sensitive skin scrub … To prepare a mild scrub, combine in equal parts a weak infusion of green tea (proportions for brewing: 1 tablespoon per glass of water) and almond flour (2 tablespoons), add a little peach oil. For a harsher scrub, you can add a little sea salt.
Important! All scrubs should be considered purely as additional care products and should be applied no more than 2 times a week.
How to use green tea for acne
As you can see, the potential of green tea in cosmetics is enormous. Regular use of products based on it in facial skin care really gives very good results.
But, it is worth noting that when using this product for skin care, a number of important recommendations must be followed:
- Tea quality … For the manufacture of cosmetics, you need to use an exceptionally high quality product. In this case, you need to make sure that it does not contain any additives. "Pampering" with cheap tea bags will not bring you any good.
- Freshness of tea … All green tea cosmetics have a very short shelf life, ideally they should only be used on the day they were made, so try to make small portions of lotions, creams, etc. If the tool still remains and it is very a pity to throw it away, you can go in two ways. When you need to store a cleanser or lotion, it is best to pour it into ice storage trays and freeze it. If you need to extend the life of a cream or mask, you can put them in the refrigerator in a container with a tight-fitting lid. In this case, the maximum shelf life is increased to 5 days.
- Consideration of contraindications … Before using a product for facial care, you need to make sure that there are no contraindications for you. Note that many articles recommend drinking tea by mouth to improve skin health. Please note that in this case, the list of contraindications will be expanded, since we are talking about a product with a powerful biologically active composition that will only benefit healthy people, but if there are problems of one nature or another, it can do harm. Be sure to investigate the potential oral health hazards of a product before making it part of your daily diet.
- Taking into account skin type … Remember that a natural remedy is not a universal remedy, and therefore, when choosing a particular recipe, do not forget to clarify whether it suits your skin type. Note that green tea itself is suitable for all skin types.
Paying attention to these tips and the regularity of the procedures will help you to make your skin glowing, youthful and get rid of all imperfections. How to use green tea - watch the video:
Green tea is not only a delicious drink with many beneficial properties, but also a good cosmetic product. The product perfectly fights acne and blackheads, eliminating existing ones and preventing new ones. As a bonus, it improves complexion and rejuvenates the skin. However, when deciding to start using the product in the preparation of home care products, be sure to study the list of contraindications.