People drink green tea for different reasons. Some, to reduce body fat, while for some to cure bad breath and perhaps cancer. Unfortunately, only a few people are aware that green tea is highly beneficial to the skin. Hence, the question is, is green tea good for the skin?
Is drinking green tea good for your skin?
Many people opine that applying green tea directly to the skin is good than drinking it. Well, you will also agree that drinking it isn’t a bad idea.
As a matter of fact, the best way to treat any disease is by dealing with the causative agent from the inside out. This is what you get when you drink green tea.
Green tea, if drink responsibly (2-3 cups per day) is highly beneficial to the skin. When consumed, green tea releases antioxidants, anti-inflammatory, and antimicrobial to the body, thereby ripping the skin of any factor that can harm or irritate it.
Moreover, you may be wondering, what are the real benefits of green tea for the skin? Here you go!
Green tea for skin benefits
Green tea when brewed or made into creams or lotion has several skincare benefits. Howbeit, here are the benefits of green tea for the skin.
1. Protects Skin from Cancer
One of the factors that cause skin cancer is constantly exposing the skin to the sun. However, green tea contains polyphenol, an important compound that can help shield the skin from the harmful effect of ultraviolet rays.
So appropriate polyphenols get released each time you drink or apply green tea to your skin. This prevents the skin from skin cancer be it melanoma or non-melanoma.
2. Exfoliate the Skin
Green tea is a perfect skin exfoliator, thanks to the presence of antioxidants. Therefore, when green tea is processed into a facial scrub, it removes dead cells and unclogs pores. Besides, its ability to exfoliate the skin enhances skin whitening.
3. Protect Against Bacteria Infection
Green tea, due to its high antimicrobial properties can help soothe acne and some other skin blemishes caused by bacteria. So, whether by drinking it or applying it directly to your skin, green tea is a proven therapy that can help protect the skin from bacterial causing disease.
4. Prevent the skin from aging
Besides its soothing effect, green tea can also help to prevent skin aging. Also, green tea is a good moisturizer; this makes it very easy to improve skin elasticity, thereby, preventing skin aging.
Does green tea improve the skin?
Of course, green tea improves the skin. Green tea is highly rich in polyphenols that contain antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and antimicrobial properties. These three properties synergize to leave your skin healthier than before.
Since most skin irritations are caused by dehydration, green tea will help you hydrate your skin against dryness. This can induce skin irritation or blemishes.
This is because of the presence of some essential vitamins like vitamin E and B2 in it. Green tea can also help purify clog pores and exfoliate worn-out cells, thereby enhancing skin toning.
To solidify the fact that green tea can help improve the skin, an experiment was conducted a long time ago. In thisexperiment, green tea extract was applied on the forearms of some students for 30days.
At the end of this experiment, it was observed that the applicants’ skins became smoother than before.
You can decide to do the same; there is no side effect if you apply it to your skin. And you can also drink it if you’re not fond of applying skincare directly on your skin.
Does green tea make your skin glow?
Drinking green tea can indeed enhance skin glow. The intake of green tea can serve different benefits at the same time. It can help increase fat burning, weight loss, control the bad breath; detoxification, and of course, makes your skin glow.
The effect of this is that, once you drink green tea, it starts providing these benefits even before asking.
So, if you are not ready for weight loss, drinking green tea for only skin glow might not be the best thing to do like applying it directly on the skin.
Meanwhile, you may be wondering about how many cups of green tea you must drink daily to foster skin glow. There is no actual answer to this. But generally, drinking 3 cups of green tea daily will be enough to restore your silky youthful skin.
Is green tea good for your face?
Of course, it is. In fact, you can use green tea daily on your face until you get the desired result. Green tea leaves can be made into a scrub, mask, and other beneficial products to soothe acne, aging, puffy eye, and lots more.
The mode of application of green tea to the face depends on what you intend to use it for. Besides, you can also combine other therapeutic substances with green to achieve the best result. For instance, honey is usually added to green tea when treating acne.
If you must use green tea on your face, you must be sure of your skin type to avoid allergenic reactions. People with sensitive skin tend to be allergic to green tea. And this can cause irritation.
Overall, it is very paramount you visit a dermatologist before you use green tea for your face or skin problem. This will save you greatly from the negative effect of green tea on your skin.
Ways to apply green tea on face or skin
Just like other skincare products, green tea can also be applied directly to your face or skin. There are different ways you can apply it to your skin depending on your choice.
1. As a toner
You can make a DIY green tea toner then apply it to your face or skin. All you need is any 2 tsp of green tea (loose leaves or tea bags) and 1 cup of boiling water (240 ml). Now,
- Boil the water and dip the tea bag/loose leaves into it
- Stir it for 5-6 minutes and let it sit for another 5 minutes (strain it if leaves were used)
- Cool the toner, transfer it to an air-tight bottle or container, and refrigerate it for at least 24 hours
- Wash your face with a cleanser and apply the toner with a cotton pad to dab your face. Make sure you dab it gently to avoid any rashes or redness.
- Rub your face gently with your fingers and apply your regular moisturizer as you normally do.
This green tea toner helps to reduce inflammation and pores on the face. Also, you can apply toner to your face once or twice daily.
2. As steam treatment
To apply green tea as steam treatment, start by boiling 2-3 cups of water. Pour the boiled water in a clean bowl with a lid then add 2-3 bags of green tea or a spoon of unbagged dried green tea.
After this, prepare your face by cleaning it with a mild cleanser. Then put your face over the bowl of tea, add a towel on your head to form a tent over your head. Wait for 10 minutes to lock the steam on your face.
You can rinse with cool water and pat dry. Make sure you apply a moisturizer immediately to avoid dryness.
Also, in my opinion, it is best to steam once a week. However, if you feel itchiness or redness, discontinue this method.
3. As a mask
Make a green tea mask by adding water to one spoon of green tea to form a paste. Apply on your face, and neck area with a cotton pad or brush. Allow it to dry and leave for 10 minutes. Wash off with cool or lukewarm water.
You can also make another variant of the mask by mixing your green tea with coconut oil, lemon juice, and honey. You can even mix your green tea with yogurt to exfoliate your skin.
Final Thoughts
Either by drinking or applying directly to the skin, green tea is very good for the skin. Moreover, if you must drink green tea, drink responsibly to avoid any complications. Two to three cups per day are enough.
In addition, if you must apply directly on your skin, ensure you take precautions. Also, if you must combine green tea with other products be it skincare or pills, ensure you follow the appropriate steps.
However, if after drinking or application, the condition of your skin does not improve, you can try other therapy or consult an expert.
