Want great skin? Drink more green tea

06 Sep 2021

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Not everyone likes the slightly bitter taste of green tea, but the health benefits it provides are hard to ignore. Green tea has been shown to boost heart health, promote weight loss and enhance memory. It is also highly beneficial for skin and has found its way into diets, creams and face packs. Read on to find out how that cup of green tea you have every day is benefitting your skin—and if you’re not a green tea drinker yet, you might just become one after your read this post!

Green tea benefits for the skin

Adding green tea to skin products isn’t just some marketing gimmick. Scientific research shows that green tea can provide the following benefits:

Reducing inflammation: Green tea contains natural antioxidants that fight inflammation (1) and soothe flare-ups caused by skin disorders like psoriasis and eczema.

Fighting ageing: Green tea contains a compound called Epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG), which is a powerful antioxidant. This compound slows down skin ageing by neutralising free radicals, thereby reducing the damage caused by them. Using green tea on your face can reduce the formation of wrinkles, age spots and other skin issues caused by free radical damage.

Clearing clogged pores: Green tea is beneficial for reducing acne, which is caused when your pores get clogged with sebum, bacteria or dead skin cells. The tannins in this tea shrink your pores and reduce the production of skin oils. (2)

Exfoliating skin: Dried green tea leaves have a rough texture and can be used as an effective facial scrub for sloughing off dirt and dead skin cells. That’s the reason why you’ll find a lot of exfoliating face masks with green tea as their principal component.

Reducing dandruff: Green tea has been used to treat scalp conditions since ancient times. This is because it has anti-bacterial and anti-fungal properties and can rid your scalp of dandruff-casing mites and bacteria. As mentioned above, it also helps regulates sebum production, preventing your scalp from becoming too oily.

Protection against sun damage: Green tea reduces redness and inflammation caused by the sun’s UV rays. A cup or two of green tea a day or even green tea-based lotions can protect your skin from being damaged by overexposure.

How to use green tea on your skin

There are many ways to enjoy the goodness green tea has to offer. It can be used as a shampoo by mixing it with soap and olive oil. You can mix it with aloe vera gel, corn-starch, and pomegranate juice to make your very own anti-ageing cream. Another option is to mix cold, freshly brewed green tea with lemon juice, honey, tea tree oil, and baking soda to make a natural skin toner. You can also reap the benefits of green tea for the face by simply using it as a face wash to cleanse clogged pores.

How do you make a green tea face mask?

All you need is the following:

1 tbsp. green tea
1 tbsp. baking soda
1 tbsp. honey
Water (optional)
A mixing bowl
A measuring spoon
A towel

Brew the green tea for an hour. Remove the tea leaves and mix them with baking soda and honey to make a paste. Gently massage this paste onto your skin and leave it on for 10 to 15 minutes. Finally, rinse it off with the green tea water.

Side effects of using a green tea mask

Though green tea is largely safe for you skin, it’s always better to test out any product on a small patch of skin before applying it to your whole face. This will help you gauge the sensitivity of your skin to it. As with everything else, green tea too should be enjoyed in moderation to avoid side-effects.

Other tips for healthy skin

Apart from adding brewed green tea to your skin care routine, you can also add skin-friendly supplements to it. Setu Skin: Renew contains glutathione, a powerful antioxidant that detoxifies your liver and improves skin health. It has also been proven to reduce wrinkles and improve the elasticity of the skin.

Another great way to keep your skin healthy and free of ailments is by detoxifying your body regularly. But a detox doesn’t have to be bland and boring: try detoxing mocktails to cleanse your body and skin. You should also stay away from foods that are bad for your skin, and always have a decent skin care routine that you practice regularly!

FAQs

1) How is green tea made?

Green tea is produced by steaming, frying and drying tea leaves. This process prevents the leaves from getting heavily oxidised and becoming brown or black tea leaves.

2) How soon will I start seeing results after using green tea?

The revitalising and cleansing effects of green tea can take time to show, but if used regularly and as part of a routine, will take effect within a few weeks or months.

3) Is it safe for people with high blood pressure to consume green tea?

Research published in the Journal of Chinese Medicine suggests that green tea may help reduce blood pressure as well as the risk of coronary heart diseases (3)

Elizabeth Bangera

Armed with an MSc. in Food, Nutrition, and Dietetics, Elizabeth wears many hats and is skilled in everything from weight loss to diabetes and cardiac care management.