As we shift from the holiday season, it’s an excellent time to reset your skin for a new year. Herbs and flower preparations have been used for as long as people care about beauty, both men and women. Botanicals are natural plant preparations and extracts that cleanse, treat skin problems, and improve skin quality.
Botanicals are so valuable because they conteain nutrients, including vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants. Further, they have antioxidant, antibacterial, astringent, anti-inflammatory, and some have cleansing properties.
They’re not single trick ponies but can do many things at a go. This means they can work on any skin type, from red and irritated skin to oily and acne-prone complexions. They are also your ally in anti-ageing, preventing sun damage, fight wrinkles, smooth and heal skin.
Plant extracts
Botanicals contain polyphenols, a category of chemicals of which there are more than 500 unique variations. Polyphenols have 4 main classes
- Flavonoids
- Lignans
- Phenolic acids
- Stilbenes
You probably already have heard of flavonoids if you know about the powers of blueberries. It’s the anthocyanins that give the blueberry its characteristic hue and these plant pigment. Foods famous for their flavonoid content include tea (catechin, quercetin), citrus fruits (hesperetin), soybean (daidzein), onion and apples (quercetin).
Lignans is the second group of flavonoids. They occur naturally in seeds, whole grains, and veggies.
Caffeic acid is a famous representative of the group of phenolic acids. If you regularly drink coffee or red wine, you’ve encountered it. The plants of the mint family, especially thyme and sage have high levels of it. Although it has a similar name to caffeine, it’s unrelated. It’s a precursor to ferulic acid.
Polyphenols are phenomenal because they can guard against cell damage, cleanse your skin from bacterial and microbial invaders, and be soothing at the same time.
The largest class of plant extracts is terpenoids, and a subclass of them is saponins. As the name already hints at, this group of phytochemicals is great as natural cleansers. They act as surfactants and decrease surface tension which means saponins act as a detergent. Saponins help the plant protect against microbes and fungi. They can offer anti-cancer properties for skin.
Clean
By the way, cleansing doesn’t mean stripping or damaging your protective moisture barrier. It may have not been so long ago that to feel clean is to hear a squeak when you rub a finger across your skin. Fortunately, this is changing and it’s more the way to make everything worse for certain skin conditions.
Just think about it: Our skin is constantly exposed to pollutants, the sun. To protect our skin, the moisture barrier has immune cells and guards against bacteria, pollutants, and other stressors. It’s the skin barrier that also keeps skin plump by preventing water from evaporating. But when it’s out of whack, it lets the bad stuff in and the good stuff out.
Applied to your skin Herbs and flower preparations can work as a mild cleanser, prevent free radical damage, calm angry skin, and clear jammed up pores. Keep on scrolling to find an overview of herbs and what kind of benefits you can reap.
Aloe vera
Bear with me with aloe as it’s not really known for its cleansing properties. But, there are many reasons you’ll want to use it. It has antibacterial and anti-inflammatory properties, both can help in fighting zits. Then it’s a rich source of vitamin C which means it builds collagen, improves firmness, and speeds up wound healing.
Calendula
The marigold flower is popular as an ornamental plant and can be eaten too. The extract from its flower can be used as an antiseptic and helps reduce daily damage.
Chickpeas
Chickpeas contain saponins as well as zinc known to fight the bacteria that cause your face to erupt with spots. Chickpeas can help you balance oil and they encourage cell growth, great for rejuvenating your skin.
Coconut oil
Thanks to its high level of lauric acid, coconut oil is antibacterial as well as anti-inflammatory. A study even found that it notably decreased https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/19387482/ the bacteria that can make you grow zits. It’s great for cleansing and as an occlusive but I wouldn’t recommend it as a facial oil if you prone to zits.
Ginseng
Ginseng almost has a legendary reputation because its beginnings stem according to a legend from the most beautiful woman of her age in Korea: Hwang Jini. Modern science proves that ginseng indeed has anti-ageing effects. And not only that, it can improve skin texture, elasticity, and radiance, even out skin tone, and strengthen the skin barrier. That’s because it contains 3 different types of vitamin B and saponins.
Hot peppers
Different regions call them chilli, jalapeno, or paprika. They spice up your food but are great to fight against lines and wrinkles. They contain capsaicin – the stuff that makes your mouth burn – vitamin C and beta carotenoids that your body will turn into vitamin A.
Vitamins A and C help guard against free radicals and so prevent the breakdown of collagen and elastin. The burning stuff – capsaicin has regenerative powers.
Hibiscus
This beautiful flower acts as an emollient and is great to soften skin. It’s an antioxidant that’s often used in skin care since it firms and lifts skin.
Lavender
This plant smells heavenly when it blooms. Some people swear by its scent to relax them and make them fall asleep faster. It has anti-inflammatory and antiseptic properties. It can balance out oil production in your skin which is great for combination and oily skin types.
Neem
In the west, you usually get neem as an oil but all parts of the neem tree can be used. Although neem oil has a pungent smell, it’s an excellent antibacterial, antifungal, anti-inflammatory, and antioxidant.
Peppermint
Peppermint has a role as an emollient and astringent. It’s packed with antioxidants and thanks to the chemicals that make up its scent, it also has strong antibacterial properties. It stimulates circulation and so brings more nutrients to your skin.
Tea tree
This essential oil is famously used for keeping zits in check betas of its anti-inflammatory and antimicrobial properties. It helps those concerned with oily skin, rough texture, or dullness.
Witch hazel
Witch hazel was used for a very long time in strong, astringent toners so that people started to associate it with stripping skin care. But it’s a very versatile ingredient and can help relieve inflammation, clear microbes, and yes act as an astringent so that your pores look smaller.
Bottom line
These multifunctional herbs can be used in different ways and for different concerns. They have been used for centuries if not for thousands of years and they’re only getting more popular.
The red thread that goes through all of them is that they’re excellent sources of antioxidants. That’s because plants are constantly exposed to the sun and the environment and they must build up defenses against the damaging UV light. Some also are anti-inflammatory, others are antibacterial, and still, others have cleansing properties.
If you like ideas for DYI skin care with them, feel free to tell me in the comments below.
