Green Tea benefits for natural skin care

1.Weight Loss - green tea extract is rich in polyphenols and caffeine which stimulate fat oxidation and increase metabolic rate.  Green tea consumption should be limited to 2 - 3 cups / day.
2.Cancer and heart disease - consumption is green tea is also shown to reduce blood pressure, cholesterol, and reducing risks of cardiovascular disease.  Studies suggest that polyphenols in green tea inhibit the growth of certain cancer cells.
3. Skin care - High in vitamin C, minerals, and phytochemical compounds, green tea helps increase elasticity and skin rejuvenation.  Anti oxidants in green tea reduces appearance of fine lines, wrinkles, sun damage, and lighten uneven complexion.  The leaves can be used as a gentle exfoliant to give skin a healthy glow.
4. Inflammation - Green tea extract has anti-inflammatory effects on sensitive skin
5. Acne - Green tea catechins are anti-bacterial and can control acne breakouts without side effects.  To create a green tea toner, simply steep green tea into a cup of distilled or mineral water.  Apply to affected areas with cotton pads.
6. Tired puffy eyes - Caffeine in green tea can help stimulate blood circulation.  Steeped green tea pouches can be refrigerated for 2 hours then placed over tired eyes to alleviate puffiness.

What's the deal with parabens?

What are parabens?
Parabens are a class of synthetic chemicals used in preservatives for cosmetics.  Their anti-fungal properties stop the spread of bacteria and increasing the shelf-life of products.  They are known to be effective and low-cost which explains why they are widely used by many cosmetic brands.  Recently, there has been much controversy regarding the health risks on the long-term use of paraben containing products.  In many inconclusive studies, there seems to be an indirect correlation to breast cancer, endocrine disruption, and reproductive problems.  Even though, there is no restriction on the use of parabens in cosmetics, there are heavy restrictions on the production and labelling of product ingredients.  In the past years, consumers are becoming more concerned of the potential risks associated with the long-term use of products.  Instead, they actively search the market for natural alternatives which exclude parabens, aluminum, mineral oil, and so forth.  Due to the vast reduction in demands, cosmetic companies are responding by promoting natural or organic product lines that are "paraben/chemical-free".

Natural alternatives 
When shopping for natural skin care products, consumers should look for "paraben-free"labelling and checking the list of ingredients.  For more information on how to check the labelling, click here.

In cosmetics, parabens are being replaced by grapefruit seed extract, vitamin E and essential oil as natural preservatives.  Some "paraben-free" deodorants contain caster seed oil which absorbs and neutralizes odour.  Alum (potassium alum) is an organic compound known for reducing bacteria growth.  Due to its large molecule, it is impossible to be absorbed through the skin.  It is also biodegradable and free of toxins, making it one of the main ingredients for natural deodorants.


 While many consumers can take a breather knowing that the natural, "paraben-free" products are completely  safe, but how effective is the natural alternative compared to the previous?  Here is a testimonial of one consumer on the use of "paraben-free" deodorant:

"On the stick my new deodorant smelled like honey drizzled over fresh-cut hay. On my armpit it smelled like a child caked in sweaty, urine-drenched baby powder."

In terms of perspiration, natural deodorants do not prohibit or suppress sweat production.  The body odour caused by perspiration is simply masked by the scent, and the rate of bacteria growth is reduced.  Therefore, even though natural and "paraben-free" deodorants do not get absorbed through the skin, they do not last just as long and have to be used more frequent to achieve desirable results.  Also, everybody has different body scent that when interacts with a fragrant and sweats, will produce a completely different scent.  Some might turn out smelling great, while others with the same scent might turn out repulsive.  It might be a good idea to test out which essential oil extract will produce the best outcome when combined with your body scent.  Try testing a small area for a few hours and see if that turns out alright.

How to get baby soft skin!

Your groceries are more useful than just for your belly, they also make great skin food.  If you are looking for a facial treat that will make your skin noticeably softer and smoother, I have a perfect mask recipe that you can make straight out of your kitchen. I'm torn between calling it the Banana Flambe or the Monkey Mask. Anyways, here it goes:

For 1 serving:
1/2 a banana
1 tsp. honey
1/2 tsp. virgin coconut oil or virgin olive oil
optional: 2 tbsp. Yogurt

Mash the banana and mix the ingredients all together to form a paste.

Rub the mixture all over the face and give it a nice light massage.  Leave the mask on for 15 mins then rinse off.

Banana has AHA which is great for skin rejuvenation, brightening up complexion, reduce lines, treating blemish and light acne.  If you're skin is not so sensitive you can also try adding a squeeze of lemon juice to increase the AHA (but do not use if your skin is inflamed!).  Other than its treatment function, banana is also great for hydrating skin.  Honey works well in cleansing as it has anti-bacterial function.  The combination is great for cleansing and moisturizing the skin.  It has no added preservatives or extra chemicals! Try it out and see how you like it!

Charcoal Soap

Charcoal has been used throughout Asia for skin care purposes.  The carbon in charcoal draws out impurities and residues from pollution and cosmetics, leaving skin firmer, glowing, and softer.  With a hint of cinnamon scent, charcoal soap is delightful for cleansing oily skin after a long day in the sun and pollution, or after a night out filled with sweats and heavy makeup. 

I've been using charcoal soap for over a month now.  The first few times I washed my face with it, I noticed that my skin felt a little bit tight.  After 2 weeks, I noticed that my skin complexion was more even. The downside is that frequent use tends to dry out.  I wouldn't recommend washing your face with charcoal soap on a daily basis, maybe 2-3 times per week followed by moisturizer. 

Summer time skincare

Each summer vacation I spend outside of North America, particularly in hot tropical weather where the heat rises up to 40 c, I always feel like peeling off my face and get brand new skin. As I spend most of the time in Canada where the weather is mostly cold and dry, being in Asia has caused all my pores to open up 10 times more than normal. Imagine all the worst factors that can possibly ruin your skin combined all together. For example, Thailand has the heat + humidity + makeup (because sometimes, you just have to) + pollution = one dirty face. Having sensitive AND mixed combination skin type does not help. Delicate treatment and prevention are crucial. To save myself from spending the rest of the vacation looking like a grease monkey, I searched and searched for remedy and how to battle the weather. Luckily, I found a few solutions that are working against the environment.

1. The miracle of WATER

Your body sweats a lot more during intense heat, leaving you dehydrated. Coupled with pol

lution, and poor diet, this could really damage your skin. It is important to clean from the inside as well as outside. Drink lots of water throughout the day to replenish lost fluids and also to help your body clean out the toxins from the air and diet. I try to practice what I preach, but sometimes I find it extremely hard to keep up with drinking 7-8 glasses of water per day. So as a rule, I force myself to drink a glass of water when I wake up, one glass with each meal, one during the afternoon, and one before bed. That's already 6 minimum, though, it's not difficult to accomplish when the weather is scorching hot outside and you feel like you're dying of thirst.

2. A good bar of herbal soap

Twice a day, wash your face with glyceri

n soap that has ingredients containing AHA and anti oxidants. I find herbal soaps great because they only contain natural ingredients which won't harm the skin in the long run. I use aloe and seaweed glycerin soap which keeps my skin squeaky cleaned and dehydrated at the same time.

Too much pollution in the air also causes redness on my cheeks. Before bed, I use charcoal soap which detoxifies and removes impurities off the skin. After 3 weeks, I notice that the redness and rashes on my cheeks subdued and my complexion also is also lightened and even out. The glycerin soaps are not long term therapeutic and have to be used regularly. I find that once I stop using charcoal soap for a few days, the rash and acne start to come back. Also, you should test of sensitive your skin is the the soap by testing small amount on the body first to see if there is irritation.

3. Deep cleansing

When I feel like my face still has a lot of oil and dirt build up, small amount of Neutrogena astrigen does the trick. As a mild alcohol base, astrigent deeply removes excess dirt and oil. Only use it in oil prone areas such as t-zone, though, as it tends to dry out the skin.

4. Moisturize

Because of my mild combination skin, I need to use moisturizer that is light and not too greasy. I also try to stick to the ones with the least amount of chemicals as possible. I find Thann rice extract lotion, which is high in Vitamin E, really light and not sticky at all. Best of all, my skin is left silky soft and smelling nice.