Our skin needs a lot of care in order for it to look the best it can be, and one of the best ways to do just that is to make sure that your skincare regimen has natural ingredients included in it.

These natural ingredients have been used for centuries to do everything from removing wrinkles, taking care of allergies and also as aromatherapy agents.

Amazing right?

These ingredients have been nurtured by mother nature and processed by cosmetics companies to give our skin the amazing youthful look that we want. Now we need to answer the question: Why should we pick natural ingredients?

Why Natural Ingredients?

Mother knows best right? Mother nature that is, and you wouldn’t be wrong in picking out products which have natural ingredients for your skincare regimen. But do you really know what these ingredients in products do for you in the long run?

For the most part, these ingredients still need to be processed by cosmetics companies to extract all that goodness from the ingredients. You wouldn’t want to see bits and pieces of leaves and other clutter in there right?

Many natural ingredients are normally very rich in antioxidants that cleanse your body of toxins that have built up over time. These antioxidants also get rid of free radicals which accelerates the rate at which your skin ages. Wrinkles, age spots, fine lines and other signs of aging are countered by these antioxidants.

Many of these ingredients will definitely feel familiar since you would be able to see them on shelves being sold by your favorite market, store and even restaurants. But they are processed by cosmetics companies to be more effective at their anti-aging jobs when you rub products with them on your skin. However, that doesn’t stop you from making your own homemade concoctions to help your skin so don’t be afraid to look up a few recipes to make your own all natural remedies at home.

Let’s take a look at a few amazing natural ingredients that will brighten up your day!

Green Tea

Green tea is an amazing beverage that is rich in antioxidants which cleanse your body from the toxins that have built up over a long week. It comes in not just tea form but also in pastries called Matcha that also helps relieve the stress you’ve built up because of how good they are. Antioxidants in a delicious Matcha Cake roll?

Yes, please!

But did you know that it also does wonders for your skin? Green tea helps your skin by flushing out the nasty stuff off of your skin while also gently exfoliating it. This is because of how rich green tea is when it comes to the antioxidant department. It also protects you from the rays of the sun and repairs the damage that sun damage causes to your skin because of its anti-inflammatory properties.

So go ahead and take a sip of some delicious green tea or even a slice of Matcha cake after you exfoliate with your green tea moisturizer. You won’t regret it.

Oatmeal

Oats is a great breakfast meal that has all the fiber and nutrients to give you that jumpstart you need to get through the day. Pair it up with a good cup of coffee or tea and you’re ready to face the day!

Oatmeal is an amazing ingredient that can moisturize while protecting your skin at the same time. It also helps with repairing the damage caused by free radicals and pollution.

But did you ever wonder what would happen if you put oatmeal on your face? You’d probably look pretty ridiculous with whole oatmeal on your face and it wouldn’t be very effective. Unless you grind it up into smaller particles that your skin can absorb. You can actually grab some oats and put in through a grinder and use that on your skin for a basic homemade facial wash. Simple, yet moderately effective.

There is, however, a kind of oatmeal called colloidal oatmeal which is processed to give your skin the best benefits from oatmeal. Colloidal oatmeal has been ground up in such a way to make sure that the particles are small enough for your skin to fully absorb all the benefits that oatmeal has. You can expect it in creams and masks that help your skin retain moisture and prepare your skin for the day ahead.

Chamomile

Nothing beats the scent of a little bit of warm Chamomile tea during a rainy day. Pair it up with a little bit of Matcha cake or warm Oatmeal to round out the flavor and you’re all set to go! And just like green tea and oatmeal Chamomile is unexpectedly amazing as a way to heal and protect your skin.

Chamomile has been used for centuries as a way to heal and prevent rashes and allergies while also targeting age spots and wrinkles. The Egyptians did it and so did the Greeks and Romans. They used Chamomile as their answer to wrinkles and age spots and also as a way to freshen up their homes alongside Lavender. Today, Chamomile is used in toners and creams to give your skin a nice touch-up.

Caffeine

You may not think that the stuff in your Macchiato can help your skin’s vibrance but let me convince you otherwise. Caffeine, which is found in coffee, is very rich in antioxidants just like the other ingredients and with it comes the benefit of it being able to fight the dreaded three signs of aging: wrinkles, fine lines, and lack of skin firmness. So expect smoother and firm skin after using products containing caffeine.

Caffeine also has the added benefit of dehydrating your skin. Now, why is that a good thing when what we’re trying to do is to moisturize and nourish our skin? Let me explain:

It dehydrates a specific type of cell in your skin and those are the fatty cells. These cells are responsible for cellulite showing up on your skin and make your thighs look rather uneven. So, caffeine denying these cells the fuel they need to make cellulite makes your skin look younger and smoother.

Things to Look Out For in “Natural” Products

Going natural can be the best way to make your skin look younger and more vibrant but there are always things to look out for whenever you buy a new product. You always have to check whether the product you’re buying is going to have a few undesirable additions or lacking aspects. Especially since these can affect how well the product will perform and whether it will cause a breakout or any other skin condition.

Parabens

Parabens are preservatives that are found in a food and cosmetic products. They have been used since the 1950s and are the go-to preservative for most companies because of how cheap and effective they are at giving their products a longer shelf life. Longer shelf life equals more profit, that's what all the big companies say.

In the 1990s they were discovered to be a xenoestrogen or an agent that copies estrogen in the human body. This means that if your body absorbs too much then it starts messing with your own natural estrogen production leading to some nasty hormone imbalances. This causes more than a few problems which include:

• More breakouts and acne just like when you just hit puberty
• Increase in weight
• Tumors and by extension, Cancer

Check the ingredients for any signs of it. These include ingredients like ethylparaben or propylparaben. In the long run, this preservative will negatively affect your health and any products with parabens are to be avoided at all costs.

Fragrance

No, we don’t mean the delightful smell that comes off of your beauty products. Fragrance is actually the term used by cosmetics companies to sugar coat their “secret formula”. These ingredients are the kinds of ingredients that the company doesn’t want you, the consumer, to know about.

Pretty shady right?

These include various non-natural chemicals like parabens and other preservatives that can hurt your skin in the long run. Fragrances have a tendency to cause various reactions in your skin because of this. From allergies to breakouts, fragrances can cause it all. So if products have fragrance listed as one of its ingredients, be very careful and if possible, choose another product.

It's better to be safe than sorry especially when your skin is on the line.

Packaging

Good natural products come with minimal preservatives added to them so having good packaging on these products are 100% needed. Since these products are made from natural ingredients they have to be packaged well in order for them do what they do best. Be it fighting wrinkles or keeping you moisturized, they won’t do their job if they smell like rotten produce.

Can you just imagine getting your long awaited products from Amazon and they just smell like they’ve been left out in the sun for days on end? “No way am I going to put that on my face” I say to myself, and off to customer support I go to have this thing returned.

Not a great way to start the day.

So, good packaging includes the use of an opaque container that doesn’t let sunlight through. Also, make sure that the seal isn’t broken when you buy(if you buy it from a local store) or receive your product(if you purchase it online) so that you know that the product wasn’t tampered with. If you see that the seal was broken when you receive it, you can ask for a refund from the company selling it.

Packaging not only includes packaging by the manufacturer but you also have to carefully keep the product in a dry place that can’t be reached by the sun. You also have to be careful about scooping some of the product with your hands because that can cause it to spoil or lose its kick faster.

Our skin is the largest organ in our bodies and we always have to look out for the best products to use to ensure that our skin has the best shine it has. Going natural can be a fantastic way to get the look that we’ve always wanted!

What other great all natural ingredients do you use? How often do you try out new ingredients?  Want more great blogs and info from YEOUTH? Subscribe to our newsletter and share your thoughts with us!