Natural Remedies and Recipes for Clear and Healthy Skin

Having beautiful, healthy skin doesn’t have to come with expensive treatments or with harsh chemical products. Mother Nature offers many ingredients that can improve your skin while being easy on your skin and your wallet. These tried-and-true remedies provide solutions to a variety of skin problems like acne and redness or inflammation, dryness, and dullness. The use of these natural remedies can allow you to build an effective and sustainable skincare routine for your skin for the long term.

Red Light Therapy – Nature’s Healing Power

Red light therapy is a revolutionary natural skincare treatment that uses a non-invasive way to address multiple topical skin issues. The therapy uses certain wavelengths of red light that penetrates deep into multiple layers of skin and induces regenerative processes that naturally occur in healthy tissue.

The process stimulates the mitochondria in skin cells, which results in increased collagen and elastin production. Enhanced cellular function helps all aspects of your skin, including uniformity (texture), firmness, and appearance. Regular treatments will help you minimize fine lines, reduce inflammatory conditions, and help restore damaged skin areas quickly.

Red light therapy penetrates deep into the skin, addressing skin health at the cellular level, unlike topical treatments that only address the more superficial layers of skin. The gentle warming feel during treatment is soothing, while also producing positive, healing effects. Most users notice a difference in the color of their skin and decreased redness after 3 or more treatments, and the effects continue to get better with more treatment.

Making Fabulous DIY Facials

You can turn your bathroom into a spa and create your own facial treatments and masks using everyday ingredients found in your kitchen, and using natural ingredients. These DIY alternatives allow you a far greater menu of options for facial treatments based on your skin, without having to worry about synthetic irritants in commercial facial products.

Honey is an excellent base for a variety of facial masks because it is an effective antimicrobial and humectant. Raw unprocessed honey is best; it contains active enzymes and nutrients that help to improve skin health. When combining honey with finely ground oatmeal, it makes for a lovely gentle exfoliating mask; oatmeal is oily, so it will remove dead skin cells while hydrating.
Turmeric can pack a powerful anti-inflammatory punch so it is great for soothing irritated skin and decreasing redness. Combine a small amount of turmeric with yogurt or milk for a brightening mask, and appreciate the results! Lactic acid in dairy products provides mild exfoliation so you may be surprised at how much soft, bright skin lies underneath the surface.

Avocados provide real nourishment! Avocados are a good source of vitamins E and K, healthy fats, and antioxidants. Simply mash ripe avocados with a little olive oil for a rich, moisturizing treatment particularly beneficial for dry or mature skin.

Gently Cleansing Products to Use Every Day

Cleansing solutions that will keep skin clean without stripping it of natural oily protection are gentle and moderate products. Natural cleansers are used to work with your skin, not against it and help to maintain the acid mantle of protective multi-layered skin to protect against excessive bacteria and environmental damage.

A simple honey and water mixture creates an effective daily cleanser for removing impurities while still maintaining moisture in the skin. Honey’s natural enzymes break down debris and excess oil without irritating the skin, meaning that this honey and water combination can be used for many sensitive skin types.

Rose Water with a few drops of sweet almond oil offers cleansing and toning properties. Rose water provides a gentle astringent effect that will help to minimize pores while the almond oil breaks down makeup and sunscreen residues. You will feel ‘clean’ yet ‘comfortable’ and not have the tight sensation that washing the face with traditional facial cleansing products leaves on the skin.

If you tend to have acne prone skin, you can develop a clarifying cleanser by using diluted apple cider vinegar with green tea. The acetic acid in vinegar can balance the skin pH while the green tea provides antioxidants and anti-inflammatory protection.

Natural Exfoliation for Smooth, Radiant Skin

Maintaining a regular exfoliation regimen to take off dead skin cells, which can clog our pores and make our skin look dull while peeling away layers of skin to show off all that fresh, healthy skin underneath. Natural exfoliants give you the results you are looking for without the micro-tears and damage that can be caused by using harsh scrubs and over-processed ingredients.

Ground oatmeal is one of the gentlest, yet most efficient forms of a natural exfoliator that is available today. The fine ground oatmeal mechanically exfoliates, while the beta-glucans in the oat soothe inflammation and hydrate your skin. Add ground oats to honey and a few drops of an essential oil, and you have a spa-like experience.

Brown sugar and coconut oil, create a body scrub that scrubs dead skin off your body, while giving it deep, in-depth hydration. The glycolic acid that occurs naturally in sugar, helps to dissolve the bonds between dead skin cells, as coconut oil has antimicrobial properties that help fight bacteria.

Coffee grounds, for very gentle use, provide exfoliation and antioxidant properties. The caffeine in coffee can temporarily enhance circulation and potentially minimize the appearance of cellulite, as well as provide a more even skin tone. After mixing used coffee grounds with a carrier oil, massage it gently onto damp skin.

Balancing Natural Toners for Healthy Skin pH

Proper skin pH is needed for optimal barrier function and skin health. After cleansing, natural toners will help restore balance while offering added therapeutic properties through botanically base ingredients that have been selected with intention.

Witch hazel extract will allow for gentle astringent properties to reduce the appearance of pores without over-drying the skin. The natural tannins in witch hazel extract not only have anti-inflammatory properties, but they are great for those having breakouts or sensitive skin.

Cold green tea, applied as a toner, is packed with antioxidants that help protect from the ravages of the environment. Green tea’s polyphenols act as an anti-inflammatory agent and may help protect against early aging due to exposure to UV light and pollution.

Diluted apple cider vinegar makes a wonderful toner for oily or acne-prone skin. Its natural acidity is beneficial for balancing your skin pH and it has some gentile antimicrobial effects. To be clear, always dilute your apple cider vinegar – when undiluted it can irritate and damage your skin barrier.

Nourishing Facial Oils and Serums

Natural facial oils can provide you with a source of concentrated nutrition, offering solutions to your specific skin issues while also encouraging general skin health. In contrast to synthetic ingredients, plant-based oils contain accepted compounds that will work towards enhancing skin function and appearance because they work together rather than against one another.
Jojoba oil closely resembles human sebum, meaning it is suitable for all skin types, including oily and acne-prone skin. Reports suggest that the molecular structure allows your skin to absorb it.

Rosehip seed oil has high amounts of vitamin C and essential fatty acids that can support collagen production and help repair skin tissue. Over time, repeated use can improve the texture of your skin and diminish the appearance of scars and fine lines. Rosehip seed oil feels light on your skin and absorbs quickly – allowing for use under makeup or sunscreen.

Argan oil is an oil rich in vitamin E, essential fatty acids, and antioxidants to intensely nourish the skin. This oil is well-suited for mature skin or skin that has been damaged and returned it to a state that has elasticity and is free from the signs of environmental damage.

Herbal Remedies for Healing the Skin

Herbs have long lasted as therapeutic remedies because they offer concentrated therapeutic compounds. Herbal remedies give gentle yet efficient treatment for sensitive or problematic skin.
Chamomile tea, cooled and used as a compress will calm any irritated or inflamed skin. Chamomile naturally reduces redness and calms sensitive reactions, making it excellent for skin conditions like eczema or sun exposure.

Lavender not only provides gentle skin benefits but can also offer aromatherapy while you apply it. Lavender has natural antiseptic and anti-inflammatory benefits. At the same time whether you use lavender hydrosol or dilute essential oil, will also provide aromatherapy benefits for reduced stress.

Calendula infused oil or tea provides gentle support for healing minor skin irritation, cuts or blemishes. Historically, calendula is a soothing and restorative herb that helps promote the repair of the skin and is a natural plant inflammatory. I think this herb is great for anyone with any form of acne or minor skin problems.

Nutrition to Support Skin Health

Beautiful skin starts with nourishment; the food we eat has a direct effect on the health, and appearance, of our skin. Food that is rich in antioxidants, healthy fats, and nutrients provide us with the fundamental building blocks for skin health and function.

Leafy greens such as spinach, kale and other greens give us vitamins A, C, and K, as well as folate and iron to help with skin cell health. These vitamins keep our skin structure healthy and help support nutritional fortification of skin for the natural repair and replacement processes inherent to keeping skin appearing youthful, and vibrant.

Foods rich in Omega 3 fats such as walnuts, flax seeds, and fatty fish help maintain the skin barrier and lower inflammation throughout the body. Healthy fats will hydrate and help keep our skin supple, and may also help ease the severity of inflammatory skin disorders.

Antioxidant rich foods, like berries, dark chocolate, and green tea help protect skin cells from free radical damage, which can hasten skin aging and build-up of numerous skin disorders. Eating a broad assortment of colorful fruits and vegetables can ensure we have a wide range of protective, biological compounds.

Establishing Your Natural Skincare Routine

Establishing an effective natural skincare routine: To establish an effective natural skincare routine, you will want to understand your skin type and concerns and also be patient. One of the differences in using natural ingredients is that they usually work more slowly and therefore may take more time to provide effective solutions to skincare issues, however, the solutions and health benefits they provide are sustainable and long lasting and do not cause adverse side effects.

When you start with natural skin care, start slowly, choosing one remedy or treatment at a time to allow your skin to adjust before trying new products. The slower approach allows you to know what works for your skin while it avoids overwhelming sensitive skin and protecting against irritation.

When it boils down to it with natural skincare, consistency is more important than complexity. You will provide better results applying a simplified routine consistently than a more involved routine sporadically. Your healthy skin routine should include regular, gentle cleaning, appropriate moisturization, and wearing sunscreen.

Also, remember that natural without understanding also doesn’t mean natural is right for everyone. There are many chemicals and compounds in plants that make the plants safe for most people, however, some people are sensitive and can have allergies to certain plant chemicals and essential oils. When trying new plant-based products you should always do a patch test before using the products and if you have any irritation discontinue the use immediately.

Disclaimer

This article is intended for educational purposes only and is not a substitute for actual medical advice or care. Individual skin reactions will vary, and we recommend performing patch tests prior to applying any new ingredients to larger areas of skin. Consult a dermatologist or other healthcare professional if you have skin problems or conditions that are persistent and/or showing no change. The results you achieve using natural remedies will vary from person to person and you will usually need to apply consistently over a period of time to see the best results.