Herbal Skin Care – An Overview
Wednesday, December 31st, 2008
Skin care has been around since ancient times. This is not a recent topic as many archeologists have discovered various methods the people in the past have used to take care of their skin. Many of these methods were centered around the use of herbs and other plant material to give the skin a better look and feel.
Today you can bet that most of the skin care products have arisen due to commercialization of the skin care industry and our hectic lifestyles. These chemical based skin care products have to mixed with other ingredients that were not naturally intended to go on the skin. Hence sometimes a good skin care product can cause an adverse reaction that is unintended because of the various preservatives that are incorporated into the skin care products.
This commercialization fo the skin care industry could be one of the reasons for a resurgence of a more natural approach to taking care of oneself. So if these herbs have been around for a great amount of time then why have we not heard of them? That is perhaps because there is too much emphasis on the over the counter remedies that are sold in stores. Fear not though as the natural revolution is now taking hold and the word is getting out.
The first natural herb to take care of your skin is called aloe vera. Many of you have probably have heard of it by now as it is widely used in sunscreens and other preventative creams.
A number of herbs are known to possess cleansing properties. Dandelion, chamomile, lime flowers and rosemary herbs, are a few examples of such cleansers. Their herbal skin care properties get invoked when they are combined with other herbs like tea.
There is also a need for a variety of natural antiseptics and these can be found in Lavender, marigold, thyme and fennel to name just a few. You can also use lavender water as well as rose water that can also act as a natural toner.
Oils are used extensively in natural skin care. These oils include tea tree oil, Lavender oil, borage oil and primrose oil. You can also find extracts from fruits such as apple, orange and bananas that are used in many shower gels and other cleaning products.
Herbal skin care is on the rise and you will see more and more of the above mentioned herbs, oils and extracts being used in everyday products. Of course for some your skin may react negatively to these natural herbs. Be sure to consult with a dermatologist if this should happen.