Revitalize your skin and hair— with tea!
Tea is one of this year’s trendiest new beauty ingredients, and for good reason: It’s packed with nutrients that soften your skin and add shine to your hair!
1 Age-proof skin with white tea body mist!
“Not only does white tea delay the aging process with its high dose of antioxidants, it revitalizes the skin for a natural glow,” says César Sánchez, spa manager at Costa Rica’s Marriott Hotel San Jose. Each spritz of tea shields your skin from the oxidative stress that causes wrinkles and hyperpigmentation while restoring radiance! ● DIY it! Steep 3 bags white tea in 4 oz. hot water for 10 minutes. Discard tea bags; let cool. Transfer tea to spritz bottle and mist it on from head to toe after showering. Refrigerate extra spritz up to five days.
2 Nix puffiness with a black tea mask!
Everything from allergies to salty snacks can make your face appear puffy—luckily, a black tea mask reduces swelling and soothes irritation fast! “Tea has tannic acid, a powerful astringent that helps reduce inflammation and puffiness,” says Janice Cox, author of Natural Beauty at Home. ● DIY it! Steep 5 bags black tea in 8 oz. hot water for 3 minutes, Sánchez says. Remove bags; let cool. Press out excess water. Cut bags open and mix contents with 1 tsp. honey and juice of 1 lemon wedge. Smooth on clean skin. Relax 5-10 minutes. Rinse well.
3 Calm redness with chamomile tea mist!
Chamomile is a renowned skin soother! “It contains apigenin, a flavonoid that has anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial and antioxidant effects,” says dermatologist Debra Jaliman, M.D., author of Skin Rules. It tamps down redness from irritation and even rosacea so your skin feels cooled, calmed and refreshed! ● DIY it! When your skin is red or inflamed, Cox recommends steeping 2 bags chamomile tea in 8 oz. hot water. Discard tea bags; let cool. Splash cooled tea over your face (or body!) and let dry—no need to rinse!
4 Soften skin with a green tea scrub!
Supercharge your exfoliating scrub with green tea’s antioxidants! “On their own, sugar scrubs exfoliate dead cells so your skin feels softer and looks radiant,” says Dr. Jaliman. When you mix in green tea, which is packed with polyphenols that fight the free radicals that cause sagging and sun spots, you’ll keep skin looking soft and youthful! ● DIY it! Cox suggests mixing 1/ 2 cup sugar with 1/4 cup light sesame oil and 2 Tbs. loose leaf green tea in a bowl. Let sit 2-3 hours so the ingredients meld, then massage into damp skin from your neck down in a circular motion. Rinse well. ■ Fast fix! The Body Shop Fuji Green Tea Body Scrub, $24 at ThebodyshopUsa.com.
5 Get smooth, glossy hair with a tea tonic!
“A simple tea tonic can help restore balance to your scalp and make hair feel silky smooth,” says Sánchez. Black and chamomile tea have anti-inflammatory effects that calm scalp irritation so your hair grows in healthier, while their antioxidants smooth your cuticles so hair reflects light for more shine. ● DIY it! Dark hair? Use 7 bags black tea. Lighter hair? Use 7 bags chamomile tea, which has a subtle lightening effect over time. Steep tea in 16 oz. hot water for 10-15 minutes. Discard bags; let cool. Weekly, after shampooing, pour tonic over hair and massage into scalp. Let set 5 minutes. Rinse well.