Green tea, the classic drink of Asia, has long been celebrated for its profound health benefits. Only water is had more often around the world than tea, and green tea is considered the healthiest kind available.
Green tea might be just as good for your outsides as your insides. The same health benefits that make the drink better for your health also means that there are benefits of tea for skin.
What are the Health Benefits of Green Tea?
When served without sugar or other artificial flavors, green tea is a zero-calorie beverage that packs a punch of caffeine. The actual amount can vary depending on how long you infuse the leaves, but generally, green tea contains 20-45 milligrams per cup. In contrast, black tea as about 50 milligrams, and a cup of coffee has close to 95.
Despite the differences in their names and caffeine levels, green tea and black tea both come from the Camellia sinensis bush. It’s the level of oxidation that the leaves go through that dictates how the final brew turns out. Because green tea is entirely unoxidized, it contains a slightly bitter flavor when compared to black.
However, it’s the other components that green tea contains that makes it so renowned in the health world. Each cup contains more antioxidants than any other tea, and the polyphenols within each serving have anti-carcinogenic and anti-inflammatory benefits. This is good news for your body, as green tea is about 45% polyphenols by weight, 80 percent of which are cell-protecting catechins like EGCG.
Considering these components, it’s little surprise that green tea has some profound health benefits. It has long been used in traditional medicine throughout Asia to control bleeding, heal wounds, improve heart health, and even aid digestion. Recent studies have proven the effectiveness of these practices, as green tea is shown to have positive benefits for anyone who has type 2 diabetes, liver disorders, Alzheimer’s disease, and even weight gain.
How is Green Tea Good for Skin?
Walk into any cosmetics store today, and you’re bound to see plenty of products that advertise the essence of green tea within them. This isn’t just a marketing gimmick; instead, green tea has been found to have plenty of benefits for your appearance. Is green tea good for your skin, and is green tea good for skin whitening? The following evidence should be more than enough to convince you that there are plenty of green tea skin benefits for you to indulge in.
Top 8 Benefits of Tea for Skin
There’s a lot to like about using green tea extract on your skin. Below are some of the most significant benefits that this natural plant extract will have on your health and appearance.
1. Psoriasis Treatment
Dry, flaky skin isn’t something anyone wants to deal with, but research shows that the active ingredients in green tea have great potential for fighting off skin disorders like psoriasis. A 2007 study found that an extract made from tea had the power to remove the signs of the inflammatory disease in animals, and preliminary evidence shows that it works for humans, too.
2. Dandruff Removal
Itchy scalp flakes might soon become a thing of the past if you begin relying on a green-tea fortified shampoo. The active compounds it contains and keeps the fungus at bay, meaning that your chronic dandruff might finally have met its match.
3. Reduced Inflammation
The natural antioxidants found in green tea can go a long way towards fighting inflammation. A report in the Journal of the American Medical Association of Dermatology found that the anti-inflammatory potential in green tea has the potential for fighting off a variety of skin disorders. In fact, the report notes that adding green tea to skincare products might have more benefits for skin disorders than the research currently reveals.
4. Slows Down Aging
Few people enjoy looking older, and preliminary evidence shows that the antioxidants in green tea may slow down the march of time, at least regarding your skin appearance. The catechin EGCG is especially beneficial, as research has found that it can reactivate dying skin cells. Though these benefits can only affect your outermost layer of skin, it still makes a profound difference in the formation of wrinkles and age spots caused by free radical damage.
5. Reduce Oiliness in Skin
Is green tea good for acne? The bitter, astringent taste in green tea comes from the tannins it contains. These compounds can shrink your pores and reduce your sebum (natural skin oil) production. This leads to a less oily complexion without the harshness of chemical ingredients in most commercial products. Does green tea really work for oily skin? One study found that using products with just three percent green tea extract led to a 70 percent reduction in sebum production! This means that green tea is the best tea for skin complexion benefits.
6. Better Sun Protection
As it turns out, drinking green tea might protect your skin from sun damage. Really. Drinking the equivalent of one to two cups of green tea a day can reduce the inflammation of irritation caused by too much sun exposure, likely because of the tea’s anti-inflammatory properties. Using tea topically can also make a difference, so don’t be stringy with applying a green tea-based lotion.
7. Less Acne and Blackheads
When used topically, green tea can make a profound difference in the presence of acne and blackheads. Our Green Tea Detox Mask does its job- it is a miraculous three-ingredient formula that totally transforms your skin!
8. Gently Exfoliates
Dried green tea leaves have a slightly abrasive texture. This means that you can use them as a homemade facial scrub to eliminate the dead, rough skin cells on your face, as well as any excess oil and pollutants that it contains. Our Green Tea Facial Scrub helps soften and cleanse your skin without the harsh effect of most exfoliating washes on the market today!
Ready to add green tea into your skincare routine? Our tea-infused clean beauty line features two powerful green tea infused essentials! Grab our Green Tea Facial Scrub and Green Tea Detox Mask today to reap the benefits of this powerful tea! Let us know what improvements you see after using these products by tagging @teamiblends and using the hashtag #thankyouteami!