Indian’s love for tea is no secret. Everybody enjoys the beverage to their liking, chai, black tea, iced tea, green tea, and much more. With great taste, tea has numerous health and beauty benefits. On International Tea Day, experts tell us beauty secrets hidden in tea.
Green tea has been given much importance recently, believes beauty expert Shahnaz Husain. She says, “Present day research has also revealed the innumerable benefits of green tea in both health and beauty. Just drinking green tea is said to be preferable to any other beverage, due to its high antioxidant content. It contains polyphenols, which are powerful natural antioxidants. These not only have health benefits, but actually help to delay the visible signs of ageing on the skin and hair. They prevent and retard the degeneration caused by oxidation damage”
Agreeing to this, cosmetic dermatologist Chytra Anand says, “One of the main benefits of green tea is that it is an anti-oxidant. Green tea helps with reducing insulin resistance in the body, which in turn helps people with acne, losing weight, thinning of hair, pigmentation on neck and underarm areas. Epicatechin in green tea helps with activating your metabolism.”
“Our people love black tea, and it is great for two things. First, as a regular drink and secondly, the use of tea bags to reduce puffiness. The caffeine content in the tea, green or black, helps with reducing under eye bags. It’s a general misconception that only black tea has caffeine, but green tea does not, as a matter of fact, both does,” explains Anand.
Green tea helps with skin looking younger day by day by virtue of its components. “Green tea has plenty of antioxidants and vitamins, which are perfect for skincare. It also exhibits antibacterial properties, making it useful against skin issues like acne and pimples. It is also anti-inflammatory and can be used to treat rashes and redness,” explains Husain. She also adds, “Since green tea also has vitamin E and B2, it can be used to delay the signs of aging as well. Vitamin B2 has been proven to improve the collagen level, which improves the skin’s elasticity – keeping it looking supple and youthful.”
There are notably no side effects of using green tea, apart from the caffeine content. “In case you have caffeine sensitivity, you could experience insomnia, anxiety, irritability, nausea, or upset stomach,” states Husain. Anand adds, “People take green tea after dinner, which messes with their sleep cycle. Ideally, people should not consume anything caffeinated after 4 pm.”
Incorporate green tea in beauty regime:
· Make a green tea face mask.
· Use green tea bags as eye masks to get rid of dark circles.
· Green tea can also be used as a toner.
· You can make a mild scrub as well if you want.
· Green tea can work wonders for chapped lips.
Try these recipes at home:
Green tea scrub recipe
Mix green tea powder with milk cream and apply it on your skin. This way you get a mask which has lactic acid, and will help you exfoliate your skin. Green tea with anti-oxidants will help with tightening skin pores and treating the surface of any rash or any skin damage.
Green tea face mask recipe
Rice flour and green tea face pack is great for treating oily skin. Take 2 tablespoons of rice flour, 1 tablespoon of green tea, and 1 tablespoon of lemon juice. Mix them thoroughly to create a uniform paste. Apply it to your face and neck. Let it dry and wash it off with lukewarm water. Your skin will instantly feel clean, soft, and smooth.
