Get Clear, Healthy Skin with Basil

When most people think of basil, they think of pesto sauce or light leafy greens poking out of their food. It's true basil's benefits are obviously more often seen in the world of food, but is this herb effective in the world of skincare too? The answer is definitely, Yes! Basil contains antibacterial compounds that make it a good cleanser, and it has a scent that can soothe your stress, and even your sinuses!

Using basil to clean and detoxify your skin is pretty easy. You can make a simple tea-like splash for your face by boiling water with some dried basil leaves and letting it sit in the fridge for a while. You can massage this gentle tea into your skin and then rinse with it to immediately feel refreshed and notice a healthy glow to your skin. This rinse is most effective though when you use it to rinse a quick basil face mask!

To make a basil face mask at home, just take some fresh basil leaves and put them into a food processor. Once you got a chopped mush of basil leaves, put them into a small bowl and mix it with sea salt and an egg white. Rub onto your face gently, paying special attention to problem areas with acne or other blemishes you want to get rid of. Leave the mask on for only five to seven minutes, and then rinse with a combination of water and basil tea rinse. Your face will look and smell heavenly!

There's also a spot treatment you can make from similar ingredients, letting you take more control of any problem areas or difficult acne even after you wash and rinse. With the same ingredients from the mask (the chopped basil leaves, salt, and egg white), add a tiny bit of honey to the mixture. You can use this as a quick leave-on spot treatment for any areas on your face that are too difficult to get rid of normally. This is particularly useful against painful acne, because basil is also widely known to soothe any irritation on your skin.

Even whole fresh basil leaves can be used to improve your skins health and tone as well as clear up your complexion. If you gently wet the top side of a basil leave and leave one on each side of your nose, you can rid yourself of blackheads and prevent more from appearing. You can also use fresh basil leaves on other oil prone areas, like just above your chin, your forehead, the bridge of your nose, and the under sides of your face.

Basil is a widely underestimated herb when it comes to skincare. It has numerous properties that make it effective against bad skin conditions, and is used in many beauty products and cleansers today despite it's little known reputation. Basil is one of my favorite natural herbs to use for my skin, and I'm sure once you try it, it will be one of yours too!

Sources: (Info on Basil Skincare from BeyondJane)