Natural and Herbal Skin Care

Natural and herbal skin care techniques have been around for a long time. For hundreds of years, people have turned to plant and fruit extracts and oils to help keep the skin looking young, fresh and healthy. Today, it is no different; there are myriad of ways to take care of the skin, some of which contain the natural skin care techniques once practiced in ancient civilizations.

Plant oils and extracts are combined with synthetic products to make many of the skin care products we use today. Plant and fruits contain phytonutrients and essential vitamins and minerals that help to soothe, exfoliate, moisturize, heal and protect the skin. Phytonutrients such as carotenoids, flavonoids and lignans and vitamins A, C, E and the mineral, selenium, have protective and healing effects on the skin.

Modern science has turned to natural and herbal skin care not just for the benefits to the skin, but also because of the familiarity of the aroma of most fruits and herbs. Strawberries, apricots, raspberries, vanilla, chamomile and lavender are used in many skin care products for their phytonutrients as well as for their familiar aroma of which consumers become loyal.

Like all skin care products, natural and herbal skin care products can be classified according to the benefits they give to the skin. You have natural and herbal skin care products that tone, moisturize, exfoliate, protect and heal the skin. So if you are interested in making natural and herbal skin care a part of your skin care regimen, here are some of the natural and herbal skin care products you can use:

For natural and herbal skin care options to repair the skin, you should turn to tea extracts, aloe vera, honey, cucumber and rose oil. Most tea extracts work wonders on repairing the skin from UV rays; cucumber is also good for repairing the skin from sunburn.

For moisturizers, your natural and herbal skin care options should be aloe vera, rose oil and fruit oils. Oil extracts from fruits such as bananas, apples, avocados and melons are good moisturizers.

Witch hazel, aloe vera, lavender water, rose water, peppermint oil, horseradish and vinegar are good natural and herbal toners. You can steep dried lavender, rose or witch hazel in hot water to make a homemade toner you can use on your face and body. If you are going to use vinegar you should dilute it with 50% water before using it.

Natural and herbal skin care options for cleansers include lavender, witch hazel, aloe vera and elderflower. If you have oily skin, witch hazel would be a good natural and herbal skin care option for removing oil build up from the skin.

Fennel, thyme, marigold and lavender are all natural and herbal options for antiseptics. You can make homemade antiseptics to clean the face and prevent bumps, pimples and acne from forming.

Apricot seed, amaranth seed, walnut shell flour, jojoba seed and strawberry seeds are all natural and herbal exfoliants. You can buy these seeds in herbal beauty stores and make an all natural scrub to exfoliate the skin.

Following a natural and herbal skin care regime is an easy thing to do. You can buy plant and fruit extracts and oils from online or at beauty shops and treat your skin the way people have for hundreds of years before you.