Consumers are gravitating to the natural. What used to be full faith in companies eventually turned into skepticism against the same after several high-profile brands received complaints (and lawsuits) that were made known to the public, complaints that involved hairfall and even cancer.
This is not to say that all brands deserve distrust; in fact, there is an ongoing effort to strictly regulate cosmetics companies because “big beauty conglomerates are scared enough of the clean beauty backlash,” a Vox article said.
Nevertheless, natural ingredients are popping up in the beauty scene, making its way into the norm because of their pure, unadulterated state, and perhaps, too, because of their price. Here are some of the natural ingredients you can find in your home kitchen that can double as skin care essentials.
Coconut Oil
The good: coconut oil is proven to moisturize the skin pretty well, especially when used as a carrier, which is a substance that dilutes a more concentrated oil. We can say the greatest benefit of applying coconut oil topically is that it increases the skin’s moisture, so much so that it is deemed to “reduce the severity of eczema” and other skin problems in some cases.
"Many people love coconut oil products to help fight dry, itchy skin and skin diseases such as eczema and psoriasis," Oregon-based Dermatologist Dr. Laurel Naversen Geraghty told WebMD. But remember to always consult your doctor first.
The caveat: coconut oil tends to cause breakouts. This is particularly true for people who have naturally oily skin and whose skin is more prone to acne.
“In general, coconut oil is a great option for almost everybody, except if you have oily skin and you're acne prone, I would not use it on the face,” dermatologist and Baylor College of Medicine clinical assistant professor Dr. Rajani Katta said in an article on Everyday Health.
Ground Coffee
If you like brewing your coffee in the morning, you might want to store the coarse, aromatic particles in your filter somewhere clean after having your cup of black. Its skin care benefits, which are wide-ranging and diverse, are reported to include exfoliation, cellulite reduction, helping prevent skin cancer, treating acne, and even treating sunburned skin, according to an article on Healthline.
Among its multitude of benefits, perhaps the most interesting is its ability to reduce the appearance of cellulite. The alkaloid caffeine, combined with other ingredients, such as forskolin and retinol, was determined to increase the thickness of the skin’s topmost layer, according to a study.
It was also discovered in another study that caffeine is used as an active ingredient in anti-cellulite products as it is known to stop the “excessive accumulation of fat in cells”. Use ground coffee as a skin scrub targeting areas with cellulite. Not only is its concentration in caffeine high, it’s also such a steal in terms of price.
Green Tea
For green tea, its main superpower is its anticarcinogenic and anti-inflammatory properties. In a review, compounds in green tea were tested against chemical carcinogenesis, a process that ultimately leads to the development of tumors, as well as against another process that leads to the occurrence of skin cancer called photocarcinogenesis, which was tested on mouse skin.
Green tea experiments were also carried out with human skin, according to the review, and studies showed that green tea’s polyphenols indeed have anti-inflammatory properties, which reportedly correlate with their antioxidant properties.
“The outcome of the several experimental studies suggests that green tea possess anti-inflammatory and anticarcinogenic potential, which can be exploited against a variety of skin disorders,” the review said.
The review noted that while more clinical studies need to be done to further solidify this conclusion, using green tea as a supplement to skin care products could have a positive impact on different skin disorders, which can develop when studied more in the future.
Honey
Here is an interesting discovery you might not have heard about honey yet: the sweet, sticky substance can help with the healing of burns, bruises, and some skin disorders.
A success rate of about 43% in healing diabetic foot ulcers with honey as medication was found in a study that was published in the Diabetes Research and Clinical Practice journal, an article by Irish Examiner said. Moreover, honey, in multiple and different flora origins, could kill wound bacteria, according to numerous in vitro studies.
“The ability of honey in vitro to kill skin relevant microbes, [...] promote tissue repair, inhibit tumour cell growth and protect against UV induced DNA damage is really quite remarkable considering it is a scientifically unaltered, purely natural substance produced by bees,” the study published in PubMed Central said.
But make sure to use raw honey as it is rich in minerals, antioxidants, and antibacterial properties that will actually rejuvenate and heal your skin.
Rolled Oats
Oatmeal does not only serve as a nourishing breakfast. It is also an effective skin care solution.
Aside from its obvious use of exfoliation, oatmeal is said to aid in the treatment of acne, according to an article on StyleCraze. In the same article, it was suggested to mix the “finely ground” oats with other ingredients, such as raw honey and organic jojoba oil, to maximize the oats’ positive effects; however, as we learned, not all skin types were created the same, which means that oats can also impact your skin negatively by aggravating acne.
All the ingredients mentioned are generally great for your skin, and they can assist you in achieving a flawless, beautiful kind of glow. But it is always wise to talk to your dermatologist first, especially if you have skin conditions that might prove incompatible with these organic substances.