Natural Herbal Skin Care

Getting Younger Looking Skin Naturally

As our bodies start aging, one of the biggest things we notice is our skin. It doesn't look quite so young, soft and supple anymore. Sometimes it starts drying out, becoming blotchy, and even wrinkling or sagging. This problem is more prevalent for women going through menopause, because one of the common symptoms of menopause is drier skin.

As we age, extended years of sun damage takes their toll. Our bodies change a bit too, the facial skin particularly stops producing as much oil as it used to, and it doesn't produce as many antioxidents as it used to either. Both of these are contributing factors to your skin looking older. Combined with many years of stress, squinting at computer screens all day, or frowning in concentration all day while you're working, wrinkles start developing in those areas of your face where creases form when you make faces. Alot of this can be reduced and sometimes completely reversed though.

Subscribe to our newsletter & get: "Ten Habits of Extraorinarily Healthy People"

Email: (Emails never leased or sold!)

There are many natural ways to help keep your skin looking more youthful and healthy though, and herbs and vitamins can play major roles in keeping your skin looking beautiful naturally.

The most important thing you need to help keep your skin looking beautiful and young, is water. Drinking lots of water each day is required to keep your body healthy in general, but many people don't realize it plays a major role in keeping your skin healthy too. Drinking eight to ten glasses of water each day will provide your body with the water it needs, while also having enough to rehydrate your skin too. And when your skin is hydrated, it's much softer, smoother and younger looking.

The second most important thing you can do for your skin to stay younger looking naturally, is be sure you're getting proper nutrition. Nutrition can be controlled by the foods you eat of course, and there are many vitamins, herbs and supplements which help as well.

Many people don't know however, that you can actually apply vitamins and antioxidents to your face directly too. Your skin is able to absorb what you put on to it. So by applying herbal salves, teas and facial washes, you're not only cleaning and rehydrating your skin, you're also able to give it the additional vitamins it needs too.

Citrus for example, is high in vitamin C. Using lemon juice to clean your face is an excellent way to combat acne and oily skin problems for younger people, and the vitamin c is absorbed into your skin as well. This extra vitamin C makes a great difference for people with older skin, not only gently cleansing, but also providing extra antioxident protection which can help the skin look smoother and younger.

Other types of natural face washes you'll want to try include aloe vera: This helps remove dead skin cells and thus acts as a natural exfoliant; Chickweed: This herb used in tea form is excellent as an acne wash, plus it helps soothe and heal damaged skin; Kelp, Dandelion and Alfalfa: This combination taken internally helps improve hair, nails and skin because the combination is so rich in natural vitamins and essential minerals our bodies need.

Natural Treatments for Oily Skin

Almost all teenagers suffer from oily skin and acne. Many people however, continue to have very oily skin even as they reach their adult years, and they continue to struggle with acne flare ups into their thirties and forties. There are many natural remedies for dealing with both oily skin and acne however, and we'll cover those here. We'll also cover some of the reasons that you may suffer from oily skin.

On the upside: People who have oily skin tend to stay looking younger much longer than those with normal or dry skin. The oil can be annoying and unsightly though, so most of us try to deal with it by stripping it away.

What many people don't realize unfortunately, is that using products which strip the oil from our faces, we're essentially making the problems worse. For one reason or another, our body feels we need a lot of oil on our face. If we then use detergent based soaps and harsh chemical cleansers, these will strip that oil away. All of it. Our body then responds as if our skin is too dry... by creating more oil.

Using detergent based soaps and harsh chemical cleansers will simply leave your skin dry, irritated, red, and sometimes even make you break out in a rash. And when your body works harder to replace those oils, you may find yourself with even more problems than before.

Now an oily face is more prone to acne breakouts. This is because those oils trap dirt, debris and toxins in our pores and that allows bacteria to breed and create infections. So cleaning our face is important to keep oil levels under control, as well as keep bacteria and acne at bay.

Many people with very sensitive skin have found that the only thing they're able to use without causing other problems, is simple water. Rinsing their face with water several times each day helps rinse away the bacteria and dirt, plus it helps wash away a bit of the oil without going overboard too.

There are other, natural, and much more gentle things that can be used to help control the oil in your face, and keep acne at bay too though. One of the best is Aloe Vera. Aloe Vera will help clean the pores, and clear away dead skin cells too. The easiest way to use aloe vera for skin problems, is to simply rub it around on your face, let it dry, and leave it there for protection all day.

Keep in mind though, that you must use all natural aloe vera for this. If you buy an aloe vera ointment in the pharmacy area of your local store, it's likely to have perfumes, alcohol, and other chemicals in it which will only serve to irritate your skin further.

Citrus is another excellent, all natural source of dealing with oily skin. Simply rinsing your face with lemon juice for instance, can help start clearing up acne, clean your pores, and exfoliate as well.

Certain herbal teas are good choices too: Chickweed is one of the best for chronic skin problems, as it helps soothe and heal at the same time. Mix it into tea form then rinse your face with it once or twice each day.

Natural Psoriasis Skin Care

Psoriasis is a skin condition often referred to as a skin disease, which is believe to have no cure. Modern medicine treats the symptoms of the disease with a variety of prescription medications which can help ease those symptoms. Natural remedies exist however, so we'll look at those in this article.

First, an overview of psoriasis. This is a condition where extra skin develops on your body. Most often it's seen on the elbows, knees and scalp, and it looks like a thick build up of skin in white, flaky patches. Those patches are often covered with white or silver skin flakes and scales.

Psoriasis is caused by the body producing extra skin cells much faster than it normally does. In a healthy body, the surface skin is replaced about every 28-30 days. When someone has psoriasis however, new skin cells are pushed to the surface every 3-5 days instead. And that's not enough time for the existing surface skin to die and flake off. So the skin piles up into these thick, white, flaky crustations on the surface.

Now, herbalists believe psoriaris is caused by something being wrong inside the body. So most of the psoriasis treatments and remedies tend to revolve around cleansing the body - particularly the liver and colon waste disposal system. We'll cover the details of that in future articles.

Treating the actual skin symptoms however, is what most modern doctors do. And there are herbs which can help relieve some of the side effects these symptoms cause too. Psoriasis skin patches are often itchy and red. Sometimes they can crack and bleed too. So applying topical ointments, herbal teas and home made remedies to these areas can help relieve some of those problems with causing risky side effects.

Applying pure aloe vera gel to the psoriasis skin patches for instance, can help soften and soothe them. Applying liquid zinc can also help too, because it also soothes and softens the skin.

Putting chickweed herb into the bath water and soaking in it can help sooth and soften the psoriasis plaques as well.

Burdock is one of the best herbs to use for chronic skin problems. Make a tea of it and rinse the affected psoriasis plaques, or put Burdock into the bath water and soak in it for awhile.

In additional articles on this series, we'll explore the importance of cleaning the system from within to help clear up psoriasis skin problems.

Herbal and Natural Remedies for Psoriasis

Psoriasis is a chronic, non contagious skin disease which is thought to have no cure. Modern medical science treats the symptoms of this condition, with topical ointments or internal prescription drugs which try to supress the bodies immune system. Herbal remedies however, address psoriasis with a whole body approach, because it's believed that the problem actually stems from a deeper issue within the body.

In a healthy human body, new skin rises to the surface of our body about once each month. The existing surface skin cells die off during those thirty days, and are ready to be shed when the new cells reach the surface. With psoriasis sufferers however, their body is producing new skin at drastically increased rates. New skin is pushed to the surface in just three to five days instead of 28-30, so the existing surface skin cells have not yet had time to die off and be shed.

This creates a build up of thick, rough, dry, scaly skin on the body which are referred to as psoriasis plaques. These plaques commonly develop on the elbows, knees and scalp, but they can also appear anywhere on the body, including the genitals, legs, hands, feet and ankles.

Psoriasis is thought to be caused by a problem with the bodies own immune system. It sees something wrong somewhere, thus it tries to push new skin to the surface - either to further protect itself or to rid itself of toxins built up within. And this is one of the ways modern medical science and herbal specialists disagree.

Herbalists feel that psoriasis is a side effect of something else being wrong inside your body. Often the problem lies in the liver, or within the body's waste disposal system. And when there are problems in those areas, your body is not able to rid itself of the toxins and poisens normally, thus it tries to get rid of them through the skin instead.

So, the whole body approach to solving psoriasis problems, is to cleanse and help your body's major organs start functioning effectively again. The first step is usually an enema, to help your colon get stagnated and backed up waste out of your system. If an enema is distasteful to you though, you can use herbal laxatives and liver cleansers instead.

There are several excellent herbs which help cleanse the liver, colon and bowel so that it can start removing toxins properly again. Dandelion, Burdock, Slippery Elm, and Yellow Dock are the top herbs to use for help moving waste out of the system, and improve bile production in the liver. Burdock is a strong body cleanser, so be sure to only use small amounts in the beginning. Burdock can also be applied to the psoriasis plaques externally to help remove inflamation and start promoting healing.

Home Remedies for Sunburns

Some people seem to get sunburns just by osmosis, while others stayed out in the sun much longer than they should have. Regardless of how or why you got a sunburn though, there are many natural ways to either relieve the pain, reduce or prevent blisters, and often heal the burn too. Let's look at several...

1. Plain old fashioned tea. There are many ways to do this, but we'll look at the two easiest: Soak some regular old tea bags in cool water, then lay the wet tea bags onto the burned area of your skin. Leave there for 15-20 minutes. Alternatively: Brew up a gallon of tea however you normally would, cool it in the refrigerator, then wipe down the burned skin with it repeatedly for 15-20 minutes.

Tea will take the sting, heat and pain away, plus it will turn the burned skin to a tan. This remedy has been used in burn wards for more severe burns too.

2. Vinegar. Use either plain white distilled vinegar, or apple cider vinegar. Both will take the pain from the burn, and apple cider vinegar can often prevent or heal blisters. You can either create a cool compress of vinegar to apply to the affected areas, or put some vinegar into your bath water and soak in it.

3. Vitamin E. Buy 100% vitamin E oil capsules, or liquid vitamin E with a dropper applicator. Make sure it's 100% vitamin E though, and doesn't have additives in it. Apply this to the affected areas of your skin. It will remove the pain and itching, soften the skin, and often prevent peeling. Taking extra vitamin E by mouth also helps.

4. Aloe Vera. Use pure aloe vera gel, juice, or a live plant leaf. Smear the aloe vera onto the affected area to ease the pain and itching, prevent peeling, and speed up healing.

5. Salt water or baking soda. Both of these help take away the sting and pain of a sunburn, and can help prevent blistering too. Sea salt is best if you have it on hand, but plain old table salt can be used too. Baking soda is already salty, so there's no need to add salt to it. Note that these may also make the skin drier, so following this remedy with aloe vera or vitamin E oil is usually best.

6. Mustard also works in a pinch, mainly because it also contains vinegar. Some people prefer using mustard instead of vinegar though, because it stays in place better due to being thicker.

7. Preparation H will also work in a pinch. It helps relieve the heat and swelling. A more natural remedy to use would be white willow salve or paste. Open a gelcap of white willow bark, mix it into some aloe vera juice or mineral water, then apply it to the burned area.

8. Old fashioned oatmeal. This will soften and soothe the skin, reduce the pain, and help you to start healing. Make the oatmeal slightly watery, then apply it to your skin. You can either cook the oatmeal then cool it, or use it raw oatmeal mixed with cool water. Don't massage the burned area if you're using raw oatmeal though, because it's an exfoliant and may cause the skin to start being removed before it's ready. Mixing aloe vera juice and/or tea into the oatmeal helps further.

Avoid using oils or lotions on sunburned skin because these will hold the heat in and cause more blistering. Also avoid products with alcohol, fragrances, and misc other chemicals because they can cause additional pain, stinging and irritation.

Note: Some statements in this article may not be approved by the FDA. This article is for informational purposes only and should not be taken as professional medical advice.