Monday, October 3, 2011

DIY: All Natural Green Tea Acne Toner


Well, fall is officially here and with that comes the task of updating our beauty routines. I don’t know about you ladies, but this summer turned into one big excuse to slack off on mine.
But hey, better late than never… right?
So for my first real post I’m gonna share my recipe for an All Natural Green Tea Acne Toner.  When I was in beauty school we were suddenly bombarded with all this information about the carcinogenic chemicals in our daily products. Before long we were on an “all natural” kick, reading every label we could get our hands on and swearing off half our favorite products.
Now that was probably a tad bit extreme, but it prompted me to create my own toner that would still address my skin’s issues without making me think of the big C word every time I used it.
It’s not rocket science, and it won’t cost you an arm and a leg.


All you’ll need is a Lemon Juice, Green Tea, Pure Tea Tree Oil and a Spray Bottle.

But first, some deets on the benefits!

Green Tea – the holy grail of antioxidants.
By now it’s no secret that Green Tea is oh-so-beneficial, whether taken internally or externally. It keeps our skin looking youthful by nipping those nasty free radicals in the bud, fights inflammation, reduces redness and even soothes acne with its anti-bacterial properties. Pretty wicked, no?
Lemon Juice – Lemon juice? On my face? Say waah?

That’s right, lemon juice. Lemon juice is a citric acid rich in vitamin C. In addition to all the lovely benefits that Vitamin C provides, lemon juice is also an astringent that exfoliates and whitens, leaving you with a more even skin tone. Now, lemon juice can be a tad harsh/drying on those with sensitive skin, so less may be more for some of you ladies.
Tea Tree Oil – I could honestly go on about this baby for ages. I’ll try to restrain myself and keep it relevant to the post, though.
Tea Tree oil has antibacterial, antifungal, antiseptic and germicidal properties. It is considered as effective as Benzoyl peroxide (though, slower) at killing P. Acnes (Propionibacterium, the bacterium responsible for inflamed acne breakouts) and slowing down their growth, but without the redness/irritation/inflammation commonly associated with Benzoyl peroxide. It can also help to regulate the Sebaceous (oil) glands.
I love it as an both an acne and post-waxing treatment.

Now let’s get brewing!
·      First things first, brew yourself some fresh (preferably organic) green tea. You can use either loose leaf or bagged tea, but if you use loose leaf be sure to strain it really well – you wouldn’t want it to clog up your nozzle. I also recommend using filtered water & doubling the recommended brew strength.
How much you make will depend on how big your spray bottle is and whether you’re in the mood to have a cup of tea ;).
·      Once you’ve brewed your green tea go ahead and stick it in the fridge to cool down.

·      While your tea is cooling go ahead and grab that lemon. You’re going to want to squeeze the crap out of that sucker and then strain it really well to remove any pulp or seeds that got past ya. It’s important to use fresh lemon juice as the bottled variety is generally diluted and not nearly as effective. Plus, now you’ve got an excuse to make something using lemon zest!

·      Grab your cold green tea, lemon juice, and bottle of pure tea tree oil.

·      I’m more of a “pinch of this, pinch of that” type than a strict recipe follower. The idea here is to have at least ¾’s of your spray bottle filled with green tea and the remaining space split roughly between the lemon juice and tea tree oil.
Now this recipe is very loose – if you find that you have sensitive skin or your acne is very mild, simply lessen the amount of lemon juice/tea tree oil and increase the amount of green tea.
Play with it a bit until you feel it is catered to your personal skin type, everyone is different.
Simply mist on a cotton ball and gently swipe across the desired area (face, Décolletage, etc.), being sure to avoid your eye area and any open wounds.
Be sure to store it in the fridge – applying it cold will help to close your pores!
 

4 comments:

  1. Nice diy recipe!

    But how long does one batch last (un/refrigerated)?

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  2. I personally make a new batch every week or two. As long as you're storing it in the fridge you should be fine. I suppose I think of it the way I would if I had made a batch of iced tea?

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  3. I'm trying this forsure-- do you know were I can find a fine mist spray bottle?

    Thxs

    Kelly

    http://kellyannstudio.blogspot.com/

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  4. Hi Kelly Ann!

    Sorry for the delayed response, I just got back from a little vacation. :)

    In response to your question - I've had great luck with Target. Check out the beauty/health section, they usually have an isle filled with travel size items, including empty spray bottles.

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