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When it comes to skincare, it is as important to read the labels as it is when you're purchasing food—the ingredients really matter.
Remember, your skin eats, feed it well with naturally active green ingredients.
If you're anything like me, you have a drawer brimming with beauty essentials that promise to do everything from banish wrinkles to smooth cellulite. And while many serums, creams and sprays really do work to keep flaws at bay, you may be able to save a whole bundle of money by going green when it comes to your beauty routine by focusing on purpose-driven ingredients rather than promise-heavy name-brands. More than skipping the preservatives, irritants, and toxins, natural skincare and makeup tend to highlight your skin's radiance without the heavy caked on look (which, believe me, is not a good look—ever!).
So forget the beauty-in-a-bottle hype that products purport and educate yourself on the natural beauty-making ingredients that really do work. Here are a few ingredients with purpose that you should look for on your favorite skincare labels.
Natural Ingredients that really do Reduce Wrinkles:
Papaya
This antioxidant-brimming, Vitamin C-plumped fruit helps fight wrinkles and maintain skin's supple texture. The multi-tasking fruit even helps increase collagen production, improving skin's strength and resiliency.
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| Lehner/istockphoto |
Blueberries
The diminutive berry is power-packed full of age-defying agents. Blueberries contain more than a dozen vitamins and minerals, but are most adored because of the wrinkle-busting antioxidants and anti-inflammatory phytochemicals they provide. And, yes, frozen are just as nutritious as fresh!
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| Jan Tyler/istockphoto |
Mushrooms
Mushrooms are more than edible fungi; they have also been shown to have immune-enhancing, cancer-preventing, and anti-inflammatory properties. When incorporated into skincare, the fungus functions as a line and wrinkle-reducing, puffiness-placating, hyperpigmentation-equalizing, and moisture-replenishing ingredient.
Natural Ingredients that really do Exfoliate Dead Skin
Walnut
When ground, walnut powder gently exfoliates and detoxifies, which in turn encourages cell turnover and leaves skin looking fresh and pinched-cheek pink.
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| rafael garcia/istockphoto |
Pineapple
Fruit enzymes found in pineapple act to eat away dead skin cells, detoxifying pores and leaving the skin naturally glowing.
Bamboo
As a stick, bamboo serves few beauty benefits, but when ground into a powder or extracted of its sap, the eco favorite plant is used to hydrate and exfoliate. The fibrous, nutrient-rich, sustainably-grown weed-like plant is naturally antibacterial, filled with amino acids (the building blocks of proteins), vitamins and minerals.
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| Robert Churchill/istockphoto |
Milk
Milk is known to do your body, and your beauty good, and it is being used in a slew of skincare products to increase moisture, stimulate circulation, brighten dull skin, slough off dead skin cells, and reveal younger, smoother looking skin. The naturally occurring alpha hydroxy acids gently, yet deeply, exfoliate, dissolving dead skin cells and revealing the supple, younger looking skin beneath. While the old cells are being turned over, milk does double duty as the proteins act as humectants, drawing moisture to the skin's surface—a much more effective moisturizer than the topical type that you would otherwise slather on your skin.
Natural Ingredients that really do help with Skin Anti-Aging
Rice
Though rice has been a food staple for centuries, it has only recently penetrated the skincare industry. Rice oil and proteins are rich in skin nourishing and replenishing Vitamin E, gamma-oryzanol, and phytosterols. With its high anti-oxidant content, rice neutralizes free-radicals and reduces the appearance of aging.
Ginseng
Ginseng extract, when ingested, has been shown to energize the mind. When topically taken, the raggedy root stimulates skin's circulation, conditioning and rejuvenating without irritating. The face is left feeling invigorated and revitalized.
Green Tea
Green tea is a powerful anti-inflammatory antioxidant proven to prevent photo damage, improve elasticity, repair and strengthen the skin, and naturally shield from UV damage. Originating in China more than 4000 years ago, this age-old healing medicinal is still used in modern skincare to pacify the soul and restore the body.
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| Olga Utlyakova/istockphoto |
Plantain
Popular in Asia and in Europe for its medicinal properties (and in South American for it's fabulous flavor), the banana-like plantain possesses astringent, anti-oxidant and restorative properties that help protect skin and hair from free radical pollutants. As a humectant, plantains naturally draw out and bind to moisture helping turn dry, brittle hair soft; and scaly, wrinkled skin supple.
Wild Alaskan Salmon
This delectable protein is the richest dietary source of the age-defying omega-3 fats, along with a super-potent antioxidant called astaxanthin. Omega-3 fats are the body's most powerful natural anti-inflammatory agents and optimize blood flow- fundamentals of healthy, exuberant skin.
Spinach/Kale
These leafy greens are a dietary must for fabulous skin. They provide more nutrition per calorie than any other food, and are the reigning antioxidant champions of all vegetables- not to mention being loaded with phytochemicals called carotenoids, which dramatically increase the SPF (Sun Protection Factor) of your skin.
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| creacart/istockphoto |
Dark Chocolate
Nature's sweetest treat may also be youth's "magic bullet." Studies show that cocoa is extraordinarily rich in potent antioxidants called flavanols which increase blood flow by as much as 40%! The higher the cocoa content, the better… so go for the extra dark chocolate!
Pomegranate
The fruit has been revered for its potent powers since ancient times. The juice extract and seed oil from this ruby fruit is steeped in potent antioxidants and skin cell energizers. Topically, pomegranate extract is especially effective in protecting cells from free radical damage by inhibiting the formation of harmful enzymes that cause cells to grow out of control. Pomegranate has also proven to have the ability to protect skin from the sun, boosting the efficiency of your average SPF by 20%.
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| Kelly Cline/istockphoto |
Olive (and olive oil)
A known antioxidant powerhouse, this “good fat” fruit is rich in antioxidants, coenzyme Q10, and Vitamin E, known to fight free radicals and promote cellular energy production without clogging pores.
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| Sabrina dei nobili/istockphoto |
Natural Ingredients that really do Heal and Soothe the Skin
Yes, the common potted marigold and the prized therapeutic calendula are one in the same. The brightly colored petals are hailed for their healing and antiseptic properties, diffusing inflammation, reducing infection and accelerating recovery time. Naturally antibacterial, fungicidal, and antiviral, it is used as an antiseptic remedy for cuts, burns, and even unsightly varicose veins. When the sun rages and your skin burns (or turns into a heat rash like mine), turn to calendula to quell the pain.
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| Robert Simon/istockphoto |
Rose
The healing tradition of roses goes back to the 17th-century when Culpeper- an English physician, wrote that red roses strengthen the heart. Fortifying more than the heart, Culpeper recommended the aroma-therapeutic extract to cool and cleanse the skin, and tend to headaches and tired eyes. Rose is still used in skincare today for its mild anti-viral andante- bacterial properties, particularly when tended to sensitive skin. Aromatherapists believe that rose oil instills emotional calm and mental comforting- balancing both the mind and the skin.
Witch Hazel
Witch Hazel is a mild astringent and skin tonic that has been shown to reduce inflammation from an array of irritants including bug bites, razor bumps, rashes, and hemorrhoids.
Aloe Vera
The succulent plant that rampantly grows in desert climates like Southern California and Arizona has long been used as a backyard remedy for cuts, scrapes and burns. Now the sticky stuff residing within its prickly skin has been bottled and infused in beauty products to help accelerate cell growth, balance natural ph levels, and soothe the skin.
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| lubilub/istockphoto |
More on Healing Plants
5 Plants You Can Easily Grow Organically In Your Home
How to Go Green: Natural Skin Care
How to Go Green: Women's Personal Care
Are you a Green Beauty?
Create Your Own Spa at Home for Pennies!
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