Green tea is prepared from unfermented leaves that are green in colour. Tea has a slightly bitter, but pleasant taste; some other herbs could be added for extra flavour. Green tea infusion has a long list of useful properties and health benefits.
The composition of green tea varies depending on the region where it grows and harvest time. Plants that grow in highlands and harvested during spring time have the most amount of nutrients in leaves.
The most active ingredients in green tea are flavanols, polyphenols and epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG). Green tea contains very high amount of antioxidants – 25-100 times more than in vitamins A and C.
In other words, drinking green on a regular basis will provide you with high amount of vitamins, minerals; it can improve your brain function, help to lose weight and strengthen your immune system.
I’ve collected the most common questions that people have about green tea and skin and answered them. Let’s begin.
(This post contains affiliate links. That means that if you make a purchase, I might receive a small commission at no extra cost to you).
1. Is green tea good for your face?
Yes, there is a variety of benefits of green tea for skin. In fact, many cosmetic companies now carry skin care products, that contain green tea extracts.
1. Applying green tea to your face may protect you from skin cancer.
The infusion of green tea contains 20 times more antioxidants than vitamin C. These antioxidants help cleanse the body of free radicals, preventing their destructive effects. The ability to retain free radicals and maintain its own antioxidant system is especially important when protecting from the sun.
Studies showed that a product containing at least 5% green tea extract can prevent the occurrence of skin cancer.
Have a cup of tea before sun exposure and that will boost your antioxidants level, providing extra protection from UV rays.
2. Green tea is a great remedy for acne due to its antibacterial properties.
Scientists believe that cream with green tea extract has the same effectiveness as benzoyl peroxide. And green tea does not cause dryness, skin peeling and irritation like benzoyl peroxide does.
It also helps to control sebum production, which helps to clear pores, making green tea an excellent
3. Green tea will reduce skin redness and inflammation.
Green tea leaves contain catechins which fight inflammation, minimize redness and swelling.
4. Green tea will help you to lighten up dark circles and minimize eye bags.
Leaves contain caffeine and tannin that shrink blood vessels around eyes. That reduces under eye puffiness and skin discolouration.
5. There is an abundance of vitamins in green tea leaves.
Some of the important vitamins that can be found in green tea are Vitamin B2 and Vitamin E. Vitamin B2 supports collagen levels in your skin which promotes skin elasticity. Vitamin E supports new cells growth and regeneration.
2. What is matcha tea?
Matcha is a finely ground powder that is made out of green tea leaves. Plants for this type of tea a specifically grown in the shade for three to four weeks. Matcha tea has only leaves in it, no stems or veins.
Matcha tea has the same benefits that regular green tea has, however, matcha tea contains more caffeine than regular tea (however, still less than coffee). In general, matcha tea contains higher dose of all good components of green tea because you are basically drinking leaves themselves (in a powder form). In comparison, in a regular green tea, you brew leaves and then throw them away.
Matcha powder is also good for baking and homemade cosmetics.
3. Which type of green tea is best for skin?
You should opt for loose leaves tea instead of tea bags. Loose tea is a healthier choice, plus there is no paper on your way.
I tried to find any researches on which brand of tea is better, and was unable to do so. There is no definitive answer and the choice of tea brand strictly depends on your taste preferences.
4. Does green tea make your face glow?
Oh yes, it definitely does.
As I mentioned above, green tea helps fight acne, pigmentation and age spots as well as redness and inflammation. In addition it supplies your skin with a load of vitamins. All of that will eventually result in youthful glowing skin.
5. Does green tea clear skin?
Absolutely.
We already learned that green tea has anti-inflammatory and anti-bacterial properties. Both help to fight acne causing bacteria and reduce redness. Also, this tea helps to regulate skin oil production. This helps reduce appearance of clogged pores and blackheads.
6. Can I spray green tea on my face?
You can use green tea as a mist and spray it on your face. Brew tea as usual and then place some amount into a spray bottle. I would replace the tea on a daily basis, because there are no preservatives and this liquid would go bad very soon.
You can also use tea infusion as a toner. Just dub your cotton pad into freshly brewed tea and spread it all over the face.
I recently fell in love with Nano Facial Mist that I bought on eBay for a very cheap price. It is a unique device that uses ultrasonic vibration technology to deliver tiny, super tiny particles to your skin. You add any liquid of your liking (toner, mineral water, brewed green tea) and spray your skin whenever you need it. Particles are so tiny, they won’t destroy your makeup at all. And you will end up with refreshed skin.
7. Is rubbing green tea bag on face good?
You will get all the benefits of green tea if you rub a tea bag from brewed beverage on your face. You should be gentle though and make sure that the tea bag is not boiling hot.
8. Can you leave green tea on your face overnight?
If you want to use green tea as a toner, you can apply it to your face, let it dry and then follow up with heavier skin care products (like serum and moisturizer/cream).
You can also make a variety of facial masks with green tea. When preparing masks, consider your skin type (normal, oily, dry, sensitive or combination), so you can adjust some ingredients or add some essential oils for your type. You could also receive a free skin care guide, that will help you to find out your skin type, establish the best skin care routine. It also has a free printable which will help you to track your AM and PM products. Just sign up for our emails and start transforming your skin.
7 Homemade Green tea masks for different skin types and skin issues.
1) Green tea mask for all skin types
Ingredients:
1 table spoon of green tea (or 2 tea bags)
2 table spoons of raw honey
Preparation:
Brew green tea, drink it (or just pour out the liquid), and mix tea leaves with honey. Apply the mask on face for 10 minutes and rinse.
Action: antiseptic, nourishing, toning, soothing, calming, anti-inflammatory.
Application: 2 times a week.
2) Green tea face mask for glowing skin
Ingredients:
1 table spoons of loose green tea (or 3 tea bags)
1 egg yolk
1-2 table spoons of any flour (whole wheat, white, bran etc.)
Preparation:
Make a strong tea brew. Whisk an egg yolk and mix it with flour. Add tea brew 1 tea spoon at the time and mix well each time. Your mask should be sour cream consistency: easy spreadable but thick enough to stay on your face.
Apply the mask to your face and after 15-20 minutes, remove with warm water. Follow up with nourishing cream.
Action: toning, nourishing, rejuvenating.
Application: 2 times a week.
3) Green tea face mask for acne with yeast and lemon juice
Ingredients:
2 table spoon of dry green tea
5 grams of dry yeast
1 tea spoon of lemon juice
Preparation:
Mix yeast and tea leaves together and add hot water (according to the yeast package instructions). Leave for 15-20 minutes, and then add lemon juice. Apply mask to cleansed face and leave on your skin for about 20 minutes. It would be the best if you can wash off the mask with green tea infusion.
Action: cleansing, reduces shine, acne and black spots.
Application: 2 times a week.
4) Green tea face mask for acne with egg white and oatmeal
Ingredients:
2-4 table spoons of strongly brewed green tea
1 egg white
1 tea spoon of lemon juice
2 table spoons of raw oatmeal
Preparation:
Whisk egg white, add tea, lemon juice and oatmeal and mix everything together. Apply to face. After 20 minutes, remove with cold water.
Action: drying, toning, bleaching, cleansing, removes oily sheen.
Application: 2 times a week
5) Green tea face mask for wrinkles with honey and banana
Ingredients:
2 table spoons of strong brewed green tea
1 tea spoon of honey
1/2 of fresh banana
Preparation:
Mash banana to a puree, add tea and honey; mix everything together. Apply the mask on the face, neck and décolleté for 20-30 minutes. Remove with warm water.
Action: rejuvenating, toning, nourishing, anti-wrinkle, hydrating.
Application: 1-2 times a week.
6) Matcha green tea face mask for acne with clay
Ingredients:
8 table spoons of any type of clay
2 table spoons of matcha powder
10 drops of essential oils: Lemon or Mint or Ylang-Ylang essential oil (or 4 drops of each)
Preparation:
Mix all ingredients together and transfer to a glass jar, that you can tightly seal. Before using the mask, take 2 table spoons of the mixture and add 1 – 1.5 table spoons of warm water and immidietly apply to your face. Wait for 15-20 min, rinse with warm water.
Action: anti-bacterial, controls oil production, anti-inflammatory, cleans pores, rejuvenates.
Application: 1-2 times a week
7) Matcha green tea mask for dark spots (age, sun spots)
Ingredients:
2 tea spoons of Matcha powder
2 tea spoons of rice flour
Preparation:
Mix powder and flour together, add a bit of warm water to get a mask like consistency. Apply the mask on a clean face, especially abundantly on those areas of the skin where there are pigment spots. After 15 minutes, rinse with warm water.
Action: whitening, brightening, anti-inflammatory.
Application: 2 times a week.
In conclusion I would like to summarize how wonderful green tea is. Benefits of green tea for skin are extensive. Green tea supplies our skin with a number of amazing vitamins and mineral; it helps to fight acne, minimizes wrinkles, whitens dark spots, brightens dull complexion. Green tea can be used as a skin toner, add to masks and body washes.
So, pour yourself up a delicious cup of tea and enjoy your day!!!!
Stay beautiful!!!!