Summer sun and heat can trigger waves of skin woes like acne, sunburn and eczema. Luckily, research proves these low-cost natural remedies work just as well as pricey creams and lotions!
| Smoothing on aloe vera helps heal a sunburn! |
1 Banish blemishes with tea tree oil!
A solution made from the oil of this tree's leaves calms inflamed pimiples as effectively as bensoyl peroxide, with fewer side effects, reveals a study in the Medical Journal of Australia. "Tea tree oil contains antibacterial and antifungal properties that kill the germs that cause acne flare-ups", says naturopathic dermatologist Debbie Whittington, N.D.
USING IT IS EASY:
Wash your face daily with a product like Desert Essence Thoroughly Clean Face Wash with Organic Tea Tree Oil and Awapuhi 8.5 fl oz (251 ml $9.99 bottle at Drugstore.com).
2 Soothe sunburns with aloe vera!
This plant gel is handy for all sorts of skin emergencies: The journal Burns reports it contains compounds that speed the healing of first - and second-degree burns - including sunburn - by up to nine days. Other research shows it reduces the inflammation of bug bites and rashes.
USING IT IS EASY:
Dab on 100% pure aloe vera gel from a bottle (find it in health-food stores) or remove a lower leaf from the plant, slice it open and apply the gel two to three times daily.
3 End eczema woes with Oregon grape root!
Sweating is a known trigger for flare-ups of eczema. In a recent study, patients troubled by the itch, blistery patches who used a cream made with Oregon grape root had fewer symptoms than those given a cream without it. "Its anti-inflammatory compounds help reduce swelling of inflamed tissues", notes Wittington.
USING IT IS EASY:
Add five drops of the essential oil ($9.60 per 1-oz bottle at VitaminLife.com) to a palmful of alcohol-free moisturizer and apply.
4 Stop psoriasis with green tea!
Dousing scaly, flaking psoriasis patches with green tea can help banish them, suggests a recent lab study in the journal Experimental Dermatology. Green tea is abundant in antioxidants that reduce inflammation and slow down the overproduction of skin cells that leads to the bothersome condition, explains study aurhor Stephen Hsu, Ph.D.
USING IT IS EASY:
Soak paper towels with brewed green tea that's been cooled, then cover affected areas for 30 minutes twice a day.
The above information was taken from an article written by Gabrielle Lichterman in Woman's World Magazine July 2009
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