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Are you looking for some natural beauty tips? I've been an educator for a cosmetics company for the last few years, so I'm always interested in what's on the ingredient panel. We carry a number of products that contain red, black, green, and white teas. Tea is always a great addition to cosmetics-they contain tannins that naturally tighten pores and antioxidants that protect the skin from aging.
While using tea as part of one's beauty regime goes back millennia, I've done some research for you and found some inexpensive, modern ways to keep you Beau-TEA-ful from head to toe. Here are some natural beauty tips using tea:
 Looking for a lightweight hair conditioner to improve shine and feel? Green tea to the rescue! Check out this simple recipe from Squidoo.com: www.squidoo.com/Hair-Conditioner
Puffy, dark, tired eyes? Sooth them with used tea bags. Check out the Livestrong website for instructions: www.livestrong.com/article/22062-use-tea-bags-under-eyes/
Spend a little too much time out in the summer sun? Find pain relief in some tea-soaked gauze pads. The burn will be relieved in no time.
Is your skin acneic or is your complexion just plain dull? Looking to bring large pores back down to their natural size? Twingodesses of San Diego has the cure for what ails your skin:
www.twingodesses.blogspot.com/2011/02/acne-remedy-apple-cider-vinegargreen.html
(Tip: In general if your skin is oily, exfoliate 3-4 times a week. If you're more dry or sensitive, 1-2 times a week is appropriate.)
Beat on your feet? Not only is a soak in tea relaxing, but tea also has anti-fungal qualities. Add tea leaves to your tub for a super relaxing, aromatic soak.
 When it comes to relaxation, there is only one thing better than settling down with a hot cup of green tea to calm th nerves... making yourself a green tea facial to relax and rejuvenate your skin.
Green tea is full of antioxidants and anti-inflammatory properties to help reduce stress lines and wrinkles on the face, making skin more taught and youthful looking. If this isn't enough to convince you to slather some green tea on your face immediately, green tea facials have also been proven to help reduce the risk of sun cancer in animal tests! Are you slicing the cucumbers for your eyes yet?
If you're looking for a great green tea mask, you can either buy one at the store or attempt to make one yourself! A DIY project is a fun idea for a Friday or Saturday night in with a book, so here's a recipe to get you started!
To make the mask:
- 1 teaspoon of Moroccan Mint green tea, steeped lightly and strained
- 1/2 ripe avocado
- 2 tablespoons ground green tea
Mash all of these ingredients together in a bowl with a fork and then scoop it out, spreading it evenly across your face. Leave your mask on for about ten minutes before washing it off in warm water to leave your skin feeling pampered and fresh.
T ea lovers, rejoice: you can use tea to give your locks extra luster this winter!
How, you ask? Well, the tannins found in tea can thicken the shaft of the hair, which of course makes hair appear thicker. Although there's no science to back it up, I have also found that my hair appears much smoother following what I call a 'tea rinse.'
The method couldn't be simpler.
Brew three to four cups of your favorite green, white or black tea. (I have not tried herbal teas so while it's possible they may work as well, I can't vouch for it!)
Cool the tea until it's at least room temperature, if not a little colder.
Shampoo, condition, and rinse hair as usual. Allow hair to dry: it doesn't have to be totally dry, just not dripping wet!
Pour tea into a large bowl and flip your hair into it, being sure to get the tea all the way to your roots. Gently flip your hair back up and wrap it in a towel; allow it to sit for thirty minutes or so (the longer the better in my experience) and then rinse it out. Rinse with cold water for the shiniest results.
As a bonus, if you're like me and sometimes brew more tea than you can drink, you can always use the leftovers to treat your hair!
As any tea drinker is aware, most types of tea, from green to black to herbal, contain various amounts of a group of chemical compounds collectively referred to as "tannins." But what does this mean?
Tannins are compounds found in virtually every plant on Earth (source). They play a role in the ripening of fruit: if you have ever bitten into an unripe apple or banana and experienced a bitter taste, it's tannins you are tasting (source). Likewise, if you have ever choked on an accidental swallow of unsweetened black tea, the tannins are to blame.
While for most people, the ingestion of tannins is harmless, some sensitive individuals may experience bowel irritation, kidney irritation, or liver damage upon consumption of extremely large amounts of tannins (source).
Additionally, even in moderate amounts, tannins do possess one negative side effect: they inhibit the absorption of iron found in vegetarian foods (source). This means that anemic individuals and vegetarians may want to stick to drinking herbal and Rooibos teas with meals, while enjoying black, green, Oolong and Pu-erh teas a few hours before and after meals.
For the vast majority of mankind, however, tannins stand to do quite a bit of good: in scientific studies, they have been found to possess antiviral properties (source). And, much more importantly, as any tea lover knows, they add a wonderful dimension to the flavor of tea.
I've been practicing yoga on and off for a number of years, really having trouble sticking to a consistent routine. For the past week I've propelled myself into daily practice every morning to help heal some injuries I sustained to my back and to help clear my mind. Yoga does a lot of things for my mind and body that tea also does. I've been thinking about all of the parallels between yoga and tea:
- tea and yoga settle and stimulate my mind
- tea and yoga soothe my body
- tea and yoga help me refocus my senses
- tea and yoga have an primal and Earthly quality to them
- tea and yoga realign my concentration
- there are yoga positions and varieties of tea for any specific ailment or mental state
- tea and yoga are nonabrasive forms of healing
I like to end my yoga practice with a cup of tea. Today it's tangerine ginger mixed with a little bit of mother's wort and some buckwheat honey. This is part of ending my routine with relaxation and a way of gratifying my efforts. I think the two together are a potent combination well worth sticking to, and one that I don't doubt will help to reinvigorate my body and clear my mind.
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