How to use Green Tea for Acne, Benefits & Mask Recipes

Research shows that about 40 to 50 million Americans are affected by acne. This is in accordance with a study in Journal of Drugs Dermatology in 2009. In the past few years, discoveries have been made pertaining uses of green tea. Green tea is beneficial not only in the kitchen but also for acne treatment. Studies reveal that green tea reduces acne by more than fifty percent. Read on to find out how to use it for acne, acne scars/marks, recipes with other natural ingredients and products such as creams

Green Tea and Acne

Green tea is great in treating acne because of the following reasons;

• The anti-bacterial property of green tea explains its ability to kill the bacteria that is related to appearance of acne on your face.
• Green tea contains ascorbic acid, carotenoids, manganese, zinc, chromium, selenium, and tocopherols all of which work together to give your skin a fair tone.
• Green tea also contains antioxidants which fight the formation of acne on the face. Antioxidants have the ability to fend off impurities and the sun as well. Epigallocatechin gallate, commonly referred to as EGCG, is one of the powerful antioxidants found in green tea. It fights radicals 200 times better than vitamin E.

American Academy of Dermatology explains that, any cream that contains 3% EGCG improves acne. This confirms that green tea is a good choice when it comes to treating acne. Epigallocatechin gallate relieves acne as well by stabilizing hormonal activity.

• Green tea triggers release of cortisol. If you consume green tea, therefore, you reduce chances of stress. Stress is one of the reasons acne keeps on attacking your face. If you take green tea and hence reduce stress, you will consequently reduce the chances of getting acne.
• The ability of green tea to inhibit production of sebum by about fifty percent explains why it also fights against acne on your skin.

Benefits-Is Green Tea good for Acne

From the above properties. You can draw so many benefits from use of green tea for acne;

Green tea reduces sebum production in about 8 weeks. When your body produces so much sebum, it builds up in the skin pores. This creates an environment for bacteria-causing –acne to grow. Green tea comes to counter this problem by reducing the amount of sebum produced and hence the related risks such as acne.

Apart from that, green tea fights impurities that clog the skin pores causing acne. This is possible due to the presence of strong antioxidants such as Epigallocatechin gallate.

Green tea reduces inflammation which comes as a consequence of acne. Androgen hormones present in your skin stimulate the inflammatory reaction. If you use green tea, you will realize that it reduces your acne inflammation by damaging the negative effects associated with such hormones.

Another benefit of using green tea for acne treatment is that it is a natural remedy and therefore, there are few or no side effects associated with it when used in acne treatment. This is as compared to other prescribed creams for acne.

How to make Green Tea Mask for Acne Treatment

If you wish to use green tea to clear acne, then you should try green tea masks following the guidelines below;

Plain green tea mask

The plain green tea mask will reduce acne and the inflammation that comes with it. It will also protect your skin from UV rays that may be harmful to your skin.

Procedure

1. Into a small bowl, place a tablespoon of green tea
2. Add a few drops of water and stir to mix evenly
3. Scrub the creamy mixture onto the affected skin
4. Allow it to sit on the skin for ten minutes
5. Wash the area with cold water

Green tea, honey, and baking soda

For excellent results, you could try green tea in combination with other ingredients. In addition to green tea benefits discussed above, honey rejuvenates, moisturizes, and tightens your skin. As well, baking soda detoxifies the skin by getting rid of dead skin cells and any accumulated dirt.

Procedure

1. Make a mixture of 1 tablespoon of green tea, a tablespoon of honey and a tablespoon baking soda.
2. In the case where the mixture is too sticky, add a few drops of water
3. Apply the mixture on your face then leave it for ten minutes
4. Rinse it off with cold water

Sour and sweet green tea mask

Another great mask is that made using green tea, lemon juice, and granulated sugar. These three work together to leave an even tone on your skin. Granulated sugar exfoliates your skin while lemon juice gets rid of acne scars.

Procedure

1. Use twice as much green tea as you use in normal times to brew a cup of green tea
2. You should soak the leaves or tea bags for about an hour. Ensure the liquid is cool.
3. Remove the bags then add ½ tablespoon lemon juice and a tablespoon of sugar
4. Apply the mixture on your skin gently and in a circular motion
5. Leave it for 15 minutes before rinsing
6. Use cold water to rinse your skin

How to use green tea for acne scars/Marks

After treating the acne, there could be scars that are left on your face. You may want to get rid of them because they affect your facial appearance. Good news is, green tea, apart from treating acne, also blemishes such scars.

A cell biologist in Medical College of Georgia Department Oral Biology, Dr Stephen Hsu explains that, when the skin is exposed to Epigallocatechin gallate; old cells in the upper layer of the epidermis start dividing.

This means that, the EGCG, an antioxidant in green tea will rejuvenate and reactivate dying cells and as such reduce scars that result from acne. With consistent consumption of green tea, you are assured that the appearance of acne scars will be reduced.

To achieve the goal of acne scars removal, the following steps should be followed;

Procedure

1. Prepare yourself with 2 green tea bags, 2 tablespoons of flour, and 3 tablespoons of sugar
2. In boiling water, steep the tea bags for about 5 minutes
3. Take out the tea leaves from the tea bags. You are required to simply cut the tea bags
4. After it has cooled, add gram flour and the sugar you prepared above
5. Mix the three then apply the mask on your face gently, in a circular motion
6. Allow the mask to stay on your face for about ten minutes then rinse it off with slightly warm water
7. To effectively do away with the acne scars, use this scrub at least once a week. You are advised to add a pinch of turmeric and a drop of rosewater to the mask. This is because, these two lighten dark spots.

Green Tea Bag, Extract & Cream for Acne

How to use green tea bags on your face to heal acne

If you have tea bags prepared for acne treatment, you will follow the steps below;

1. Using hot water, rinse your green tea bag
2. Remove the tea leaves by cutting the tea bag
3. Make a mixture of the tea leaves with two tablespoons of a face wash containing ingredients that fight acne
4. Apply this mixture on the face gently
5. Using warm water, rinse the face. Repeat this procedure every day.

Green tea extract acne cure

You will come across ingredients referred to as green tea extract. This simply refers to anything that contains a certain amount of ECGC as well as tea leaves. When choosing a green tea extract, be keen to note the number of milligrams of catechins contained in it. Catechins refers to the main component in green tea extract. [1]

You can depend on green tea extracts to cure acne. The reason behind this is that, the catechins in green tea extract are antibacterial agents. [2]

Green tea acne cream

There are green tea creams in the market. The most common and efficient face cream is the light weight face cream. This cream puts together the antibacterial effects of tea tree oil with other natural ingredients which moisturize the skin and leave it clear.

This cream contains Rose Hip oil, Macadamia Oil, and Shea Butter; all of which moisturize the skin naturally. For maintaining a clear skin, this cream has a hundred percent Australian Tea Tree Oil. Moreover, the light weight face cream hydrates the skin and does not clog your skin pores. [3]

Other products that contain tea tree oil and are useful for acne treatment are green tea moisturizers. These moisturizers are made of extracts from green tea, essential oils, and water. Such moisturizers include;

• Sea Infused Herbal Moisturizer
• Radha Beauty Retinol Moisturizer cream
• Proactiv Green Tea Moisturizer

Mixing Green Tea with other Natural Ingredients for Acne

To boost how fast green tea will help you get rid of acne, you are advised to combine it with other natural ingredients as discussed below;

Green tea with lemon for acne

Lemon is an astringent. This explains why it works very well with green tea to kill bacteria that contributes to acne. Lemon has a bleaching ability and hence, it works very well in getting rid of scars that come as a result of acne.

There are two methods through which you can use tea tree oil with lemon to treat acne;

Procedure 1

1. Brew the tea
2. Put it into a mug
3. Add a tablespoon of lemon juice
4. You are advised to drink this tea twice in a day

Procedure 2

1. Get some lemon extract and add it to a cup of green tea
2. Using a cotton ball, apply the mixture on the affected skin
3. Allow it to sit on the skin for ten minutes
4. Using cold water, wash the area you applied the mixture then pat it dry
5. You should repeat this daily for quick results

Aloe vera and green tea for acne

A mixture of Aloe vera with green tea works very well in treating acne in different ways. First of all, it eliminates excess oil, dead skin cells and any other impurities. This mixture also gets rid of redness, inflammation and itching that is caused by acne.

Procedure

1. Boil a cup of water
2. Add green tea bags, preferably two bags
3. Allow it to steep for five minutes
4. Add a tablespoon of Aloe vera into green tea
5. Shake the cup gently to ensure an even mixture then pour it into a spray bottle
6. Using lukewarm water, wash your face very well then pat it dry
7. When the face is at least dry, spray the solution made of aloe vera and green tea on the face
8. Using a cotton ball, rub it all through your face for about a minute. By doing this, you may be able to see any impurities on the face
9. This should be done on a daily basis

Good news is, this mixture can be refrigerated for as long as 10 days. Moreover, you can enrich the solution with salt, lemon juice or, rose water; for additional benefits [4]

Apple cider vinegar with green tea for acne

One of the best homemade skin toners is a mixture of green tea and raw apple cider vinegar. While green tea has antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties, apple cider vinegar restores the skin PH which is crucial in getting rid of acne.

Procedure

1. Into a glass spray bottle or a glass jar, add ¼ cup apple cider vinegar and ¾ cup green tea
2. Cleanse your face first
3. Using a cotton ball, apply the mixture evenly on the face with a cotton ball

This toner can be kept in the refrigerator for about 2 weeks.

Can Green Tea Cause Acne?

Even with the benefits that come with use of green tea for acne treatment, there could be side effects associated with its use. This is so because green tea reacts differently to different people. For some people, the content of fluoride in green tea actually leads to acne. However, a greater number of people praise green tea for its benefits in curing acne.

Before and After Results & Reviews

Sources and References

[1] https://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/everything-you-need-to-know-about-green-tea-extract.html

[2] http://limeandlotusorganics.com/2017/01/16/importance-of-green-tea-for-healthy-skin/

[3] http://www.thursdayplantation.com/product-categories/australia/acne/tea-tree-face-cream/

[4] http://homeremediesforlife.com/aloe-vera-for-acne/