More Than Just A Drink, Green Tea Facials Can Make Your Skin Look More Refreshed
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- You've probably heard about the benefits of drinking green tea, but what about using it on your face?
As CBS2's Cindy Hsu explained, with the weather finally getting cooler, there are green tea facials that you can do right at home.
A lot of people drink green tea for the antioxidants, and now some are letting it cool off and splashing it on their face.
"Green tea is a natural anti-inflammatory and a natural ant-bacterial, so patients who have rosacea or acne, it's a great thing to incorporate in their products," said skincare expert Melissa Knudson, RN.
Knudson said you can pour green tea into a small spray bottle and use it as a toner for your face, spray it directly onto your skin, or onto a cotton ball and apply.
"It will kind of help tighten up her pores and just help her skin look more refreshed," she said, "And then you can apply your moisturizer or sunscreen over that."
You can also add tea to your cleanser. Just pour the cleanser into a cup, run hot water over a green tea bag, cut the bag open, empty the tea into the cleanser, and mix until it's pasty, then apply it to your face for five minutes before rinsing it off.
Dermatologist Dr. Monica Halem said green tea facials are most effective when done with freshly brewed tea, versus commercial products that contain green tea.
"You have to remember that green tea gets oxidized when it gets exposed to air so the best way to use it is to brew it fresh, or use it fresh, like make it at home and combine it with different things," dermatologist, Halem said.
Honey makes a perfect addition.
"Cut open the tea bag, put the contents into a cup, then add honey until you get a pasty consistency, and apply to clean skin," Knudson said. "Honey is also an anti-inflammatory and a natural humectant, so it really helps to hydrate the skin."
And it all washes right off.
Doctors said it's still a good idea to drink at least two to three cups of green tea a day.
