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Should Astringents be Part of Your Natural Skin Care Routine?

06/29/2006

Years ago, Paul Newman said that he keeps his youthful good looks by plunging his head into a bucket of ice water every morning. This habit was no doubt adopted by many young men all over the world, although they probably did not understand why it worked. The answer is simple – cold water is a natural astringent, the use of which is good practice for anyone who cares about a natural skin care treatment.

Astringents contract tissue fiber, and are generally applied after cleansing to firm and tighten the skin, and close the pores. Commercial astringent preparations usually contain silver nitrate, zinc oxide or sulfate, benzoin, or tannic and gallic acids. However, many people prefer natural skin care treatments, of which the ice water dip is one. Fortunately for the faint of heart, it is only one of many.

As with many other natural skin care solutions, natural astringents can be found in your kitchen. Limes, lemons, cucumbers, vinegar, peaches and tomatoes are at the top of the list. Here are a few recipes.

• Soak cotton pads in lime or lemon juice and apply to your face and neck. You can also use lemon oil, which is extracted from the rind. Lemon will also help lighten your skin.

• Puree a small peach and mix with 1 teaspoon each of lime and lemon juice. Apply to the face, leave on for 10 to 30 minutes and rinse off with cool water.

• Rinse your face with a mixture of equal parts vinegar and water.

• Juice two tomatoes and rub the juice into your face. Leave it on for about 30 minutes, then rinse off with cool water.

• Split the leaf from an aloe vera plant and rub the gel into the skin. It is not necessary to wash it off. You can also buy aloe vera juice or gel at the health food store. Aloe vera, in addition to being a good astringent, is also a natural antibacterial, helps calm and heal the skin, and restores the pH balance. It’s great as an overall natural skin care treatment.

We’re not going to guarantee that using astringents will make you look like Paul Newman, especially if you’re a female reader, but adding these astringents to your natural skin care basics will definitely help you freshen and tighten your skin.

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