Easy Skin & Hair Treatments To Try With Tea

As delicious and relaxing as it can be to sip on a cup of tea, it can be just as beneficial to put it on your body as it is to simply drink it. And that's because there are actually a number of ways to use tea to improve your skin and hair, whether to soothe, heal, or even color. So to find out a little more about the properties of various types of tea and how to use them in your beauty routine, I emailed with NYC-based esthetician, Jordana Mattioli.

According to Mattioli, tea is like coconut oil in that it's good for almost anything. She specifies that green, black, and white tea in particular "have dozens of studies showing that they are all huge sources of antioxidants, skin soothing, and anti-aging." So while it's always good to have tea as an ingredient in your skincare products, you can even DIY a few different types of treatments. However, if you do DIY tea treatments, Mattioli warns against using any teas with "added mint, citrus, or eucalyptus to avoid potential irritation." She additionally stresses that the tea, once brewed, should be stored in an airtight, opaque container to keep the antioxidant benefits active, or simply made fresh for each use. Regardless of which type of tea your prefer though, if you want to incorporate this beneficial ingredient into your beauty routine, here are seven ways to try using tea:

1. To Soothe Eyes

Teas that contain caffeine have a constricting effect which is perfect for under-eye puffiness, says Mattioli. One recipe she suggests trying to soothe and de-puff eyes is cooling caffeinated green tea in the fridge, soaking cotton rounds in the tea, squeezing out any excess, and then applying to the eye area for 10 minutes.

2. To Calm Burns

The soothing properties of tea make it perfect for even treating minor burns such as sunburns. Try steeping black tea-bags in cool water for a couple of minutes and then dabbing the bags over any burned areas. If you have sunburns over large portions of your body, you could even throw a few tea bags into a bath and soak for 10 or 20 minutes to soothe your skin.

3. To Calm Bug Bites

Itchy bug bites are the worst. Ease the itch and the pain by freezing brewed green tea in an ice tray, and then rubbing the cube over any bites you may have, suggests Mattioli.

4. To Soothe Skin

Perfect for soothing your face or body, Mattioli recommends soaking a cloth in equal parts cooled chamomile tea and milk before draping over the skin for 10 minutes.

5. To Soak Feet

To help eliminate foot odor, Mattioli says to try soaking your feet in a solution of three teabags in a basin of warm water.

6. To Rinse Hair

Whether you want to stimulate hair growth, help scalp issues, or even just make your hair appear shinier, a tea rinse can help. Mattioli suggests rinsing your strands with a warm tea after shampooing but before conditioning to impart these benefits.

7. To Color Hair

Although tea won't have any drastic impact, it can even be used to enhance hair color. Mattioli recommends rinsing blonde locks with chamomile to brighten and brunette locks with black tea to darken.

Because you can sip your tea and soak in it too.

Images: condesign, chezbeate, PDPics, Couleur, condesign, condesign, pixel2013, condesign/Pixabay