Foods That Double as Great Skin Care Products

Having sensitive skin is the worst. As a teenager, I knew very little about skin care except no matter how many facial washes, astringents, or moisturizers I tried, I still felt like a horrible zit monster. Looking back, I realize I was probably using too many harsh products for my sensitive skin. While I still have some skin issues from time to time, I've found that for my fickle combination skin, natural remedies work best.

In fact, several common foods and pantry items often yield great results when it comes to skin care. Would you believe it that smearing honey all over your face would even your skin tone? How about strawberry juice as an astringent? I'm serious, they're amazing. Here's my list of foods that you might want to work in to your skin care regimen:



1. Raw honey. I bow at the altar of honey. I'm not kidding, raw honey masks will change your skin. My friends are all tired of hearing about it, but here's why I'm so obsessed with raw honey: it is a natural antiseptic and is also antimicrobial, so it helps heal your skin while killing the bacteria that causes acne. It helps balance out oily skin while also keeping your skin moisturized. AND it can even out skin tone and red splotches (in my personal experience). 

Basically, its a miracle worker, especially for sensitive skin. You can use it in one of two ways: either smear raw honey all over your face as a mask, or dab it on as a spot treatment. As a mask, leave the honey on for 5-10 minutes then rinse off with warm water. For best results, don't use a toner afterwards. This mask can be done daily.

2. Plain yogurt. Yogurt is another popular mask for acne treatment. Also good for sensitive skin, yogurt contains lactic acid, which can make skin feel smooth. Yogurt masks can also help reduce redness and tighten pores. Like honey, it has antibacterial properties that work in clearing up acne. You can also mix various ingredients into yogurt to make a number of different masks, such as honey, oatmeal or lemon juice. Leave yogurt masks on for 10-15 minutes and rinse with warm water. Downside: some people have yogurt allergies. If you feel any itching or irritation, wash it off right away.

3. Strawberries. Strawberries contain salicylic acid, which is a main ingredient in most drugstore cleansers and astringents! Who woulda thunk, huh? To use as a toner, slice up fresh strawberries and rub a few slices on your face to coat with strawberry juice. Wipe off with a warm wash cloth after a 10-15 minutes. Strawberries help tone and tighten skin. There are also a ton of variations of strawberry masks that can be made. Eating strawberries also helps fight acne!

4. Eggs. I love egg masks. I do them in two parts: Egg white mask followed by an egg yolk mask. Leave the egg white mask on until it dries completely, then wash off completely with warm water. Apply the egg yolk for another 10-15 minutes, then wipe off with a warm wash cloth. Egg whites are great for firming up skin. No joke, I can't move my face once an egg white mask has completely dried. However, when you wipe it off your skin will feel tight and dry. While this helps reduce redness and inflammation, the egg yolk mask helps moisturize and soften skin. Overall, its a great combo, and it works great if you do it right at the first sign of new zits (that's such an awful word, isn't it?). This is a great once or twice a week mask, and works well for combo/oily skin and is a godsend for PMS time.  Downside: dealing with raw eggs. If you're uncomfortable with that, there's plenty of other natural skin remedies to choose from!

5. Apple Cider Vinegar. Ok, it may smell awful, but apple cider vinegar works great as a natural toner. It will help smooth and exfoliate skin as well as reduce acne redness. It has antiseptic and antibacterial properties (running theme!) that make it an ideal natural toner. ACV is very intense though, so make sure to mix it with water! You'll need to experiment to make the right mixture, but 1 part ACV for 3 or 4 parts water should work nicely. After cleansing, apply all over the face with a cotton swab.

6. Sugar. I've never been a huge proponent of sugar scrubs for acne treatment because my skin can't handle a lot of exfoliation, but I've heard that doing a sugar scrub treatment once every week or two works well. However, I recommend sugar scrubs for chapped lips. No matter how much water I drink or lip balm I wear, my lips are always semi-chapped. Create a sugar scrub (sugar mixed with something like lemon juice, water, or a little honey) and rub into your lips with your fingers in order to remove dry, chapped skin.

Honorable mention (is it really a food?): Rosewater. Great in cakes, great as a toner. Distilled rosewater is one of my favorite things.

Do you use any other natural skincare remedies? There are a few others I could've mentioned, but this was getting long enough as it is! I'm always interested in trying new things, so feel free to share your experiences with other food-as-skincare ventures!

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