5 All-Natural Ingredients that can Revitalize Your Skin

Our Lincoln City skin care doctors at Valley View Dermatology use cutting-edge technology and offer a wide variety of advanced skin care products to help keep our patients looking and feeling their best. However, when it comes to treating most common skin care problems, newer technology isn’t always the best option. In some cases, using simple, more natural options might offer just as effective a solution as more scientifically advanced solutions.

For patients who practice a “clean” eating lifestyle, our Lincoln City skin care doctors know you might also be interested in extending the philosophy to your skin care routine. While finding effective beauty products that don’t feature any chemical additives is far harder than finding organic foods at the store, some options do exist.

Let’s take a look at a few of the best natural skin care ingredients that science has found effective at slowing the aging process.

Coconut Oil

Support has started to grow scientifically that shows plant fat is an effective topical skin soother that works to reduce inflammation and improve hydration. Some recent research has found that extra virgin coconut oil works to suppress inflammatory agents in the body while also strengthening skin as a barrier against harmful bacteria.

Many people have now turned to coconut oil products to help soothe itchy or dry skin, as well as treat skin diseases like psoriasis and eczema. If you decide to give coconut oil a try, avoid using it on areas of your skin that are prone to breakout as it could make acne worse. You can find extra virgin coconut oil in jars in the cooking aisle of most grocery stores.

Gotu Kola

An ancient herb that’s commonly used in Asian cuisine has started to find a role in modern skin care due to its ability to help heal wounds. Chemical found in gotu kola works to improve blood supply to injury sites while also working to strengthen the skin. Researchers have discovered that when skin injuries in rats are treated with gotu kola, the wound areas heal more quickly.

A combination of amino acids, fatty acids, phytochemicals, and beta carotene work together to reduce healing time, making this plant a useful tool to keep around for whenever an injury occurs.

Green Tea

For years, research has suggested that a connection exists between drinking green tea and improved health, but it may help to use green tea on your skin. As a means of protecting your skin from the sun and the aging properties of UV light, green tea has shown good results in terms of anti-aging and photoprotection benefits.

The polyphenols in green tea possess antioxidant properties and the ability to help to heal sun-damaged skin. The application of green tea may even offer an option for dealing with the signs of sun damage. You can find green tea as an ingredient in some select brands of sunscreen and other skincare products.

Oatmeal

Studies have found that oatmeal contain anti-irritant and anti-inflammatory chemicals called avenanthramides. It also features moisturizing starches and beta glucans. This why oatmeal baths offer such an effective option for treating conditions like rashes and eczema. However, grabbing a box of Quaker Oats may not provide your skin the type of care it needs. You need to use colloidal oatmeal that derived from prepared oats that are ground down to a very small size.

If you experience frequent bouts of eczema, try applying a generous helping of colloidal oatmeal to any breakout areas. Not only should this help to ease and sooth your skin, it may also reduce your need to use topical steroids to treat your condition.

Shea Butter

Made from the nut of the shea tree, shea butter is a common ingredient found in many brands of moisturizer. Shea butter works so well as an effective moisturizer due to its high concentration of fatty acids. These types of acids have a calming effect on inflamed skin. Shea butter works best as a treatment option for treating and soothing eczema. Clinical studies have even found that shea butter can help children with eczema experience less itching after just a few weeks.