5 Plants with Powerful Skin Care Properties

It’s easy to think of all skin care products as magic, mystical serums rather than the scientific balance of ingredients that they are in reality. Most, if not all, everyday skin care solutions have some kind of natural base to them, derived from some versatile plants boasting super-powered properties.

Used for centuries in a variety of tinctures and treatments, and all 100 percent natural, the ingredients we’re exploring in this article are mainstays of modern beauty regimens – all thanks to their indisputable skin-related benefits.

Rosemary

This helpful herb is brimming with beautifying properties, especially when it’s extracted into oil form. Rosemary boasts natural properties that fight bacteria on the skin, making it an excellent defence against free radicals harming your natural glow. The oil also stimulates cell renewal, meaning that dead, flaky skin cells will be less of a problem, and eczema and psoriasis can be tackled in this same way.

Rosehip oil

Becoming a firm favourite amongst beauty bloggers and fashion influencers, rosehip oil has historically been an unsung hero of organic skin care products. What provoked this sudden spike, you ask? Well, the humble fruit seed-based oil received some royal assent in the form of reports that Kate Middleton uses this ingredient to keep her complexion looking flawless. After that news broke, bottles were being sold every 20 seconds and supply struggled to keep up!

Under the microscope, rosehip’s properties more than live up to the hype. It’s a superb moisturiser for both skin and hair – instantly rehydrating a tired complexion. It is also a potent antioxidant – but its number one asset is its anti-aging properties, due to being rich in vitamin A. Not bad for such a small seed.

Jojoba oil

Pronounced ho-ho-ba, this super ingredient is derived from a bush native to deserts in the USA and Mexico, such as the Sonoran and the Baja California. It’s a potent moisturiser, just like rosehip oil, and is commonly used to treat acne and sunburn. Basically, any skin irritation can be quashed by the addition of this humble nut-based oil. It is quite simply remarkable what effects these plants have on the skin, but make sure that the jojoba oil you purchase is 100% organic – as additives can detract from the moisturising, eczema-busting properties that make jojoba such an effective and reliable skin care solution.

Lavender

This is another miraculous plant when it comes to skin care benefits – and one that you can easily grow in your garden. Lavender’s beautiful colour and refreshing smell make it very popular – dating back to Roman times, when its flowers were added to baths (leading to its name, derived from the Latin lavare, meaning ‘to wash’).

Lavender is considered an essential oil, and can be used to help soothe burns, alleviate inflammation and tackle acne. Having a lavender plant in your garden means you have 24/7 access to its formidable properties, as well as attracting bees, which is always a good thing for the environment.

Calendula

Calendula, also known as English Marigold, is a small, golden flower with some impressive properties. Not only is it great for the skin in terms of being an effective anti-inflammatory, but it also has powerful antibacterial effects. This flower has been used for hundreds of years as a means of treating skin infections, such as athlete’s foot, as well as disinfecting wounds. After a wound heals, calendula can be used again to reduce the appearance of scars. Typically available as an oil, cream or balm, calendula really is a heavy-duty skin care solution disguised as a dainty flower.

All of these plants are highly effective at treating a diverse range of dermatological issues, but there’s a world of natural ingredients out there – so get researching and experimenting to find the ingredients that are best suited to your skin.

Marine Collagen for Younger-Looking Skin

* Reduced appearance of fine lines and wrinkles
* Fast growing, thicker hair
* Healthier, stronger nails

Dual Action Performance for Skin

Skin-Support is our exclusive collagen supplement for skin nutrition that works to promote smooth, youthful looking skin, aiding with issues such as the appearance of spots, dryness, stretch marks, fine lines and wrinkles. It is comprised of two key ingredients. The first is COLLACTIVE, our collagen supplement that is a special form of marine collagen and elastin polypeptides with the same ratios of collagen and elastin found in the dermis. The other gradient is a very special form of New Zealand grape seed extract.

Users of Skin-Support can expect:

* Smoother, youthful skin
* Reduced appearance of fine lines and wrinkles
* Reduced appearance of cellulite
* Reduced appearance of stretch marks
* Faster growing thicker, stronger hair
* Healthier, stronger nails

Grape Seed Extract

Antioxidants help to fight free radical damage in the dermis and grape seed extract is one of nature’s best anti-aging antioxidants, and the perfect partner to collagen supplementation. Grape seed extract is especially beneficial because they are such a good source of oligomeric procyanidins (OPCs). OPCs are a type of flavonoid that binds with free oxygen radicals in the human system. They have been shown to have 50 times more antioxidant power than even the well-known abilities of vitamin E.

COLLACTIVE Marine Collagen and Elastin Polypeptides

From the age of 25, your body depletes collagen at approximately 1.5 percent each year. By the time you reach 45, you will have lost 30 percent of your body’s collagen.

COLLACTIVE is a clinically-proven, highly purified, non GMO form of collagen and elastin polypeptides that exist in the same ratio as found in the human dermis – a combination of predominantly type 1 collagen (85 to 90 percent) and type 3 collagen.

How do wrinkles form?

As we get older, the matrix of collagen and elastin in the dermis is damaged by free radicals. As a result of this the matrix shrinks which results in the skin folding…thus creating wrinkles and a need for collagen support. To avoid this happening you must supplement the collagen and elastin matrix by ‘topping up’ these components, PLUS provide potent antioxidants to reduce the damage from free radicals. This is why we have added a potent antioxidant in the form of grape seed extract in addition to the collagen and elastin complex in Skin-Support.

Learn more about Skin-Support now.
Why do we promote this?

About the author

Paul Richards is a long-time botanist and founder of Herbfarmacy – an online retailer selling organic skin care and beauty products for all skin types that are packed with herbs grown on their farm in Herefordshire.