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Herbal Infusions for Healthy Skin
Oct
I was moved by the power of plants and how they were able to heal so much more fully and completely than pharmaceuticals during my journey with YBP and our future skin-care product that i am currently working on. As a frequent traveler that i have been by choice and by fate, I often found there was something special in non-toxic beauty options at the destinations I loved. I made it my life’s mission to create products that I wanted for myself: products that were not just good to use but made thoughtfully, while you wonder why i didn’t start YBP with skin-care products first, i would not go on explaining my thought process in detail but i will tell you one thing, that every product i work on includes plenty of research, tests, and it has my heart, soul, blood (not literally) and passion in it. While Skin-care is my next big project(shh!), makeup that’s easy to use, easy to wear, easy to remove, and made with harmless ingredients came through first and i couldn’t be more happier to launch it before my line of skin-care!
I discovered my ability to not only feel and understand a plant’s function as it relates to our skin, but I also developed a rare sense to determine the purity and quality of raw ingredients and bringing them together to create a powerful potent that works best for every skin-condition. My love for plants, herbs and nature has helped my decision to select ingredients that are truly beneficial to our overall health and of-course i am always more leaned towards the plants and herbs that have specific beneficial properties for including them into the skincare.
Understanding Herbal Infusion:
Herbal infusions are like drinking tea but it’s like 10 times more nutritious and powerful than your regular green teas. It’s like tea but on (steroids) completely natural!
You essentially let dried herbs, flowers or fruits soak in water for eight hours, so that the water can pull out their healing properties. Then, when you drink the herbal infusion, you absorb those healing properties. The best part? Herbal infusions are very potent in vitamins and minerals that they can replace all of your smoothies, green teas and health drinks. ( if consumed everyday)
Below i have mentioned my top fav HOT and COLD infusions that i make and how i make them a few times a week or whenever i can. Remember that below mentioned herbs are my choice of herbs that’s mainly good for skin health.
HOW TO MAKE AN HERBAL INFUSION
- Get a Jar, small strainer and your fav tea mug!
- You’ll need hot or cold water (depending on your herb of choice)
- Add the dried herbs to the jar. You can carefully mix-and-match different herbs of your choice ( do your study before mixing) in the same infusion, as well.
- Pour the hot or cold water into the jar, over the herbs. Every herb is different–some require cold water (so not to damage the healing properties); some require hot water (to really draw out the vitamins and minerals).
- Let sit. Cold infusions need to sit for eight hours; hot infusions only need to sit for four.
- When your infusion is done, grab your strainer. Pour the infusion into the mug, straining out the wet herbs.
- Enjoy!
- It’s really that simple! I like to make cold infusions overnight. It’s nice to wake up and enjoy a glass of freshly infused herbal water before i kick start my day.
Every herb is different and every plant can provide with different health properties. We are all here to add a little magic of mother nature to our skincare routine. So, below are my top fav Herbal Infusions that i prefer to make for healthy/beautiful skin.
Goji berry (hot infusion) : Goji berry, or Lycium barbarum, is obtained from the Goji fruit and is found in the Himalayas. This ancient ayurvedic fruit has recently been added to the list of “superfood” because of all of the antioxidants, vitamins, and minerals that are contained within it. There is a theory that says that some monks discovered Goji berries back in the time when they were roaming in the Himalayan mountains. The monks who included Goji berries in their diet lived longer than those who didn’t. WOW!
Goji berries have since had a reputation for delaying mortality. We don’t have any scientific studies saying they actually work, but we do know that berries are antioxidant powerhouse and are full of nutrients, amino acids, minerals and that make this ingredient a no-brainer for anti-aging skin formulas. So many skincare brands have started using Goji berries to make their products and it has shown a significance signs of fighting age spots and diminishing fine lines. So my friends, drinking Goji berry tea everyday may help fade your age spots and a few inches from that waist.
Licorice root (hot): Ayurvedic name, Yashtimadhu. Licorice is one of the most important herbs in both Ayurvedic and Chinese medicine; two ancient healing practices. However, until recently I didn’t realize what powerful truly it meant.
It has hundreds of benefits for overall health and skin conditions. Licorice can fight your hormonal acne, eczema, textured skin and make your immune system clean and strong. Real talk, I can’t stand licorice taste, it’s extremely sweet. Licorice is used in making candies (tried it, hated it) It contains glycyrrhizin which is 50 times sweeter than sugar. It is often added to herbal blends because of its pleasant flavor and its ability to enhance the effects of other herbs. I prefer making Licorice root infusion, it contains compounds that act like cortisol, it’s anti-inflammatory and reduces redness on your skin. This would explain why after drinking licorice root tea I notice that the acne spots I did have were less inflamed. It is also an anti-allergenic which is very handy as I seem to be allergic to everything. Chinese medicine claims that licorice root balances all twelve meridians; no other herb can boast this. So chug, chug, chug, CHUG IT Payal!
Dried lemon peels (cold): Easy peasy and not sweet! I love it! Have you ever paid attention to how many vitamins and minerals does a lemon or orange peel contain? Why do we throw them away? Why are we so lazy? Why don’t we appreciate what we get so easily?
Dried lemon peels infusion can help to enhance the clarity, glow and softness of the skin. It’s a straight up Vitamin C drink for dry or scaly skin to regain its smoothness and softness. Lemon peel contains citric and plant acids that work to cleanse, lighten and brighten the skin, remove dead skin, and stimulate new skin growth. Plus point; every indian family has lemons in their refrigerator and mostly the peels are thrown away after squeezing out the lemon juice. So basically this potent infusion that you can make at home is literally FREE and everyone should do this without any excuses!!
Nettle (Cold Infusion): Leafy green vegetables are also known as stinging nettle. Not really a best healthy vegetable to consume as it is because of it’s stinginess that can cause itchiness and dermatitis BUT, on the other hand dried Nettle herb is incredibly nutrient rich, safe to consume and it nourishes every part of the body, including the skin. It’s contains more nutrients and vitamins than any other plant. It’s extremely high in chlorophyll and Vitamins A,B,C, and K and many more. For maximum benefits I recommend drinking 1 glass of nettle infusion per day especially if you are suffering from active skin problems. You’ll notice that your skin gets clearer especially when you drink nettle infusion on a daily basis because it builds, nourishes, and cleanses the blood.what’s really amazing about nettle is its ability to support adrenal function. It helps the body to beat stress and fatigue so you can say goodbye to stress breakouts, period breakouts, dull skin, and under-eye circles.
Chamomile (cold/hot) : Chamomile is not a new name to many of us. We all know the benefits of chamomile as it’s an essential herb that calms you down, releases stress, and works as an anti-aging when added to the skin-care department; thanks to it’s high potent of flavonoids in it. This magic potion is also a powerhouse of antioxidants that help you fight acne and breakouts. While drinking chamomile infusion helps control acne formation, applying it topically works great in healing acne and pimples. It also works wonders to eliminate acne scars.
Moringa (cold infusion): There’s a reason Moringa is known as the “miracle tree”–it can seriously work skincare miracles. It nourishes and moisturizes skin from the inside out, and is full of ingredients that you may recognize from the ingredient lists of your favorite skincare products, like Vitamin A and Sulphur.
Vitamin A has long been used in the skincare industry as an anti-acne and anti-aging agent (it’s the active ingredient in both Accutane and retinol creams). Sulphur also has a reputation for clearing up skin issues, since it naturally occurs in our cells and is essential for producing collagen and keratin. So why start a round of Accutane or slather on a stinky sulfur mask when you can just have Moringa?
Reminder: Cold infusions need 8 hours of soaking dried herbs in room temperature water. I usually add some ice and drink it all day.
And Hot infusions need 4 hours of letting it sit under hot water and you drink it straight without reheating the infusion.
Hope this infusions become part of your everyday life! Any questions you may have regarding making your infusions leave it below and i will help you out with the best possible ways!
Happy Aging Backwards! XOXO – Payal
HI Payal,
Thank you for writing such authentic articles. Where do ou source these herbs from?
Can u please also help us the source of getting the herbs u mentioned cuz u must be knowing the tighth source…i see lots online but can’t understand which is a good one so please let us know where we can get these from…thankyou
Hey where do you get these herbs from? A few references links anything would be very very helpful.
-a youngster who’s just starting her skin care , self love journey
Hey Payal, will moringa powder work instead if leaves? And can i keep it for 8hrs and then consume?
Do we need to sun dry moringa leaves and then make its infusion?
Hi payal, how to make moringa infusion.. ?
Hey payal actually this so usual to me that whenever my perod day has come near I always got new acen on my face and even that drop so dark stain on my face. Just want to no which herbal infusion I need to use for this.. Thank you.
Love your humour babe. You’re are amazing.Very pretty (must say). Right away going to buy goji berries and also will start having garlic in my diet. The world needs more people like you. You’re amazing and thanks for inspiring me in alot of ways.
aw!! thanks Nisha xo
I have already been drinking infused herbal tea every day for the past year. But I haven’t tried any of the herbs you mentioned except chamomile. Here in Germany dandelion tea is really big for congestion (be it in your gut, stomach, lymphs or facial pores). Dandelion grows in every garden in abundance here in Germany. It’s amazing to see how every country has so many different potent herbs to offer. Nature is amazing !
❤️❤️❤️❤️
Hi Payal,
This might sound stupid.
Can I dry drumstick leaves (Moringa) and use instead of buying it online?
If yes, should I use the flowers, seeds as well or just the leaves?
Yes. you can. Just make sure they are organically harvested cos you don’t want to consume pesticides and other chemicals while you are trying to consume them to improve your health. 🙂
You need dry moringa leaves.
Thank yu so much for this post payal !! I am suffering from dry eczema and boil condition which keeps reoccuring every now and then and they leave this horrible scars which i hate can yu please help ? I have tried consulting many doctors but nothing seems to work please please please helpppppppp
Hey Payal
Before anything else , I wanna say I love you and your humour .
I’m definitely gonna try goji berry infusion after reading this post but will you please write a blog on weight loss as well .
lol insta-story fam!! xo
Drinking goji berry infusion and dried lemon peels infusion will fasten your metabolism and hence will help in weight loss. x
Already following your tips and I have seen much difference in my skin. Definitely trying this one too
that’s great! keep doing it, soon you will notice a huge difference in your overall health, and energy level. xo
So glad to have come across your write ups. It’s surprising that must skin friendly ingredients are present right in front of our everyday lives and we tend to overlook them. You are doing a great job by enlightening us. Wanted to know if we can mix the hot ingredients together and have the concoction at a go. Or they are separate entities and can’t be mixed.
So glad you are here reading my blogs and enjoying them! Nothing makes me more happy. xo
You can definitely mix your herbs and prepare a big batch of it and drink it all day. Just keep the hot infusion separate from the cold one.
hey payal.. its amazing of you to share these amazing skin miracles and in total health drinks with us. there were so many questions on my mind when i was reading it but can’t think of one right now. there’s one thing I would like to ask that about the lemon infusion, we have to dry the lemon peels and then use it or we can also use the fresh peels.?
Hey Shruti, you can use fresh lemon peels by all means, but for the infusion i personally like dried peels so it doesn’t oxidase and gives no funky taste that we usually get from keeping lemon slices in water for a longer period of time.
yes exactly i feel it and that is why i asked it. so what i can do is just collect the lemon peels n let it dry in room itself and not under the Sun. right?
sure, you can. I personally like to keep them somewhere where they get sun-light so it’s even more enriched and charged with sun light. That’s just me, you can totally leave them in the room.
Hi Payal,
Thank you for sharing this information. Do you Infuse water with licorice root sticks isn’t it too sweet? How does it taste? The licorice link doesn’t seem to work.
Yes it’s extremely sweet! I have already mentioned that part in the post if you read it…the trick is to use just a couple of sticks, make a big batch of infusion and add lots of ice before drinking it. (I usually add lots of ice and chug it.):)
Click on the link, it should be working.
Thank you Payal 🙂
I will let my father read this and will give him a chance to say ‘ I told you these things years ago’. I do have lemon peel infusion for two years now as my dad suggested. I think I will let him do the research for me ???? My question is do you drink all of them regularly or as per needs? Also thank you for letting us know your secrets. I am loving these reads ????
haha thanks! I’m sure all Indians know about lemon, cucumber, and mint infusions. It’s pretty common in India. Your dad should try goji berry infusion it works great for diabetes or any other health problems.
As i mentioned in the post, i try and make any of these infusions 2-3 times a week or whenever i can. It’s very refreshing and harmless. x
Already convinced my mom dad. We will together start this infusion revolution in our home ????????
Amazing…bt mam all of this drinks one can take everyday?i mean wat is the amount we can take of each?and can divide three drinks a day?
No darling you can’t drink all of these infusions in one day. I have mentioned the best herbs that work for fighting different skin-conditons so you can pick whichever ones suits your need and condition and then accordingly drink it everyday or at least 3 times a week.