We have all heard about the benefits of drinking Green Matcha Tea but have you tried using it as a face mask? Instead of buying expensive face serum lotions and potions let’s just make our own concoction. I love this so much I think I am going to add this to my weekly regime. These two ingredients really made my skin feel softer and brighter like a little detox for the pores. Yes, you will look like the green goblin for 15 minutes (my boys think I’m totally nuts when I put this on) but the rewards your skin will get are totally worth it.
Ingredient #1: Organic Matcha Tea
What is Matcha Tea?
Matcha is Green Tea Powder specially grown from green tea leaves. Three to four weeks before harvesting the leaves are ‘shaded’ (the entire tea field is covered) enhancing the taste and texture. The shade increases chlorophyll bringing out the leaves rich green pigments. Matcha can be consumed hot or cold.
I get my Matcha Green Tea Powder from Costco for about $20. Not only can you drink a lot of Matcha but you can make a lot of face masks for $20 using a 1 tsp at a time. It’s probably best to stick with an organic matcha grown in Japan. You can also find this Matcha Green Tea Powder on amazon.
Why Choose Matcha Over Green Tea?
We have all heard about the benefits of drinking green tea but Matcha is even better for you! When we drink green tea we are steeping the ingredients and discarding the leaves. In Matcha the leaves are ground up into a powder so we are drinking all that goodness with nothing wasted. It’s like comparing drinking the water you steam your broccoli in to actually eating the broccoli.
4 Ways Matcha Tea Will Help Your Skin?
- Antioxidants
- Polyphenols
- ECGC (epigallocatechin)
- Caffeine
1. Antioxidants
Before we can dive into antioxidants we must first look at free radicals. What exactly are free radicals?
Free radicals come from internal bodily functions like metabolizing our food for energy as well as external factors in our environment. Our bodies are like a battlefield fighting off pollution, stress, radiation, germs, etc. When our bodies can’t keep up with the damage being done it becomes permeant. These free radicals are made up of unpaired electrons that are constantly looking for a pair, stealing from other molecules in the process. This can cause the chain reaction of oxidative stress leading to premature aging, cancer, damage to DNA, etc. Thank goodness for antioxidants! They are the hero’s in this mess, providing our bodies with a shield against free radicals.
Antioxidants help us fight off some of this oxidative damage. But where do we find antioxidants? In plant foods! Antioxidants give fruits and vegetables their rich colour. This richness in colour indicates higher levels of antioxidants. Hence the phrase ‘eat a rainbow’ is the perfect analogy to use as a guide to healthy eating. As you probably guessed matcha green tea is rich in antioxidants. One study found matcha has 10 times the antioxidants to regular green tea.(1)
So by eating and applying antioxidants to our skin we can in turn help combat free radicals. But which type of antioxidant is most abundant in matcha green tea? Polyphenols
2. Polyphenols
Polyphenols are compounds found in plant foods that contain powerful antioxidants known to be anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial, and antitumor (2). Matcha green tea is loaded with polyphenols. Plants have a natural defence mechanism against decomposition and polyphenols play a part in this process. Polyphenols can help us reduce inflammation and dermatologists have become very interested in green tea polyphenols as a preventive product for skin cancer.
In vitro and in vivo systems have both shown the protective effects […] suggesting the routine use of polyphenols both topically and orally may provide effective protection against UV radiation and ultimately skin cancer.
Costa A, Bonner MY, Arbiser JL. Use of Polyphenolic Compounds in Dermatologic Oncology. (2)
A type of polyphenol known as catechin is found in matcha green tea. Perhaps you have heard people talk about ECGC (epigallocatechin) which is a type of catechin found in matcha.
3. ECGC
ECGC (epigallocatechin) is the major type of catechin found in matcha green tea. Researchers have shown it can be super effective as a topical treatment for battling redness, oiliness and acne which you can check out in this study from the Journal of Investigative Dermatology. (3) ECGC can also help make your skin look more radiant and ‘glowy’ thanks to its ability to rejuvenate new skin cell growth, making it great for anti-aging benefits.
4. Caffeine
Caffeine is full of antioxidants which as we know help slow down the aging process and fight free radicals. Matcha green tea contains more caffeine than regular green tea. Research has shown caffeine has anti-carcinogenic properties. In this article from Dermatology Times scientists have found topically applying caffeine can have a sunscreen-like effect on the skin which could play a role in reducing types of skin cancers. (4) Caffeine is also known to de-puff your skin and is especially used in lots of eye creams to reduce swelling and puffiness.
Let’s get making the Matcha Green Tea face mask…
Ingredients
- A squeeze of lemon
- 1 tsp of Matcha Green tea powder
Mix throughly until smooth. Apply to face for 15 minutes and wash with your regular cleanser.
Why lemon?
Most people when they make face masks use oil but I have never found this to be effective for my skin type. My skin is very prone to break outs and any type of oil makes me break out. I love using lemon juice!
There is lots of negative information and caution using lemon on your skin. However, I have found my skin loves it! Research around the use of lemon is generally using lemon oil extracted from lemon peels. Here are some of the benefits to using lemon:
- excellent exfoliator used to get rid of dead skin cells
- can help with psoriasis and dandruff
- treat acne, heal wounds and other skin aliments (5)
- reduce oxidative damage (6)
I hope you love this Matcha Green Tea Face Mask as much as I do. Let me know how it works out for you. Feel free to leave a comment below. Want more healthy skin tips check out this green smoothie recipe.
References:
- Sivanesan, I.; Gopal, J.; Muthu, M.; Chun, S.; Oh, J.-W. Retrospecting the Antioxidant Activity of Japanese Matcha Green Tea–Lack of Enthusiasm? Appl. Sci. 2021, 11, 5087. https://doi.org/10.3390/app11115087
- Costa A, Bonner MY, Arbiser JL. Use of Polyphenolic Compounds in Dermatologic Oncology. Am J Clin Dermatol. 2016 Aug;17(4):369-85. doi: 10.1007/s40257-016-0193-5. PMID: 27164914; PMCID: PMC5901676.
- Ji Young Yoon, Hyuck Hoon Kwon, Seong Uk Min, Diane M. Thiboutot, Dae Hun Suh, Epigallocatechin-3-Gallate Improves Acne in Humans by Modulating Intracellular Molecular Targets and Inhibiting P. acnes,Journal of Investigative Dermatology,Volume 133, Issue 2, 2013
- Anna Chacon, M.D., Caffeine’s role in skincare, Dermatology Times, November 2020 (Vol. 41, No. 11), Volume 41, Issue 11
- Orchard A, van Vuuren S. Commercial Essential Oils as Potential Antimicrobials to Treat Skin Diseases. Evid Based Complement Alternat Med. 2017;2017:4517971. doi: 10.1155/2017/4517971. Epub 2017 May 4. PMID: 28546822; PMCID: PMC5435909.
- Bertuzzi, Gianluigi, Tirillini, Bruno, Angelini, Paola, Venanzoni, Roberto, Antioxidative Action of Citrus limonum Essential Oil on Skin, European Journal of Medicinal Plants, Volume 3, 2013/01/01
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