Ready to settle down for the night and nurse a cup of something delicious that will calm your nerves and get you ready for bed? Why not choose a healthy beverage that works overtime as a skincare aid, as well? Before you pour yourself a tall glass of water, transfer that water to a pot or kettle and prepare to kick back, relax, (watching a movie is optional) with a more soothing choice. People who drink this before bed have firmer skin — here’s what you need to know.
Green Tea
Obviously you’ll want to avoid large amounts of caffeine before bed, which is why drinks like black tea may be out of the question. But here’s one that can help soothe you to sleep AND is great for your skin: green tea.
“No matter how challenging of a day you have had, sipping on green tea before sleeping can help boost your mood,” said clinical dermatologist Dr. Enrizza P. Factor. “Green tea helps give your hair a radiant shine while also limiting the causes of aging and boosting collagen production in your skin which helps reduce wrinkles and fine lines.”
Liis Hainla, founder and head editor of veganavenue.com, is also a fan of bedtime green tea. “There’s no need to make it complicated or look for strange or expensive ingredients,” Hainla said. “To make your skin look better, all you need to do is drink a cup of green tea before bed. A major polyphenolic compound present in green tea, EGCG (epigallocatechin-3-gallate), was found to exhibit a wide range of therapeutic properties, including anti-oxidant and anti-inflammatory that can help your skin look its best.”
Because of this, Hainla says it’s a great idea to drink green tea, particularly if you’re struggling with acne, as the EGCG in green tea can slow or stop the development of acne.
“But its amazing benefits don’t stop here,” Hainla said. “Drinking green tea before bed can actually slow down the aging process by improving skin elasticity and reducing skin damage caused by sun exposure. You can also squeeze half a lemon in your tea, as lemon may increase the number of catechins the body can absorb from green tea. Plus, you’ll get plenty of antioxidants from the lemon, as well as other antiseptic and antibacterial benefits that defend your skin from infections.”
And if you want to go all the way with this amazing ingredient, Factor recommends finding skincare products and serums that contain green tea, too. “Both drinking green tea and applying it topically can have benefits for your skin,” Factor said. “Not only can green tea and green tea extract help with acne and help your skin look younger. It stimulates the reproduction process of skin cells, giving dull skin a healthier and firmer glow.”
A great one to try?Innisfree Intensive Hydrating Cream With Green Tea Seed, a daily moisturizer that delivers intense hydration and is ideal for combination and oily skin.
