Overview
When it comes to beauty and skin care, you have so many options for natural ingredients (most likely sitting in your kitchen), you don't need to step foot in a beauty aisle. One of these natural cure-alls (well, cure-a-lot, anyway) is black tea. Tea is great for your body when you drink it, but it has beaucoup benefits for your skin when applied topically, too.
All in a Little Bag
Want to know why black tea is good for you? Read up. Black tea has antioxidants, which are very strong little guys that prevent ageing. Just like rust corrodes over time because of air exposure, oxygen has a hand in ageing your skin. Antioxidants fight it. It's an astringent, too, which means that it de-puffs eyes, helps rid you of blemishes and brightens your complexion. Want to know what else? Black tea can sooth a sunburn. Maybe you should ask your tea bag if it can do your laundry after it helps out your skin.
De-Puff
Long day at the office or night out with your girls with stuff to do the next day? Everyone's been there. One way to get yourself looking fresh for that 10 a.m. meeting is to put black tea bags over your eyes. Make sure you steep them first in hot water and allow them to cool down all the way. Then put one on each eye and let them sit there for 10 or 20 minutes. You'll be presentation-ready.
Blemish Creeping Up
Most women have a sixth sense when they feel a zit coming on. A little tingle or pain in the area or a firm red bump that hasn't quite hit the surface of your skin are good indicators. If you have an inkling you're in for a doozy of a blemish, don't take any chances. Put a warm black tea bag directly on top of the spot for a few minutes. Take it off, but don't rinse off the tea residue. Letting it sit on there and absorb into your skin is what makes it work.
Sunburn Soak
Every once in a while, you might get overzealous in the sun, put on a little bit too much oil or take a nap before you reapply your sunscreen. Make no mistake, this is tres bad for your skin. But there is a way to take the sting away from a bad burn. Let five or six tea bags steep in a tub of warm water and then slip in for 10 or 15 minutes.
