Chamomile is a common flower that makes a great, soothing tea that may help provide calming relief to help you fall asleep faster. But did you know that chamomile also is an important element in natural skin care—and even natural hair care?
The use of chamomile in skin and hair care dates back to the ancient Greeks and Egyptians, if not before! These ancient civilizations crushed chamomile flowers and used them to calm dry, irritated skin and painful sunburns. This means the soothing effects of chamomile have been known for at least a few thousand years.
If you’re looking to harness the power of nature’s remedies and include more helpful plants and herbs in your daily routine, chamomile-based products should be in your lineup. Below are seven reasons your next shampoo or body lotion should contain a generous amount of chamomile.
Most pain and irritation stems directly from inflammation in some part of the body. The painful rash you get from a sunburn and the swollen lump from a bee sting are perfect examples. When inflammation strikes, pain and discomfort are not far behind.
Rather than masking the pain—as you would if you took a medication that simply inhibits your body’s natural pain response—use chamomile to help fight the source of your pain. Chamomile contains apigenin, a potent antioxidant that helps slow the release of inflammation-causing chemicals in your body. Treating your skin with chamomile when it’s first irritated or damaged helps keep inflammation levels low and helps mitigate some of the pain and skin damage that might normally occur.
Pain and inflammation aren’t the only downsides to skin injuries. Of far more concern is the possibility of infection. And, as it turns out, the ancients were onto something when they used chamomile as an aide to wound care. Chamomile essential oils act as antimicrobials, and may help protect wounds from infection from some types of bacteria, viruses, and even fungi.
You might believe a simple flower might not be very effective against infection, but in 2018, researchers conducted a study comparing the antibacterial effects of chamomile versus tetracycline ointment. The study showed that chamomile seemed to outperform the commonly prescribed antibacterial cream. The wounded mice in the study appeared to heal more quickly with chamomile treatment compared to tetracycline treatment.
Do you often have an allergic reaction to skin care products? If so, you might be wary about adding a new ingredient to your skin care routine.
Chamomile may surprise you! Sensitive skin often reacts well to compounds such as bisoprolol, apigenin, and chamazulene, which may help heal and soothe skin irritations. These compounds are all found in chamomile, where they work synergistically to help keep your skin healthy and vibrant.
You don’t want your skin to look red and irritated. That’s one of the top reasons that heavy foundations and concealers are so popular in the beauty world. What causes that redness in the first place?
If you guessed inflammation, you’re correct. And, since chamomile helps fight inflammation, chamomile may help prevent and treat skin redness.
If you’re prone to redness on your face and neck, try adding a chamomile hydrosol to your daily routine. A fresh spritz of chamomile-infused mist will help calm both your skin and your nerves! Applying chamomile at bedtime or in the midst of a stressful day may provide a calming, refreshing boost.
Acne is a combination of pain, inflammation, redness, and infection. Since chamomile helps combat each of these issues, you’ll understand why this potent little flower provides help defending against breakouts. Chamomile’s antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and antibacterial properties make it a great choice for help dealing with acne.
Chamomile is also a skin astringent. It helps tighten and contract your skin, closing pores and helping to protect against further intrusions of dirt and oil and more acne breakouts. This gentle contraction of the skin also helps reduce the swollen appearance of existing breakouts and return the skin’s surface to a smoother state.
All the skin problems we’ve discussed—such as redness, irritation, and even acne—aren’t just problems for your face and other visible parts of your body. The same issues might be under your hair, damaging your scalp. When your scalp isn’t happy, your hair isn’t either.
Applying some chamomile to your scalp while you’re performing your beauty routine may encourage a healthy, balanced foundation that can support robust hair growth.
Did you know that irritated, unhealthy scalps produce lackluster, brittle hair? And sometimes, if the damage is severe, hair breaks off easily or barely grows at all.
If you treat your scalp with chamomile, your hair quality may significantly improve over time. Chamomile also works directly on the hair itself to help reintroduce moisture and shine and reduce frizz and brittleness. Skin care researchers believe these positive effects come from chamomile’s rich sources of Vitamin C, Vitamin E, and antioxidants.
Chamomile can help lighten your hair without all the damaging side effects of a bleach treatment. Use chamomile as a leave-in treatment to help achieve gentle, sun-kissed lightening effects. Boost your results by combining chamomile with lemon juice and going outside for a while. The sun will do the lightening work for you, while the chamomile will keep your hair healthy, happy, and lustrous.
Use chamomile to lighten patches of hyperpigmented skin as well. Many people spend a lot of money on skin-lightening treatments to hide birthmarks and hyperpigmentation from acne and scarring, but you may be able to achieve the same effects using chamomile.
Chamomile is an effective astringent and brightener that may help lessen hyperpigmentation and leave you with a smoother and more even skin tone. Chamomile may be especially helpful for softening scars and reducing the darkened appearance of scar tissue.
Chamomile may also help ease the inflammation and oxidative stress of daily life that accelerates skin aging, which can include wrinkles, fine lines, and those patches of darkened hyperpigmentation.
Chamomile is a natural tool to help fight the damaging processes that lead to fine lines and wrinkles, preventing premature skin aging.
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