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Lavrushka is truly a multifunctional product. Not only is not a single borscht preparation complete without it, but with the help of these leaves you can also take care of problematic facial skin. Every girl should know what helps and how to use bay leaves for acne.
Bay leaf for acne
Cosmetological properties of bay leaf
The benefits of using bay leaves in home care are explained by its rich composition:
- essential oil;
- organic acids (caproic, acetic);
- tannins;
- saturated fatty acids;
- vitamins of group B, PP, A, C;
- such micro and macroelements as zinc, iron, magnesium, selenium, manganese, etc.
As part of masks, lotions and tonics, these bay leaf components help fight acne, as they are excellent antiseptics, tighten pores, normalize sebum secretion, soothe inflammation, cleanse the skin and lighten it a little.
In addition, laurel helps renew the skin, smooth out fine wrinkles and tone the skin. As a result, the skin becomes elastic and silky.
And the unique properties don’t end there. Leaves from the tree of winners are the secret remedy for beautiful hair of Georgian girls. A decoction is made from them to rinse hair after washing.
Useful properties and contraindications
Bay tree leaves have been used as a disinfectant since ancient times. The plant, which was hung in bunches indoors, helped get rid of unpleasant odors. Decoctions of bay leaves served as an antiseptic. The presence of a large number of useful components in the plant has been confirmed by research by modern scientists. All its parts include essential oils, tannins, trace elements, vitamins, phytoncides, fatty acids and bitterness.
The complex of positive effects of laurel is due to its rich composition:
- The plant has an antimicrobial effect.
- Laurel can lighten the skin and get rid of age spots.
- The leaves of the evergreen crop help stop inflammatory processes.
- Nutrients improve metabolic processes in skin cells, and also increase its firmness and elasticity.
- Laurel-based products help narrow the ducts of the sebaceous glands and reduce the volume of secretions they secrete.
- The plant is an antioxidant.
- Laurel gently dries the skin and removes excess fat.
Due to its properties, bay leaf is effective against acne and inflamed rashes. It has a comprehensive effect on problem skin. Laurel is often included in industrial cosmetics. Leaves, dried or fresh, can be used to create homemade lotions, decoctions and masks. They are effective when applied locally and help maintain healthy and fresh facial skin.
Like any other natural remedy, bay leaf has contraindications. Decoctions based on this plant are often used for oral administration. But women during pregnancy and lactation are prohibited from drinking them. The decoction is also contraindicated for people suffering from diabetes, gastric ulcers and a tendency to constipation.
If laurel-based products are used for external use, you should first do a skin sensitivity test, since the plant can cause allergic reactions.
Bay leaf essential oil
Laurel leaf oil deserves special attention. It may not be as popular as tea tree oil or lavender oil, but it is in no way inferior to them in its antiseptic qualities. Thick viscous ether is perfect for eliminating pustular inflammation, acne and blackheads. Plus it will help get rid of age spots and restore the protective skin barrier. It is used to treat even serious skin diseases such as psoriasis or eczema.
Application nuances
Those who don’t want to bother with mixing masks or preparing infusions are advised to enrich their daily cream with essential oils, but in the case of laurel you need to be extremely careful. After all, it is classified as an aggressive oil, and if there are no serious skin problems, it is better to choose another essential oil or add it in small quantities (1-2 drops) to other oils.
Laurel essential oil works well in conjunction with base oils: wheat germ, argan, sesame, etc., as well as with essential oils of sage, lavender, rosemary, pine, lavender, juniper, lemon, tangerine, clove, mint, etc.
Lotions, decoctions and tonics from bay leaves
Recipes for homemade bay leaf products are not at all expensive and are easy to prepare.
Acne toner
Prepare a half-liter glass jar, 4-5 bay leaves and 400 ml of hot water. Fill the leaves with water, close the jar with a lid and leave to infuse for 2-3 hours. Then strain the infusion. If desired, you can add 2 drops of rosemary or tea tree essential oil to the tonic. Wipe your face with this product in the morning and before bed.
A bay leaf acne tonic prepared according to this recipe helps not only eliminate existing inflammations, but also prevents the formation of new ones, while simultaneously caring for the skin.
Alcohol based lotion
You will need 10 gr. bay leaves (usually the weight of a standard bag from the store) and vodka in a 1:2 ratio. The crushed leaves are placed in a glass container and poured with vodka. Then the product is infused in a dark place at room temperature for about 14 days. The finished lotion must be filtered and applied to the face pointwise, i.e. only on problem areas.
This acne lotion made from bay leaves is recommended for those with oily skin types who are prone to breakouts. But you need to use it no longer than 10 days. If the product begins to dry out the skin too much, you can dilute it with 50-100 ml of clean boiled water. In this case, you can wipe your entire face with it.
You should also not replace vodka with other alcohol-containing drinks, such as moonshine or alcohol. This way you risk burning your skin. And choose high-quality vodka; you shouldn’t skimp on your appearance.
Ice cubes
Brew bay leaves like regular tea - 3 leaves per glass of boiling water. When the infusion has cooled, pour it into an ice cube tray and freeze. Wipe your face with bay ice every morning. This will be an excellent toning and cleansing of the skin from bacteria that cause acne.
Decoction
Take 5 g. bay leaves and 300 ml of water. Boil water in a saucepan, then add bay leaf and leave to boil for another 15-20 minutes. Remove the saucepan from the stove, let the broth cool and pass through gauze folded in two layers. Now you can wash your face with it morning and evening.
This decoction is suitable for girls with dry skin. Its regular use for three weeks guarantees a reduction in blackheads and pimples.
Decoction for oral administration
Brew 3-4 bay leaves in a glass of boiling water and let stand for about an hour. The drink is drunk in small portions throughout the day.
The decoction helps cleanse the body from the inside, which makes the skin healthier and inflammation disappears. However, you don’t need to get carried away with the drink either; for the first time, a course of three days will be enough. Perhaps already during this time a visible effect will appear.
Restrictions
Like every herbal component, bay leaves have contraindications for use. Thus, it should be avoided by pregnant women, as well as those who are breastfeeding.
If you have serious kidney problems and are individually intolerant to the drug, it will also have to be excluded from home care. Otherwise, be it a drink or even a lotion with bay leaf, it will not help, but will only harm your health.
You should not drink bay infusion if you suffer from constipation. This ban also applies to people with cancer.
For skin
To make your facial skin glow, attractive and soft, you can use special products based on laurel. They are easy to prepare at home.
Lotion
Designed for daily use. It is necessary to wipe the skin of the face with laurel lotion 2 times a day: morning and evening (after removing makeup). After some time, you will notice that small pimples have disappeared, the skin has become soft and velvety.
You need to pour boiling water (100 ml) into 20 bay leaves. Boil for 4 minutes. Let the water sit for 1-2 hours. Strain through cheesecloth or a sieve. Use the resulting product to wipe the skin of the face, neck and décolleté.
It is recommended to store the lotion in a cool place in a glass container with a tightly closed lid. The shelf life of the natural substance is 1 month. Then you need to re-prepare the solution.
Masks and creams with bay leaf
Treatment of acne and other skin inflammations is well complemented by products with a drying and regenerating effect. Reviews of masks and creams with bay leaves for acne claim that they really help get rid of such an unpleasant problem.
Clay mask with bay leaf
Prepare cosmetic clay (white, black, green, etc.), 4 bay leaves, 100 ml of water and chamomile decoction. Brew laurel in hot water. When the water becomes warm, pour it into the clay, about two tablespoons. So that it becomes a thick porridge. Apply the mixture for 10-15 minutes, making sure that the mask does not form a hard crust on your face. You need to wash off the composition with chamomile decoction, which will give an additional antibacterial effect.
Take a course of 10 clay masks and enjoy the results.
Homemade antiseptic cream
To prepare the cream, you need to take finely ground laurel, one teaspoon, water, aloe juice, vitamin A in ampoules and aloe gel, which is sold in pharmacies.
Pour hot water over the bay leaf to make a liquid porridge. After 10 minutes, add aloe juice and gel, one ampoule of vitamin A to the mixture, mix all ingredients thoroughly.
The cream is stored in the refrigerator. You need to apply it in a thin layer, there is no need to rinse off.
Bay ointment
You can make an ointment with bay leaves in the same way at home. With its help it is good to fight any inflammatory processes on the face and body.
Take bay leaf, any carrier oil, beeswax and lavender essential oil.
One tablespoon of laurel, ground in a coffee grinder (blender), is brewed in the same amount of lukewarm oil (olive, wheat germ, etc.). Leave for 30 minutes. Then mix with a tablespoon of wax and 3-4 drops of essential oil, mix well.
Be sure to take into account the recipes provided. Try to include an infusion, lotion, cream or mask with laurel in your skin care complex, and your skin will glow with health, like the models in the photos in fashion magazines.
Nutrient content
Making facial skin care products at home is not at all difficult. Creams, masks and tonics made from natural products and spices have long come into use. Using bay leaf to solve problems with the dermis is no exception.
The recipes below will allow you to make care products yourself and quickly. This familiar spice contains a unique combination of substances:
- essential oils, resins;
- tannins;
- bitterness, starch, lauran;
- mucus, phytosterol, sugar.
Essential oils are especially valuable for the dermis. They include:
- cineole, pinene, myrcene;
- camphor, limonene, linalol;
- organic acids (lauric and palmitic).
Essential oils have strong antiseptic properties. Their unique ability to block microbial cells is increasingly used in cosmetology.
Microorganisms quickly respond to an imbalance in a person’s hormonal status, dietary disturbances, and the occurrence of chronic diseases.
It takes time to restore biochemical processes in the body and bring them back to normal. During this period, the natural compounds of the laurel are capable, at the local level, of preventing and carefully dealing with an already emerging problem.
You can use the spice for your face in masks, tonics, and lotions. By properly preparing a cosmetic product, you can:
- disinfect the dermis, tone;
- improve intracellular metabolism.
This will make the cell membranes elastic and lead to narrowing of the pores.