Erase Uneven and Dull Skin Tone with These Natural Facial Care Remedies

Facial care products have been a big part of our lives for decades, especially with the rise of Korean skincare products. There are numerous products in the market such as facial wash, cleansers, facial scrubs, toner, moisturisers, ampoule, essence, serums, night creams, day creams, more and more creams, you name it. 

Although some ingredients might be mild and are suitable for sensitive and acne-prone skin conditions, some people still fail to benefit from these products. These chemicals may trigger a reaction for certain skin types, worsening their condition.

Thankfully, there is always an alternative when it comes to facial care, especially for those who cannot take advantage of skincare products. Pushing all your bottles and tubes away, it is time to make some room for Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), as natural remedies can work wonders.

Natural Remedies Can Help Eliminate Dull and Uneven Skin Tone

Although it is highly recommended that you use a facial wash every day to clean dirt, debris and oil off your skin, you can also skip the next 15-step routine that you might not have the time for. Opt for herbal tea, Chinese green tea, ginseng, wolfberry, cordyceps, snow fungus instead. 

These herbs are usually easy to make; you don’t even have to cook them. Instead, just pour some boiling water over them and you are good to go. However, if you buy raw ingredients from a TCM store, you will they would likely require boiling according to instructions.

Snow Fungus 

Snow fungus is known to tonify the spleen while increasing your appetite. It works best when you have constipation while improving water retention and reducing water loss, hence resulting in skin looking more hydrated, clearer and brighter.

Chinese wolfberries 

Filled with antioxidants, these berries work to nourish the liver and kidney, thus improving blood circulation. Zinc Oxide present in wolfberries helps to boost collagen and elastin production, hence keeping our skin vibrant and young while eliminating fine lines and wrinkles.

Panax ginseng 

Ginseng is widely used in herbal remedies for various reasons such as general health benefits, medication and beauty regimens. When made as tea, this popular TCM herb can help promote collagen production, repair skin damage, encourage skin cells turnover and also prevent UV damage. You can also find ginseng used in plenty of beauty products such as moisturisers, masks and even hair serums. 

Ginko Biloba

If you are familiar with this herb, you will know that it is famous for its memory-boosting properties. It is filled with antioxidants that are beneficial for our skin’s health through the prevention of premature skin ageing. 

Liquorice root

Due to its anti-inflammatory properties and abilities to, improve spleen and stomach functions, it can be included in a beauty regime as well. It reduces blemishes, redness and skin inflammation, and is especially suitable for acne-prone skin.

Chinese Angelica root 

Although it’s widely used to treat women’s health problems, Angelica root or ‘Dong Quai’ has plenty of skin benefits as well. Firstly, it’s it is known to treat eczema skin and rashes thanks to its anti-inflammatory features. Secondly, it also brightens skin tone, giving you a clearer and even looking skin texture.

Massage the Acupoints to Improve Blood Circulation 

Just like your body, the face has acupoints as well. According to Senior Physician Tang Yue from Eu Yan Sang Premier TCM Centre, you can massage these acupoints – Yintang (印堂) and Yingxiang (迎香). Massage slowly and gently in a circular motion for 60 rounds, once a day.

Massaging these points will calm you down, help to destress and promote good blood circulation. However, massaging on our own face might not have the same effect as when someone else does it.

Homemade Face Mask 

According to Physician Le Yin, you can also make your face masks at home. It is suitable for dry or oily skin, but not sensitive skin. The key ingredient – pearl powder – is added to this face mask to promote skin whitening while smoothing out the skin’s surface. Below are the ingredients: 

• Mix 0.2g of pearl powder with 1–2ml of fresh milk. 
• Stir the mixture well until it becomes a paste. 
• For dry skin, add ½ tsp of egg yolk to the mixture. 
• For oily skin, add ½ tsp of egg white instead. 
• Apply the mask to a clean face and leave it on for 20 minutes. 
• Wash it off with some lukewarm water before applying moisturiser. 

Try it, and you might not go back to commercial face masks anymore. Apart from herbs and other natural facial care remedies, getting at least 8 hours of sleep, and drinking 8 glasses of water will help keep your skin hydrated and plump.

There are plenty of people with sensitive skin who still use facial care products, despite the side effects. Perhaps they could ease into this new routine and slowly fade out the facial products. That being said, you will still need to use your facial wash and moisturisers at the very least.