Amazing Benefits of Plant-Based Skincare for Glowing Skin

Welcome to part two of the Vegan / Plant-based skincare series. In part one, we discussed the why and what of plant-based skincare and also covered the basic steps of skincare. You can read “Powerful Vegan Skincare Secrets to Transform Your Skin”.

Let me summarize it again the main reasons. One of the main reason is the harmful impact chemicals have on our body. These chemicals not only impact the skin but as we inhale them, they also impact our internal body organs. Hence more and more people are looking for natural plant-based skincare products.

All plants and flowers on this earth have some nutritional value, It’s just that we don’t know much about them or we find it cumbersome to use the natural processes. I agree with you that it does take more time and effort to use natural products than simply squeezing any paste and applying. But if you want to be healthy, you have to spend an additional few minutes and start using natural products. Slowly they will become your routine and you will forget about those additional few minutes.

Nowadays there are products available that are as easy as commercially available chemical products, so Choosing plant-based skincare is not so difficult.

In this second post, we will cover mainly toning and nutrition of the skin. We have already covered cleansing, Exfoliation, and hydration is the first post. Lets see how a plant-based skincare routine can help you to have glowing skin.

Plant-Based Skincare: Toning

I started taking care of my skin by following a skincare routine around 8-10 years ago but like most people left toning out of this routine. Later after speaking to several of my friends, I realized that toning is generally the most overlooked step in a skincare routine. Toning is one of the most important steps as it not only helps in balancing the skin’s pH levels but also helps in tightening pores. I started doing toning using normal off-the-shelf products which were filled with chemicals but that was still better than not doing any toning altogether. But eventually few years ago when I moved to a plant-based skincare routine, I realized the full potential of toning as it offered natural ways to improve my skin’s health and appearance. Plant-based toners are formulated with botanical extracts and natural ingredients which are much better for my skin.

Why Use Plant-Based Toners?

Plant-based toners and all other products are free from harsh chemicals, artificial fragrances, and alcohol, which are very harmful to the skin as they can strip the skin of its natural oils causing severe irritation or sometimes even eczema. Plant-based skincare products utilize the power of natural ingredients to deliver the same or better results and are also gentle on the skin. Plant-based toners are especially beneficial for those with sensitive or reactive skin, as they are less likely to cause adverse reactions. Moreover, plant-based toners are environmentally friendly. You just need to ensure that packaging is also eco-friendly or if you want to be truly eco-friendly, try using natural ingredients which are easily available in your pantry.

Plant-based skincare: Plant-Based Toners

Nature has already provided several products which are easily available in most of the pantries and can be used directly. Just ensure that you have cleansed and exfoliate your face as required. Let me give you an easy list of items which i generally use for toning needs.

• Green Tea
  • Benefits: Green tea is rich in antioxidants, helps reduce inflammation, and can soothe irritated skin.
  • How to Use: Brew a cup of green tea, let it cool, and use a cotton ball to apply it to your skin. Store the remainder in a spray bottle for easy application. This is the standard and suggested method but if i am being a lazy person and also happen to love drinking green team, i drink my brew and just apply the pouch of green tea after tea is made and apply directly to my skin and i haven’t noticed any negative impact in past several years.
• Rose Water
  • Benefits: Rose water has anti-inflammatory properties, helps reduce redness, and hydrates the skin.
  • How to Use: If you have rose petals, you can simmer them in water and strain them to create rose water. Apply with a cotton ball or spray directly onto your face. Being an eco-friendly person, instead of cotton ball, i generally use any cotton cloth pieces for almost all of my skincare routine.
• Cucumber
  • Benefits: Cucumber has a high water content, is soothing, and helps reduce puffiness and irritation.
  • How to Use: Blend cucumber into a juice, strain it, and apply the juice to your skin with a cotton ball. Really, who has time to do this much of process. Instead i use the left over cucumber directly to rub on face and it gives me the same results. Now even my younger one has started doing it, specially on school holidays the moment i finished cutting cucumber for any dish, she will come looking for it and put it on her face. She looks real cute.
• Aloe Vera
  • Benefits: Aloe vera is extremely soothing, and hydrating, and helps heal irritated skin.
  • How to Use: Extract the gel from an aloe vera leaf and apply it directly to the skin as a toner. Aloe vera is versatile product, its serves both toning and hydration in one step. Whenever i am in hurry, i apply aloe vera to make my routine much faster. I am growing aloe vera in my balcony in a small pot and also do buy the gel from Amazon too. Depending on the availability and time i use them alternatively.
• Lemon Juice
  • Benefits: Lemon juice has natural astringent properties, helps brighten the skin, and can help with acne.
  • How to Use: Standard process is to mix one part lemon juice with two parts water. Apply with a cotton ball or a piece of clean cotton cloth on allover your skin but avoid using it if you have sensitive skin or open wounds. Lemon juice is another quite versatile product, it not only works as a toner but also works well to remove tanning too.
• Chamomile Tea
  • Benefits: Chamomile tea is soothing, anti-inflammatory, and can help reduce redness.
  • How to Use: Brew chamomile tea, let it cool, and apply it to your skin with a cotton ball or a piece of clean cotton cloth. Store the rest in a spray bottle for easy application. Instead of doing this entire process, i drink my tea and just put the bag directly on my face, i get both happy tummy and happy skin.
• Mint Leaves
  • Benefits: Mint has a cooling effect, helps reduce inflammation, and tightens pores.
  • How to Use: Boil mint leaves in water, let it cool, and strain. Apply the mint-infused water to your skin with a cotton ball. I did try it once but found it a bit time consuming so gave up on this.

I used natural plant-based toners from my pantry as I find them simple, cost-effective products that deliver the best results in less time.

Plant-based skincare: Nourish your Skin with Vegan/Plant-based Vitamins

In my personal experience, irrespective of the products I apply on my skin the nourishment happens from within. It depends a lot on what I eat. I tried an all-processed food diet for a month and just within a month, I could feel the change in my skin, it lost its shine, became dry, and started breaking out. 

After suffering for almost 2-3 months, I realized my mistake and moved to a vegan plant-based diet. Within no time, my skin started glowing and I started looking younger too. The quality of my hair also improved and the best part was the hair loss, it became very less. But with this diet, I was not enjoying my food as I was missing yummy cheese which is my favorite and I just love to add it to almost all of my dishes.

After spending little time with an unhappy but healthy tummy and gut, I gave up on a pure plant-based diet and found my balance in mixing the best of both worlds. Nowadays I go with two meals which are full on health especially try to go with morning breakfast and dinner as plant-based diet and during the day, I am ok to have some processed food but try to add some vegetables or fruits with it. I also try to keep my dinner a little lite and free from processed food or meat. This also helps me to sleep better.

Glowing skin needs a few vitamins which can be easily obtained from plant-based foods, some of them which I generally take are as below.

Vitamin C: I love my daily dose of oranges or lemons. I add lemon in quite a few of my dishes as I love the sour taste and it enhances the flavor of the dish. Vitamin C helps in boosting my skin’s natural glow. Other sources of Vitamin C are strawberries and bell peppers. I don’t get to eat much strawberries as they are not grown locally near my area but I do eat a lot of peppers especially since I love to mix all green, yellow, and red bell peppers in quite a few of my dishes. I eat them raw as a salad too. These have helped to brighten my skin tone and get rid of dullness.

Vitamin E: This is surely a much-needed vitamin, especially for people above 30-35 years of age. It supports skin repair and hydration which are much needed. Vitamin E is found in abundant in nuts and seeds like almonds and sunflower seeds. Sprinkle them over salads or enjoy them as a wholesome snack to nourish your skin from the inside out. I love to mix all kinds of nuts in my yogurt (pls get plain yogurt not any flavored ones as they are loaded with sugar and artificial flavors) and top it up with honey. I have this to satisfy my sugar cravings too. A small bowl of this mixture will only give you around 100-120 calories and the best time to have this is in the afternoons.

Vitamin A: This is most commonly found in quite a few vegetables like carrots, sweet potatoes, and leafy greens like kale and spinach. Incorporate these veggies into soups, stir-fries, or smoothies to promote a clear and youthful complexion. My elder one loves just plain blanched and stir-fried spinach. He can have a bowl full of it as a main course too though he is the hard code meat lover.

Omega-3: I am to be blamed for not having enough of omega-3 as its mainly found in flaxseeds, walnuts, and chia seeds. I do have chia seeds once in a while but too lazy to start using flaxseeds. I will share some recipes for chia seeds which are extremely easy to make and taste too yummy and you can change the recipe to suit your taste buds any time.

By integrating these vegan vitamin powerhouses into my daily meals and snacks (as far as possible, I understand there are days when we just don’t have the energy to do anything, don’t stress. It is okay to have some days like that).

Eating healthy food full of minerals, vitamins, nutrients, and good fat is not only good for our skin but is also essential for our overall health.

Before moving to a vegan/plant-based diet please discuss this with your physician as the environment plays a very important role in what we eat. Especially if you are living in a very cold area, red meat is needed to beat the temperature. East good organic food and you will be blessed with glowing skin and a healthy body.

Plant-Based Skincare

Any time plant-based products are much better specially if you are using the products sourced right from your pantry. They also help in sustainable living as you are not wasting any resources on packaging, transportation and moreover you are using the freshest ingredients directly on your skin without adding anything. But at the same time, there are several times when i am in hurry or during traveling i don’t have access to my pantry or raw ingredients, i do use organic vegan products which i generally buy from Amazon. I just try my best to reduce these purchases and when i do, i try my best to source locally produce products. This helps in reducing the carbon die oxide due to transportation. Still there are some products which though they are produced much further than my location, i still end by buying but as far as my consumption of these products is going down, i am happy with myself.

If you have any specific skin care routine, pls feel free to let me know in comments section, it will be very helpful as i get to learn something new. I avoids reading on google and suggesting to others as i only like to suggest what i have personally tried. So pls share the recipes, processes, products which you have personally tried and i am sure it will benefit to others too.

You can read our other posts here.