Matcha, matcha, matcha.
This bright green powder of crushed green tea leaves are found in just about everywhere — from drinks in cafes to your skincare products. Besides the aesthetics and how cute they look in lattes, matcha is a superfood that’s packed with antioxidants helpful to your skin and body. These antioxidants, otherwise known as the EGCG antioxidants, help reduce heart disease risk, has anti-inflammatory effects, improves liver health, and helps lose weight. Beside its rich amount of antioxidants, matcha also contains L-Theanine which is essential for combating stress and calming your mind.
What’s the difference between Matcha and Green Tea?
Green tea is the dried and oxidized leaf that you steep in water and you drink as a tea. Matcha is the whole green tea leaf that is stone ground into super fine powder that can then be dissolved into hot water.
How Strong is Matcha?
To give you an idea of how powerful Matcha is, one cup of matcha is equivalent to ten cups of normal steeped green tea. It’s also got seven times more antioxidants than dark chocolate, or sixty times more antioxidants than spinach.
Now you’re probably thinking: what other ways can I use Matcha besides drinking it? D.I.Y face masks! Here are three D.I.Y face mask recipes you can use to target certain skin problems on your skin.
For Acne-Prone Skin
This face mask is super simple to make and uses ingredients like honey and cinnamon to help reduce inflammation to your skin and fight against acne. Cinnamon helps stop acne-causing bacteria on the face and the honey works to reduce redness and restore moisture to the skin. Matcha helps to deliver antibacterial and antioxidant properties which help slow down the aging process and help fight free radicals.
Ingredients
- 1 teaspoon of high quality matcha powder
- 1 teaspoon of organic honey
- 1 pinch of ground cinnamon
- 1 tablespoon of hot water
Directions
1. Combine all ingredients in a bowl
2. Mix until well combined
3. Apply the mixture evenly to a clean face while avoiding the eye area
4. Wait 15 minutes or until the mask is dry and somewhat sticky
5. Wash off the mask and apply your usual skincare products
For Dull Skin
This mask is perfect for dull skin because it uses yogurt, which not only aids in moisturizing the skin but it also helps to reduce wrinkles and even brighten sallow-looking skin.
Ingredients
- 1 teaspoon of high quality matcha powder
- 1 teaspoon of organic honey
- 1 teaspoon of unflavored plain yogurt
Directions
- Combine all ingredients in a bowl.
- Mix until well combined.
- Apply the mixture evenly to a clean face while avoiding the eye area.
- Wait 15 minutes or until the mask is dry and somewhat sticky.
- Wash off the mask and apply your usual skincare products.
For Reducing Inflammation
Similar to the mask for acne-prone skin, this D.I.Y mask helps to reduce inflammation and redness on the skin. Feel free to use this mask any time you have a breakout or any redness to your skin.
Ingredients
- 1 teaspoon of high quality matcha powder
- 1 teaspoon of organic honey
- 1 teaspoon of hot water
Directions
1. Combine all ingredients in a bowl
2. Mix until well combined
3. Apply the mixture evenly to a clean face while avoiding the eye area
4. Wait 15-20 minutes or until the mask is dry and somewhat sticky
5. Wash off the mask and apply your usual skincare products.
All of these masks are super gentle to your face so you can make them two to three times a week or depending on how much you’re willing to use matcha for your face. You can see that matcha is a very beneficial ingredient to incorporate to your skin as well as diet and with time, you’ll be able to see how glowy your skin shines through!
For more detailed information on Matcha from our favorite hosts, check out the full video:
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