Flowers are not only a great addition to your garden or shelf, but they are also amazing for incorporating in your everyday skincare regime. So, you believe that flowers are all about alluring colours and appealing scents? Well, here is a secret!
You can actually boost your skincare regime with these charming blossoms to address a host of your beauty needs in a completely natural way. Forget their aesthetic and olfactory powers, lovelies! Flowers are truly more magical than you can ever think. Just have a look at the organic self-care products in your beauty kit.
Ever wondered why their labels look more like a graceful garden with the purest extracts of flowers in them? This is because flowers come packed with amazing skin benefits.
Ancient medicinal practices embraced flowers for their incredible healing properties. From soothing the stomach to fighting against infections, they have long been considered as one of the most sought-after remedies for a variety of health concerns. But with the rising trend of botanical-based beauty practices, the innovative floral skincare is also blooming across the world.
More and more beauty brands are harnessing the simplistic restorative power of flowers these days. They are launching specially formulated products with the extracts or essential oils of flowers infused in them to give your cleansing, toning, and moisturising routines a significant boost. But the easiest way to join this eco-beauty trend and making the most of the skin-friendly nutrients is incorporating freshly picked flowers in your beauty routine.
Ready to join the floral bandwagon?
Start with learning how flowers can do wonder to your skin. We have also shortlisted the flowers that are best used on the skin, their outstanding beauty benefits, and the ways to get a healthy and glowing skin by using them regularly.
Why Should You Pamper Your Skin With Flowers?
Yes, the lovely bouquet lying at the corner of your room can do way beyond just decorating your place! While you can always include fresh flowers in your homemade skincare recipes, dried petals, distilled extracts, or floral essential oils can also be infused in various skin-saving treatments as their key ingredients.
Here are the measurable beauty benefits that prove why flowers never fail to amaze us:
Reduces Inflammation
Although flowers are often linked to inflammation and allergies, the anti-inflammatory properties offered by certain flowers are quite fascinating.
Flowers Can Clear Up Blemishes
If ugly breakouts give you frequent nightmares, look into your own backyard and you may find a number of flowers to banish your acne and blemishes effectively.
Aids Skin Resurfacing
Some tropical flowers contain natural acids like alpha-hydroxy acids (AHAs), which help cleanse, exfoliate, and resurface the skin, thereby leaving it gleamingly smooth.
Flowers Can Nourish Skin Cells
The antioxidants, vitamins, and other nutrients present in flowers can nourish each of our cells, which eventually make our skin moisturised and rejuvenated.
Prevents Sunburn
When it comes to protecting the skin from the damaging effects of the sun, a number of flowers come to our rescue. They act by absorbing the harmful ultraviolet rays.
Heals Damaged Skin
Flowers have long been valued for their gentle yet potent healing properties that restore the health of the skin when everything else (environment, weather, stress, poor lifestyle, etc.) takes a toll on it.
Flowers Combat Aging
Women with mature skin can benefit a lot from flowers as they work as one of the best natural anti-ageing remedies and delay signs of ageing effectively by fighting against free radical damage.
Suggested Article: Skin Tightening Treatments For Ageing Skin That Really Work.
The Best Flowers to Use for Skincare
Although flowers are beautiful to gaze upon, not all of them have considerable beautifying or healing properties. Hence, prior to dumping your chemical cosmetics and preparing your own floral skincare products, identify the best picks for making the most of the flower power.
Rose Flowers (Rosa Alba)
Rose – ‘the queen of all flowers’ – makes one of the greatest beauty ingredients ever. Being high in vitamin C and other skin-friendly nutrients, the sweet-scented flower is used to purify, rejuvenate, and preserve the skin.
What does Rose do for Skincare?
Brightening Rose: The antioxidant vitamin C in rose can lighten imperfections and brighten up your overall complexion. The flower also hydrates the dry skin by locking moisture into it, calms minor inflammation and irritations, diminishes redness by healing damaged blood vessels, and revitalises ageing skin.
Hibiscus Flowers (Hibiscus Rosa-Sinensis)
Available in hundreds of patterns and colours, hibiscus is a staple in Ayurvedic practices and Chinese medicine. The versatile flower is rich in vitamins and antioxidants, which contribute to its endless skin-perfecting benefits. In fact, Hibiscus is also referred to as the ‘Botox plant’.
What does Hibiscus do for Skincare?
Reviving Hibiscus: Antioxidants and natural AHAs in hibiscus can exfoliate and resurface the skin. Doing so can prevent premature ageing and revive the elasticity of the skin. Its polysaccharide content also works brilliantly to moisturise, tone up, and control oil production.
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Lotus Flowers (Nelumbo Nucifera)
The lotus is a sacred flower in Asian cultures and is touted for its ability to heal the skin. The natural ingredient comes loaded with antioxidants, enzymes, vitamins, and minerals, which help maintain the optimal health of the skin.
What does Lotus do for Skincare?
Hydrating Lotus: Lotus is chock-full of essential nutrients that reduce inflammation, hydrate parched skin, and condition it profusely. Also, the oil-controlling properties of the flower make the skin blemish-free and its antioxidant content keeps signs of ageing away.
Jasmine Flowers (Jasminum Officinale)
Apart from the intense exotic aroma and amazing uplifting powers, jasmine also has very high levels of antioxidants in it. Jasmine can be found in many organic skincare products and is often used as the main ingredient.
What does Jasmine do for Skincare?
Rejuvenating Jasmine: Consider jasmine as one of the most effective remedies for eliminating the appearance of scars. It also provides protection from sun damage, as well as, invigorating the aged skin fully. Furthermore, it can unclog your pores and reduce dryness, thereby making your skin look softer, smoother, and brighter.
Marigold Flowers (Tagetes Erecta)
The potent medicinal flower marigold is also pretty well-known for its ability to combat various skin disorders. However, those who are allergic to daisy flowers should steer clear of it.
What does Marigold Flowers do for Skincare?
Healing Marigold: Marigold has outstanding healing properties (antibacterial, anti-inflammatory, anti-fungal, etc.). These help to put a stop to rosacea, acne, and other skin disorders. These include dermatitis, eczema, psoriasis, fungal infections, and so on. Powerful antioxidants in the flower make it a super effective anti-ageing agent too.
Lavender (Lavandula Angustifolia) Flowers
Lavender is one of the most popular floral skincare remedies that offer a multitude of benefits to all types of skin. Once you have this delicate skin potion in your beauty arsenal, no skin emergency will be tough for you to deal with.
What does Lavender do for Skincare?
Stimulating Lavender: When lavender is infused in a homemade beauty recipe, it acts as a natural stimulator for the growth and regeneration of the skin cells. Lavender also adds a wonderful glow to the skin while balancing out the oil levels and clarifying it.
Suggested Article: Radiant Skin: Makeup and Skincare Tips for Luminous, Glowing Skin Inside Out.
How To Include Flowers In Your Skincare Routine?
As you have already learned about the benefits of those delicate buds sitting in your vase, it is time for some real ‘flower magic’!
Check out some interesting ways to incorporate flowers into your everyday skincare regime.
Rosewater Toner
Take fresh rosewater and glycerin in equal amounts and mix them well. Apply it all over your face with a clean cotton ball and leave for the whole night. This natural toner feels a little sticky but regular application of it will give you an oil-free, healthy skin.
Hibiscus Face Pack
Take a handful of fresh hibiscus petals and crush them nicely. Blend a teaspoonful of raw milk, half teaspoon of organic honey, and a pinch of turmeric with it to form a smooth paste. Let it dry on your face in an even layer and then, wash off with tepid water to discover a bright and glowing skin.
Suggested Article: DIY Natural Facial Popsicles for Glowing Skin.
Lotus Rinse
Soak a few fresh and large lotus petals to a pot of water for almost half an hour. Once the nutrients get into the water completely, strain the petals and rinse your face with the infused water. It will leave your facial skin exceptionally moisturised.
Jasmine Spray Mist
Fill half of a clean spray bottle with distilled water and steep some freshly plucked jasmine flowers in it. Store the bottle in the refrigerator and leave overnight until it becomes ready for use in the morning. You just need to spray it onto your facial skin daily in order to restore the gorgeous complexion.
Marigold Acne Mask
Add thoroughly cleaned marigold petals to a pot of water and let them soak for around 15 minutes. Make a paste out of these soaked petals and apply it to your face twice every week so that the healing properties of the flower help you get rid of all sorts of blemishes.
Lavender Face Mask
Mix two teaspoons of organic honey and one teaspoon of freshly squeezed lemon juice with a handful of lavender flowers. Turn it into a smooth paste and apply it all over your face as a mask. Once it dries up, rinse with lukewarm water to reveal a problem-free, beautiful skin.
Learn more about how to boost your skin with natural ingredients with ‘ Spice Up Your Skincare Routine With Indian Spices’.