Stick The Kettle On!

A little late, but better late than never! I’m back to report on my findings of the Green-tea test!

What am I on about you’re probably wondering? Well, having read and heard through the grape vine that green tea was the way forward in achieving that flawless, spot-free skin we all strive to achieve, I thought I’d put it to the test.

Armed with my pack of Twinings Pure Green Tea, purchased from my local supermarket for a bargain £1.49, I couldn’t see a downside to my experiment. The worst that could happen is that I didn’t like the taste and my skin remained the same; best scenario my skin cleared up and I would forever be preaching the power of green tea!

The green tea test is simple; for a week I had a cup of green tea (yes the whole cup) and in the evenings I also washed my face with a cup of green tea.

Step one: getting used to the taste. Now I’m not a fan of new things and the taste is most certainly nothing to rave about, at first sip I was almost ready to give up but I couldn’t let my £1.49 go to waste! The bitter taste does get better with time, although personally, by the end of the week I was happy to not have to drink any more of it. A word of warning to the curious readers out there: cold green tea is most definitely a no no. Once you get past the bitter taste it’s actually quite refreshing and not as heavy as your usual cup of tea full of milky, sugary goodness!

Step two:  The green tea wash.  It’s simple, cheap and makes for a good cleanse after a hard day at university! All I did was make the tea mix but instead of using a mug I used a bowl and let the tea bag rest for around two minutes after pouring in the boiling water. Now if you are planning to try this out make sure you wait until the tea mixture has cooled down – a burned face is not a good look! After it had cooled to a reasonable temperature I simply used the green tea as I would use water and splashed it on to my face (avoiding my eyes) and then simply wiped my face with a flannel.

…And the outcome? Did I notice a difference in my skin? I most certainly did! Not only did my face feel cleansed and refreshed, as did my insides, my skin did appear clearer. Whilst one week isn’t long enough to see drastic effects I did notice some change – so for £1.49 a good result I think and worth a try if you’re looking for a cost effective alternative to expensive face washes and exfoliators.

If you’re a little apprehensive about diving in to a cup of green tea then fear not there are a multitude of products out there with tea tree extracts in them which work a treat on oily skin.  A recent product I’ve been using is Boots’ Tea Tree & Witch Hazel Exfoliating Face Scrub which works a charm and isn’t too pricey! But remember everyone has different skin types and they all react to products differently so don’t be afraid to have a little try of something different, be it a cup of green tea or tea tree face mask! 

By Farah Chowdhury  (@seefaraway)