Ingredient Battle: Aloe vs. Mint
Aloe
What is it?
Aloe Vera is a fleshy-leaved plant with serrated edges and sharp-pointed leaf tips. It grows in hot, dry climates and usually produces yellow tubular flowers in the summer.
Why do people love it?
When given the right growing conditions, aloe can grow successfully indoors as a potted plant, making it easily accessible for medicinal use. It is a decorative plant with many benefits, many of which include skin care.
Benefits
Burn Treatment
Aloe is a natural remedy for burns, such as chemical burns or sun burn. Aloe gel, which comes from the inner part of the plant, helps the wounded skin to heal. This makes aloe for sunburn It also helps moisturize the skin, providing relief from itchiness.
Anti-Inflammatory
Inflammation often results in swelling and redness and is often the origin of most diseases. Aloe is packed with vitamins and minerals, such as vitamins A, C, and E, choline, and folic acid that help to reduce inflammation and improve the function of the skin.
Natural Remedy for Skin Conditions
The healing and antiseptic properties of aloe may be the leading reason it is used as a natural acne treatment. Aloe protects the skin from buildup that can cause the pores to clog, resulting in acne. Aloe also helps with other skin conditions such as eczema and psoriasis.
How to use it?
Aloe gel and latex are the useful parts of the aloe plant. Aloe gel is found in the inner part of the plant leaf while aloe latex comes from just below the plant’s skin. Aloe gel can be applied to the skin while aloe latex is usually taken by mouth. Aloe can be used straight from the plant and is also found in many skin care products such as lotions, facial masks, and scrubs.
Mint
What is it?
Mint is a fragrant plant with small flowers that grows in temperate regions. Its leaves are spotted and grow in pairs on opposite sides of the stem.
Why do people love it?
Mint is a naturally versatile plant, commonly used as an herb to add flavor to meals, as a medicine, or as a perfume. Many also find mint helpful in treating and managing various skin conditions.
Benefits
Firms and Tones the Skin
Mint contains vitamin A, an antioxidant that helps to renew the skin by stimulating growth of the deep layer of the skin. Vitamin A also increases the production of collagen, which keeps the skin firm, reducing wrinkles and fine lines. Mint also contains riboflavin and folate, B vitamins that help brighten the skin, creating an ageless glow.
Anti-Inflammatory
When inflammation is chronic it can cause the skin to look aged and tired. Vitamins A and C help fight inflammation, and both these antioxidants are found within mint. Mint also helps relieve itchy and infected skin.
Acne Treatment
When it comes to acne, clogged pores are the culprit. The salicylic acid in mint loosens dead skin cells, allowing them to slough off easier, so your pores don’t clog up. The vitamin A contained in mint helps reduce oily skin and inflammation that can cause acne to flare up.
How to use it?
Mint can be used in many ways – orally, aromatically, and topically, each way offering different benefits. When it comes to skin care mint is added to facial masks, acne treatments, lotions, and lip balms. Mint oil can be combined with other oils, such as lavender, to enhance some of its varied effects.