In the face of terrifying smoggy days, many tea enthusiasts wonder if drinking tea can protect their skin and resist smog. We often know that tea is beneficial for health, but we often overlook the many other uses of tea leaves.

Observant tea lovers will notice that skincare products like green tea facial cleansers, whitening creams, shampoos, and white tea masks frequently appear on store shelves. What does this indicate? Tea can be used for skincare, beauty, and cosmetics, with certain components being directly absorbed by the skin.

Which components in tea are so effective for the skin?

What are some handy tips?

⊙ Tea contains natural skincare ingredients

Tea can be made into skincare and beauty products to improve complexion and delay aging. Extracted tea polyphenols can protect the skin from UV damage and reduce melanin formation, thus whitening the skin.

The antioxidant and free radical-scavenging properties of tea polyphenols further enhance their ability to delay skin aging and reduce wrinkles. Therefore, the antioxidant components in tea can effectively resist skin cell oxidation, slowing down aging and improving overall health and complexion.

Tea is rich in vitamins, amino acids, and tea polyphenols, which are excellent for clearing free radicals, delaying aging, and aiding weight loss. These components act on the skin as natural beauty secrets. During the rainy seasons when leaves are tender and green, tea buds are harvested, which are also rich in epidermal growth factors that accelerate basal layer metabolism and promote cell renewal.

⊙ Deep cleansing and oil balancing

Skincare products containing green tea extracts can effectively remove impurities from the skin, restoring its radiance. Especially for those with oily skin, when sebaceous glands are overstimulated, excess oil can clog pores and oxidize into blackheads. The antioxidant properties of tea polyphenols in green tea can better address oil-related issues.

Additionally, green tea contains amino acids, minerals, and especially the moisturizing component theanine, which significantly improves skin hydration. In summer, choosing a sunscreen with green tea extracts can provide a refreshing, non-greasy feel, helping to soothe and condition the skin with its lightweight, plant-based texture.

⊙ Antibacterial and anti-inflammatory, boosting metabolism

Tea naturally has properties that reduce inflammation, kill bacteria, and detoxify. Extracted tea essences can protect against radiation, reduce pigmentation, and promote healthy skin.

Tea tree essential oil can be used in soaps, creams, and lotions! It effectively controls oil secretion, unclogs pores, and prevents acne breakouts. Applying tea tree essential oil in masks is ideal for oily, large-pored skin.

⊙ Antioxidant and anti-wrinkle: The powerful nutrients in tea

Today, we particularly emphasize the catechins and theaflavins abundant in green tea and black tea, which have remarkable anti-aging effects.

In 1950, Japanese scholar Yajiro Sakatani isolated this miraculous substance from green tea and named it theanine. Besides giving tea its refreshing taste, theanine has various physiological effects, the most notable being its ability to eliminate free radicals, act as an antioxidant, and delay aging.

The core component of tea polyphenols, catechins, contains a substance called EGCG that clears free radicals. Its antioxidant power is 25 times that of vitamin E and over 100 times that of vitamin C. Its anti-aging effects far surpass these vitamins.

Research shows that green tea contains significantly higher levels of tea polyphenols than other teas, making it more effective for anti-aging. An interesting scientific experiment found that drinking two cups of 300ml green tea provides antioxidant benefits equivalent to 12 glasses of white wine, 5 onions, 4 apples, 7 glasses of orange juice, 525g of blackcurrants, or 1.5 glasses of red wine.

The primary culprit behind aging is free radicals. The nutrients in tea help clear free radicals, reducing their damage to the body and achieving anti-aging effects.

Scientific studies also found that flavonoids in tea, especially black tea, have significant anti-wrinkle effects. So, for smoother, younger-looking skin, drink more tea!

⊙ Mental relaxation, timeless beauty

Drinking tea is not just about its benefits; it’s more about tranquility, reflection, and understanding life. In today’s bustling world, people’s minds are often restless. Whenever this happens, brewing a pot of good tea and savoring its essence can help. As the tea’s aroma fills your mouth, a restless heart gradually becomes calm, pure, and stable, with clearer thoughts.

Through the ritual of tea, one gains mental joy and better temperament. Youthful looks may not last, but the elegance cultivated through a tea-washed life is truly precious and beautiful.

⊙ Replace impurities with tea’s energy

Tea’s aroma is pure. When we inhale it deeply, we can use its energy to expel impurities from our bodies.

The main harms of smog to the human body include: inducing respiratory diseases, triggering cardiovascular diseases, increasing cancer risk, causing bacterial infections, and fostering negative emotions.

Besides wearing masks outdoors, eating light, consuming more vegetables and pears, drinking tea can also mitigate the damage caused by smog. Tea helps regulate the negative effects of different climatic factors on health. As stated in:

"Compendium of Materia Medica"

"Tea is bitter and cold in nature, entering the lungs. Drinking it warm helps lower fire energy, while drinking it hot disperses fire energy, providing throat-moistening and lung-clearing benefits!"

Because tea is the healthiest beverage, bar none! Since ancient times, tea drinking has been considered a health habit, and modern medical research provides a scientific basis for this belief.

Tea has many benefits: quenching thirst, detoxifying, aiding digestion, and clearing heat. Modern research shows that catechins, antioxidants in tea, naturally produce oxygen free radicals during metabolism, effectively clearing harmful particles in the respiratory tract invisible to the eye. They also inhibit oxygen free radicals, preventing damage to cells and protecting the respiratory tract and arteries!

On smoggy days, drink more hot tea, especially in the afternoon for better effects. Morning smog is the thickest, dissipating by noon. By then, the body has inhaled more dust and impurities. Drinking tea in the afternoon helps neutralize toxins absorbed from smog, promoting excretion and countering its adverse effects by cleansing the lungs.

Drinking tea for a minute quenches thirst;

Drinking tea for an hour brings joy;

Drinking tea for a month cultivates character;

Drinking tea for a year promotes health;

Drinking tea for a lifetime ensures longevity.