Chinese Remedies for Better Skin Using Ginger, Garlic and Green Onion

 

The book Ginger, Garlic & Green Onion as medicine compiled by Wang Fuchin and Duan Yuhua, offers natural cures for dermatological problems using Chinese food therapy. Here are a few of them:

The Ultimate Exfoliation: Korean Body Scrubs

Package of Korean scrub mitts

To get smooth skin, people usually exfoliate their skin with body scrubs made of small, scratchy beads, sugar, salt, or ground up fruit seed shells. There is a much more satisfactory way of scrubbing your skin, and that is using the Korean body scrub mitts or scrub towels. They get you smooth and clean, while making your skin pill up into little bits, you can actually see your skin come off!

Old Fashioned Asian Skin Whitening Ingredients

The Beauty Osome

Light skin has been a beauty ideals for Asians for a long time. A woman with lighter skin is a sign that she does not have to do manual labor and work outside. Light symbol has been a symbol of class. Of course, things have changed these days. Tanned skin is not a sign of social status among Western men and women, signifying that they have the time and money to go on exotic vacations or to play sports for leisure. But for many Asian women, having light skin is still something they strive for. Not only light skin, but skin that is smooth and flawless. Many skin lightening products also get rid of spots, evening out the skin tone.

Now, how did Asian women in the old days whiten their skin? They used all sorts of strange products, from  nightingale droppings to poisonous lead.

Serious Sun Care and Sunscreen

Asian women are notorious for the care of their skin when it comes to the sun. The sun can damage and age the skin, giving rise to sun spots and wrinkles. Asian women often use various sun cover ups and sunscreens, which is their beauty secret to having youthful, pale skin.

Asian Hair Secret: Digital Perms

Notice how some Asian women, especially Korean and Japanese women, always seem to have perfectly styled and curled hair? What is their secret?

The digital perm!

Sake as Part of the Asian Beauty Routine

 

Sake, or rice wine, is often used in Japanese beauty products. It can be a simple, cheap addition to your beauty routine. You can not only use it as a natural pink blusher by drinking it if you are Asian, but you can also use it topically to whiten your skin!

What does sake do for your skin?

Sake contains a skin lightening acid called kojic acid. It is a by-product of the fermentation process, produced by fungi. It inhibits pigmentation and works as a skin lightener, lightening spots and creating an overall lighter skin tone.

Tsubaki Oil

Tsubaki oil, also called camellia oil or camellia nut oil, is pressed from the seeds of the camellia flower. The leaves of the camellia plant are used to make teas. This oil has many different uses, from oiling swords to prevent rust, to cooking, and it has various cosmetic applications. It is not really scented unless you buy it fresh from Japan and it will have a light flowery scent.

The Camelllia plant.

Geisha use tsubaki oil for caring for their skin. With just a few drops and the warmth of the hands, it can be rubbed onto the face as a moisturizer. The oil is relatively light, doesn't clog pores, and eventually is absorbed into the skin. It contains vitamins A, C, and E, and is said to lighten spots, block UV rays, and prevent wrinkles. It can also be used to gently remove makeup by applying a drop to the eye area and wiping off with a cotton pad.

Sumo wrestlers use tsubaki oil to make their signature hair style. Tsubaki oil makes a great hair conditioner. It smooths the hair with just a few drops. It is also an ingredient in many shampoos and conditioners, such as the Shiseido Tsubaki line.

I use this every night before I go to sleep. I pat some all over my face, wipe some on my eyelashes to condition them, and dab a little extra under my eyes and my smile creases. I put any leftover oil on my lips and my hands to moisturize my cuticles. It really is a nice multipurpose oil!