Getting back to Rooibos, in this post I’m going to tell a bit about how this wonderful tea can be used to benefit your skin. The first and most obvious way is to drink it regularly. But Rooibos can also be used directly on the skin.

Rooibos is very gentle and can be used beneficially on all types of skin, but it is particularly useful for oily skin, acne, eczema or psoriasis, any rash or irritation, allergies and sunburn. It is appearing in more and more cosmetics and personal care products, but here are some easy spotless ways to use it:

As a face wash

• Make a strong pot of Rooibos (three cups of boiled water and two teabags or two teaspoons of loose leaves) and pour it into a bowl.
• Allow to cool to lukewarm (or add some cold water) and use to wash your face.
• This is a great skin refresher and acne treatment.

As a toner

• Add one teabag (or a teaspoon of loose leaves) to a cup of boiled water.
• Allow to steep and cool.
• Moisten some cotton wool (or a small piece of clean soft cloth) with the cooled Rooibos to tone your skin.
• Or use a 50/50 mixture of Rooibos and apple cider (or rose petal) vinegar as a toner.

As a compress

• Wet a cloth or towel with cooled Rooibos (prepared as above).
• Apply to troubled spots (e.g. eczema, rash, sunburn) to soothe and heal.

As a cooling spritz

• Cooled Rooibos in a spray bottle is great for refreshing the skin in hot weather.
• It will also soothe sunburn and help protect against skin cancer.
• Use alone or mixed with vinegar as above.

For a facial steam

• Make a strong pot of Rooibos (three cups of boiled water and two teabags or two teaspoons of loose leaves) and pour it into a bowl.
• Drape a towel over your head and lean over the bowl.
• Allow the steam to open and cleanse your pores for five to ten minutes.
• Then rinse your face and tone as above.

In your bath

• Add a strong pot of Rooibos to your bath.
• Alternatively, add three teabags (or three teaspoons of loose leaves) to hot water in the bath and allow them to brew for five minutes. Then add some cold water.
• Soak for as long as possible.
• This is great for itchy skin, sunburn, or any allergic skin condition.

In a face pack (mask)

• Mix 50ml of Rooibos tea with a teaspoon of apple cider vinegar and two tablespoons of flour or cornstarch. You can add a teaspoon of honey.
• Cool to lukewarm.
• Apply to face, neck, chest and / or back.
• Leave the mixture on for ten minutes or more.
• Wash off with warm Rooibos tea and tone as above.

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Yesterday evening I decided to indulge my skin in a complete Rooibos treatment. Here’s how it went:

• I started with a Rooibos bath, in which I had a long soak. (I didn’t have any skin irritations to start with, but it did feel wonderful and left my skin feeling silky.)
• I followed this with a five minute Rooibos facial steam. (This had a wonderful aroma and felt great).
• Before rinsing or toning, I applied the Rooibos face pack – with honey. (This was beautifully soft and luxurious).
• I rinsed the face pack off using the Rooibos from the steaming and used some more Rooibos to tone. (The face pack left my skin feeling really good but a little tight, so I massaged my skin lightly with a few drops of olive oil with lavender. I did this while my skin was still a little wet from the Rooibos toner – applying oil to damp skin allows a small amount to spread and absorb easily without leaving the skin greasy.)

Overall, I was delighted and will definitely be repeating all of these. My skin was left glowing and felt wonderful. I ended off by celebrating with a warm cup of Rooibos before bed (Rooibos also promotes a peaceful sleep). Cheers!