Wrinkles are the little devils that one’s age without any remorses. It’s impossible to escape them but that doesn’t mean you should give up the fight. By using some home remedies for wrinkles you can at least delay their appearance and reduce their visibility.
What causes wrinkles?
The skin is made of several components. When it comes to its tightness and soft looks, there are three components in particular that play an important role.
The first is elastin, which, as the name hints at, provides elasticity to the skin. The second is collagen that maintains it firm and smooth. Finally, there are the glycosaminoglycans, which attract water to keep the skin moisturizing and also work as shock absorbers.
When young, the skin has plenty of reserves of these components and keeps producing them at a constant rate. That explains why expression lines and wrinkles don’t set in. The skin is strong enough to rebound to its natural state.
However, approximately around the age of 20, the production of collagen decreases an average of 1% every year. As a result, the skin gets progressively weaker, less elastic and thinner until it reaches the point when it can’t rebind anymore. That’s when wrinkles start to appear.
Effective home remedies for wrinkles
Once a fold settles in, there are no home remedies for wrinkles or special creams capable of eliminating them. For that, you would need a more invasive treatment.
However, both the remedies and the creams can help reduce their appearance. If the wrinkle is still developing and is not very deep, replenish your skin with the right ingredients can help compensate the loss in collagen and either revert or slow down the aging signs.
Olive and coconut oils
Both of these oils are rich in fatty acids, vitamins and minerals that help replenish the skin while moisturizing it at the same time. However, what makes them great home remedies for wrinkles is their content in antioxidants.
These fight off free-radicals, components that damage healthy cells and increase their turnover as a result while wasting collagen reserves in the process.
How to use them
1. Clean your face thoroughly before going to bed. Use warm water to help open the pores.
2. Take a small amount of oil and apply it to the face firmly but taking care not to rub the skin too hard and damage it.
3. Take the opportunity to massage your face with slow and circular movements. This will not only promote the oil absorption but it will also stimulate blood circulation to transport the nutrients where they’re needed and to bring oxygen to the cells.
Note: you will need to warm the coconut oil a bit for it to become solid. Be careful not to warm it up too much or it can damage the skin making it spend more resources to fix it.
Aloe Vera
According to a study from 2018, aloe vera stimulates fibroblasts, which in turn produce more collagen and elastin fibers. This helps to revert the natural decrease of these components and supports a more flexible and elastic skin for longer.
As a result, wrinkles are reduced and prevented.
How to use it
you can make use of aloe vera as a home remedy in three different ways.
1. Get a bit of aloe vera gel, either directly from the plant of bought, and apply it to your skin. Massage with circular movements for 2 or 3 minutes.
2. Blend 1 teaspoon of the gel with a capsule of vitamin E and apply gently on the areas where wrinkles are already forming.
3. Instead of applying the gel topically, add it 1/4 teaspoon per day to your smoothies or juices.
Cucumber
Cucumbers are already known for their water content that helps keep the body hydrated and the skin moisturized. Its efficiency is also due to the fact that you can eat it, drink it and apply it on the skin without any worries or side-effects.
The moisturizing properties of this veggie already work to keep the skin strong and delay the aging signs. A study published in the Journal of Aging Research and Clinical Practice, however, confirmed that it also fortifies the cells to promote their efficiency, thus reverting their deterioration
How to use it
- Remove the seeds and grate the cucumber without peeling it.
- Press and squizz the grated parts to release the juice.
- Apply the juice directly to the skin, after thoroughly cleaning it.
- Wait until the juice dries completely and rinse with water.
Honey
Honey can be used as a treatment for several skin ailments, from psoriasis to seborrhea, due to its antimicrobial and nourishing properties. The Manuka variety fends particularly well at this.
A study review on the benefits of honey to skin care has also concluded that these properties can delay the appearance of aging signs by keeping the skin plumped, and even retard wrinkle formation.
How to use it
1. Apply raw honey directly to the skin while massaging with circular movements for about a minute.
2. Let it work its magic for about half an hour.
3. Rinse well with lukewarm water.
Egg white mask
Contrary to popular believe, egg white doesn’t belong among the home remedies for wrinkles because it doesn’t help reduce the creases or eliminate lines of expression.
Nevertheless, it has the temporary effect of tightening the skin and the pores making them less noticeable. Think of it less as a remedy and more as a trick that you can use when you have a special event and want your skin to look smoother and younger.
How to do it
1. Whisk the egg white a bit until little bubbles start to appear, but no further than that.
2. Gently apply to the face.
3. Let it dry completely and rinse with warm water.
Other natural ways to reduce wrinkles
You can complement these home remedies for wrinkles with healthier habits targetted specifically at reducing these creases.
Eat more high-quality protein – The protein in eggs, chicken and cold-water fish contains L-lysine and L-proline, two amino acids that play an important role in the production of collagen.
Exfoliate softly – You damage your skin everytime you scrub it too hard leaving it red and sensitive. This will make it waste its important resources in trying to fix the damage.
Don’t smoke – the carbon monoxide and the nicotine reduce the blood flow on the skin while drying it with the dirty smoke that gets trapped in the pores. Both effects promote early aging signs.
Get a silk pillowcase – as skin loses its strength you should avoid keeping creases on your face for a long time or they might become permanently marked. When you’re sleeping you can’t control these wrinkles but a silk pillowcase can help as the face slides easily through it and doesn’t get stuck and folded.
Massage – there is another reason besides absorption to why you should always massage the home remedies for wrinkles when you’re applying them. The soft but firm movement also removes tension from the muscles, relaxing them, which not only reduces the visible wrinkles but also helps to prevent them.
There are even specific movements and techniques you should apply when performing this message for better results. Check the video below for a tutorial on how to do this massage and keep your face smooth as a baby.
