How to Improve Your Skin with Mint

As an aromatic ingredient, mint can soothe the senses and provide a pleasant scent to a variety of products for daily use. In products like shampoos, lip balms and mouth rinses, mint can give you a refreshing feeling. But in skin care products, mint can have benefits that go beyond just its aroma. It actually can help improve your skin's condition.

If you look at the beauty products in your bathroom cabinet, you may be surprised to find that some of them contain mint. Chances are it's labeled as "menthe." What makes mint a beneficial ingredient for skin care is its ability to act as an anti-pruritic agent. That means that its juice can soothe and calm skin that's itchy or infected. You can even use it to help heal bites from mosquitoes, wasps and bees. Because mint contains vitamin A, it may strengthen skin tissue and help reduce oily skin.

You've probably never considered rubbing mint oil on your face to prevent pimples from popping up or to treat wounds and rashes. Mint oil, however, has served as a natural astringent, and people have used it to treat these problems for a long time. What makes mint helpful in treating inflammations such as acne is its high content of salicylic acid [source: Web MD]. This acid, which is found naturally in mint, is an active ingredient used in many skin care products. The acid loosens up dead skin cells, allowing them to shed easier. That has the potential to prevent your pores from clogging up, resulting in fewer pimples and clearer skin.

With the many potential benefits to your skin, mint is a natural ingredient you may want to try. Read on to learn about the different ways you can use mint as a skin care treatment.

While the pleasant aroma of mint can positively affect your oral senses, the herb has a wide variety of uses. Its dual role as an aromatic treatment and skin care treatment allows it to be used in several different ways.

There are many masks available on the market that use mint as a main ingredient. While you can choose from any of these products to do a mint facial, it's possible to make your own at home and save money. Mint facial masks are especially beneficial for people with oily skin. Many recipes recommend mixing two tablespoons (15 milliliters) of mint with oatmeal and yogurt. All you need to do after making the mixture is to apply it to your face. After 10 minutes, rinse the mask off with warm water.

There are also many cleanser products with mint in them. Mint can act as an astringent in a cleanser by shrinking skin tissue and reducing the amount of oil in the skin [source: Public Broadcasting Service]. Just as with facial masks, you can choose from a wide variety of skin cleanser products that contain mint, or you can make your own using fresh mint leaves.

Popular mint drinks like peppermint tea can also help with digestion problems, including bloating, irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) and gallstones. Because of its soothing effects, many people recommend peppermint for headaches, colds and the flu [source: University of Maryland].

If you visit a spa, you'll likely find that many of the treatments there include mint. Despite its benefits to health, however, spas mostly use mint for its scent, which many people find relaxing and soothing. It's is often combined with other natural scents such as lemon or lavender for body and face treatments.

If you want to learn more about mint and skin care, see the links on the next page.