Mint for the Skin

Mint is such a versatile plant that can be used in cooking, baking, tea making, and even skincare!  I first began experimenting with mint for skincare when I was gifted a little garden mint plant years back.  I still have the same plant to this day and I have used it in so many different ways.  

One day, a few years ago, I wanted to put some mint essential oil in my bath, but I was all out of it so I had the idea to lightly crush some mint leaves in my mortar and pestle and put them in the bath with me.  That did the trick.  When the leaves are lightly bruised, it allows the mint’s natural oils to release from the leaves, and when combined with warm-hot water, it helps to stimulate the respiratory system, which makes it great in body scrubs for the bath and shower, in addition to salts for the bath.  

Mint is also known as a skin brightener so I like to combine crushed mint leaves, honey, oats and a little bit of lemon juice together to create a paste for the face.  I generally leave the paste on the skin for about 10-15 minutes and then wash off with warm water.  I notice a brightness, a glow and a general invigoration of the skin every time I make this recipe.  

I will be coming out with a new hydrosol highlighting mint as the main ingredient, specifically, spearmint, in the near future.  This particular variety of mint not only has a super stimulating scent, but it also has wonderful anti-inflammatory properties that help to cool and tone the skin, particularly skin that is irritated.  

You can use mint in dried form or fresh.  I think that with mint, it doesn’t matter so much.  If you want a brighter scent though, I generally go for the fresh.