Did you know that Green tea can also come in the form of essential oils? It is not only a type of tea that you can drink to ensure relaxation but it is also a very useful essential oil that has a myriad of uses and benefits!

Green tea is mainly popular in the Asian region, as it is one of the main drinks consumed in India, China and even Japan for as long as one can remember. It is believed to have numerous health benefits, such as the regulation of body temperatures and sugar levels within your body and to facilitate better digestion. The most common method to extract out the oil from the green tea leaves includes the steam distillation process, where steam goes through the green tea leaves in a chamber, thus releasing the essential oil. This oil - in the gaseous form - will pass through a tube where it is then condensed and the oil is subsequently decanted.

This method is combined with the cold-pressing method as well, where the seeds of the green tea oil are first air dried and then pressed to release the shiny, golden-coloured green tea essential oil.

However, all these may sound very complicated to the common folk like you and me, as we may not have adequate knowledge on how this process of cold-pressing and distillation works. Luckily, you can purchase green tea essential oil that is available in the market!

Health Benefits of Green Tea Essential Oil:

1. To Prevent Hair Loss

With its antioxidant properties, it can help to mitigate hair loss and even promote hair growth. Specifically, green tea has DHT-blockers, which are called “5-alpha-reductase”. Basically, this helps to block DHT which is one of the main causes of extensive hair loss that can lead to baldness.

Furthermore, it also contains the antioxidant “EGCG” which facilitates hair growth. And by applying green tea directly onto the scalp, research has found that there will be a significant elongation of the hair follicle, thus promoting hair growth. Besides its antioxidants, it also contains anti-inflammatory properties which helps to keep your scalp healthy and infection-free, thus making it much healthier for hair growth. The vitamin B or panthenol in green tea also aids in split ends management, softening the hair and strengthening the hair roots. As such, all these will serve to facilitate healthier and stronger hair, while making your hair shinier.

How To Use It: 1 tablespoon of green tea essential oil, when mixed with ½ cup of any carrier oil (such as coconut or olive oil) can be applied on the scalp and hair for this very purpose. Before rinsing it off however, be sure to keep it for about 1-2 hours and then shampoo.

2. To Promote Softer and Tighter Skin

Green tea can help to drastically improve the condition of your skin and make it much healthier and firmer. Green tea essential oil, with its anti-aging compounds and antioxidants, helps to prevent wrinkles and makes the skin tighter. Thus, they battle any signs of ageing skins and prevents the formation of harmful substances from forming on your skin which can potentially hasten the ageing process.

How to Use It: Just apply a few drops of the green tea essential oil (mixed with a carrier oil) as a form of night treatment to prevent the formation of wrinkles.

3. To Promote Smoother and Acne-Free Skin

The properties in green tea essential oil help to heal any blemishes on your face and prevent inflammation as well as redness (since it contains anti-inflammatory properties as mentioned above) and it also improves the elasticity of your skin.

In fact, research that was carried out and subsequently published in the Journal of Investigative Dermatology in 2013 found out that the EGCG compound in green tea significantly aids in reducing sebum and inflammation. As such, it drastically helped to improve acne in the test subjects. It is such an invigorating and useful essential oil to use for the treatment and maintenance of your skin!

How To Use It: Simply apply a few drops of the green tea essential oil onto the problematic spots before bedtime.

4. To Treat Dark Eye Circles

With astringents and antioxidants, it can help to treat puffy eyes and dark eye circles from lack of sleep. They do this by preventing the inflammation of blood vessels of the skin around the eye area, hence reducing any swelling and puffiness.

How To Use It: After blending it with a carrier oil, you can massage a few drops of the green tea essential oil under the eyes to as a form of skin care regimen to treat fine lines and the dark eye circles.

Safety Precautions:

• Never apply green tea essential oil in its pure and concentrated forms directly onto the skin. Mix it with a carrier oil first.

• Be sure to do a skin patch test before applying it topically onto the desired area to ensure that there are no allergic or sensitive reactions.

• If you are pregnant, be sure to check with your doctor first before using essential oils.

References:

Ji Young Yoon, et al., “Epigallocatechin-3-Gallate Improves Acne in Humans by Modulating Intracellular Molecular Targets and Inhibiting P. acnes” Journal of Investigative Dermatology (2013); 133(2)