7 Super Spices for Glowing Skin
Are you looking for a quick, easy way to improve your skin health while also reducing systemic inflammation and healing your gut at the same time?
The answer might be as close as your spice cabinet.
Spices go beyond adding flavor to your food; some have medicinal properties that naturally heal and rejuvenate your skin. These same spices, more often than not, are potent digestive aids and antioxidants that can help you fight oxidative stress and heal your gut. Many even contain high levels of anti-inflammatory agents and nutrients that will not only have your skin looking and feeling great in no time, but also drive down systemic inflammation, which is a leading contributor to a wide variety of chronic illnesses including heart disease, type 2 diabetes, and Alzheimer’s disease.
So today, I want to tell you how seven natural ingredients can give your beauty routine a boost while helping you heal from the inside out at the same time. Use more of the following spices for glowing skin!
1. Cinnamon for that natural flush
Just as a stick of this unassuming herb can drastically change the flavor of any dish, it can have the exact same effect on our senses. Cinnamon, when used externally, creates a stimulus so strong that it draws blood to the surface of the skin, speeding up blood circulation, helping your skin to breathe, and consequently eliminating acne. I would consider this one of the better spices for glowing skin.
How to use it:
Try making this cool lip polish at home and add some cinnamon to it. The spice will draw blood to your lips and give them a natural, rosy look.
2. Fennel for irritation and redness
This root, with its slight licorice flavor, is especially good for sensitive skin; it decreases redness and irritation and can help minimize sensitivity caused by sun exposure. Fennel is one of the great spices for glowing skin and is fairly easy to integrate into your daily life.
How to use it:
Soak 1/2 teaspoon of fennel seeds in 1 cup purified water and use it to spritz your face and neck to cool your skin.
3. Cumin to prevent premature aging
Cumin contains skin-nourishing vitamin E. And cumin’s natural antioxidants help fight the free radical damage that can lead to premature skin aging (not to mention the “rusting” of your internal organs). This powerful spice even has disinfectant properties that help keep skin clear of toxins and infections, dramatically improving skin health.
How to use it:
Mix cumin seed oil and apple cider vinegar in equal proportions to prepare a skin toner. Let the mixture gel. Then apply to your skin. It is an excellent cure for boils, pimples, and acne.
4. Chamomile, a natural anti-inflammatory
Chamomile has amazing healing properties and is one of my recommended spices for glowing skin. Why? Its anti-inflammatory properties effectively reduce redness, itchiness, and swelling. Wounds even heal more quickly and are disinfected simply by drinking chamomile tea.
How to use it:
Easy! Buy a high-quality chamomile tea, steep it in boiling water for a few minutes, and enjoy! Drinking chamomile tea regularly offers nourishment and moisture to your skin while providing your body with an abundance of anti-inflammatory benefits.
5. Nutmeg, a natural antiseptic
Nutmeg helps reduce inflammation and irritation of the skin, promotes hydration, and gives your skin a smooth appearance. This delicious spice reduces the signs and marks of acne, and can also help out with dry skin because it’s extremely moisturizing and assists exfoliation.
How to use it:
Try sprinkling a bit of nutmeg on vegetables such as sweet potatoes, carrots, pumpkin, winter squashes, cabbage, cauliflower, and spinach.
6. Ginger for radiant and refreshed skin
A ginger treatment can renew the overall radiance of your skin and is one of the spices for glowing skin that I use most often. This spicy root has the ability to improve skin tone, fight blemishes, and lighten age spots. It’s full of anti-aging antioxidants, anti-inflammatory compounds, minerals, and skin brightening nutrients that can be of special benefit to those with rosacea, acne, eczema, psoriasis, or an uneven complexion.
How to use it:
Kick start your day with a ginger and lemon tonic water.
7. Curcumin (Turmeric) to fight bacteria
Although it sounds similar to cumin, curcumin is completely different. Curcumin (Turmeric) is one of the most well-researched herbs on the planet. You can consider it the granddaddy of the anti-inflammatory spices. Its effects are so powerful that it’s not only an effective anti-inflammatory agent for your skin but may also help with joint pain and other inflammatory conditions as well. In addition, Turmeric has been shown to significantly decrease the number of bacteria that typically trigger acne.
How to use it:
Get more curcumin in your diet. One way is with my tea recipe. Experiment with the ingredients and flavorings until you find a combination that suits your taste.
Another way is to experiment by sprinkling a little on your food. Veggies and meat are all delicious with a little curcumin added.
There are literally hundreds of different spices available with amazing skin benefits. What is your favorite skin spice and why? Please share with me; I would love to know.
Reader Interactions
Curcumin is not a spice – it is a component of the spice turmeric.
Thanks for clarifying that. That’s what I thought, too. It would have been confusing if someone went looking for curcumin, which only comes in supplement form, when they should be looking for turmeric! :))
Thanks for the clarification Tanya. They’re often used interchangeably but technically turmeric is the spice that you use for cooking. Curcumin is what you often find in supplements for it’s superb anti-inflammatory and healing attributes.
You’re welcome. It is a common mistake to use them interchangeably. Curcumin is an isolated component of turmeric. Best!
It came from a spice so who cares. Thanks Doc for all the good natural tips!
Someone who wanted to look for it and use it might care! 🙂 it would have been a little confusing for someone who didn’t know that curcumin itself isn’t the spice, but that the turmeric, of whic it is a component of, is! :))
I agree that it could be confusing. I will make a change in the blog.
<3!! How kind and wonderful of you! And what a wonderful, useful and informative list of spices! Thank you, so much!
:))
You’re very welcome Tim 🙂
I love nutmeg but find it gives me heartburn ….is this possible?.