Plump Those Lips! Three Ways To Use Cinnamon In Beauty Remedies

Cinnamon is a hugely popular spice to use in weight loss recipes, wellness tonics, and botanical beauty remedies. I’m here to break down all the benefits and how you can start using it today!  

cinnamon-in-beauty-remedies

 

Cinnamon is created by trimming off the stems of the cinnamomum tree. Once the stems are cut off, the inner bark is then removed and the woody particles  are extracted from the bark. Once it dries, the bark curls into rolls called as we all know cinnamon sticks. When you see cinnamon powder at your local grocery store, now you know that it comes from tree bark. Cool right?

 

Medicinal Benefits of Cinnamon:

Extremely high antioxidant properties: It seems like antioxidants are found in pretty much every ingredient or food group that I like to talk about. I know this may sound redundant article after article, but that’s because I write and talk mainly about plant based ingredients. Why do I love plant based foods so much? Because veggies and fruits all have some form of antioxidants! Should I be writing a post on just antioxidants and how they improve your well being? Hmm. 

Anyways, cinnamon is yet again another food that contains antioxidants, especially polyphenols. If you’r still a bit unsure what antioxidants do for ya, you can learn more about them in this article:  Get Your Glow On With Turmeric.

Anti-Inflammatory properties up the wazoo: We all have natural levels of inflammation in our bodies that help fight off infection and repair damage, but too much inflammation, and for too long (chronic inflammation) can be a bad thing. Because cinnamon is high in antioxidants, it can help ward off and lower levels of inflammation in our body.

Helps prevent insulin resistance: Insulin resistance happens when you are no longer sensitive to the major hormone, insulin. Therefore it is much harder to control the amount of sugar that is released in your bloodstream. A massive amount of Americans are at risk of this, so it’s important that diet and exercise are a priority to prevent this type of issue. Insulin resistance may lead to type 2 diabetes if it’s not taken seriously.  

Good news is that cinnamon can help significantly decrease insulin resistance! It does this by helping us stabilize/lower our blood sugar levels.  By consuming cinnamon, it could help you regulate how insulin works in your body which will lead to improved metabolism too. 

May protect our brain from developing disease down the road:  Studies show that cinnamon may also help protect our brains from disorders such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s. Again, because of cinnamon’s antioxidant and anti-inflammation properties, it protects the cells in our brain from mutating and changing.

Related Article:  These Foods Will Boost Your Mood

Supports weight loss and maintenance: Cinnamon’s ability to improve our sensitivity to insulin also helps us maintain a healthy weight! Because this spice lowers blood sugar levels, this helps balance out insulin spikes when we eat carbs or sweets, which has an obvious negative impact on our cravings. 

Helps fight off candida: Candida is an aggressive overgrowth of yeast in the digestive tract. This type of overgrowth in the gut  causes all sorts of digestive issues which aren’t pretty. Some studies have shown that cinnamon helps fight off the yeast that causes Candida. This is because of the anti-fungal properties that cinnamon has.

 

3 Ways To Use Cinnamon In Beauty Remedies:

cinnamon-in-beauty-routines

Besides all of the wonderful ways that cinnamon can boost your health by consuming it (recipe round-up using cinnamon will be coming soon!), there are also fabulous ways to incorporate cinnamon in your beauty routine too! Don’t you want to look in the mirror and see supple skin and lips; strong hair and nails; and a glowing and vibrant face smiling back at you? What better way to achieve a vibrant glow sans chemicals and harsh ingredients than using what nature has to offer; cinnamon!

1: Lip Plumper: Cinnamon is a gentle irritant and when applied topically, can plump lips.  Um yes!!  A more affordable, natural alternative to commercial lip plumpers that can be expensive would be to create your own lip plumper with cinnamon!  This spice is known to stimulate the blood vessels which in turn brings blood to the surface of our skin causing a swelling effect. Here are a few DIY recipe ideas which will result in similar effects, plus a few ideas to make it do double duty by moisturizing and exfoliating those kissable lips!  

For the quickest, easiest way to create fuller lips, all you need to do is moisten a cinnamon stick with one of your favorite oils (olive or coconut?) and apply to your lips.  You’ll feel a slight burn from the cinnamon but the oil will soothe and add moisture to your lips while the cinnamon acts as an exfoliator.  For those that wear lipstick, go ahead and apply it after.  

If you can take the time, another way to take advantage of this DIY plumper is to fill a clean, empty spice jar with olive oil and cinnamon sticks and soak for at least one week. Voila, you have your own jar of natural cinnamon lip plumper!  (Once the stick has lost its sting effect, then it’s time to use a new stick.)

Another alternative remedy to use cinnamon is by creating an Cinnamon Oil Lip Plumper. This simple recipe calls for mixing 4 tbsp of your favorite oil with 4 to 6 drops of cinnamon oil and storing in a clean, dry, preferably dark-colored container. Massage lightly into the lips whenever you want to get that full lip look. Using oil of cinnamon will be slightly stronger in sting than using sticks.  Other options might be to try grapeseed oil as your base, or adding a half  gelcap of vitamin E for added benefit.  Since it’s a natural remedy there will be a shorter shelf life. Again, once the tingling sensation subsides after you apply, then you know it’s time to make a new batch.

Whatever recipe you try, it’s not recommended to leave this on overnight.  The idea is to get the full plump look and not to irritate your skin.  You can also experiment with your own sensitivity as far as whether to wash off the balm after a few minutes or leave on as a natural lip gloss.  Besides this, here are a few more quick ways to use cinnamon in your beauty routine!

2: Hair Stimulator: The antioxidants in cinnamon have stimulating properties, so some people believe  that it can help stimulate hair growth. Cinnamon can be found in many salon products to help with thinning hair, but why not just make your own remedy at home? Some beauty experts believe that using cinnamon in the form of oil or added to a paste will prevent hair breakage and could prevent follicles from falling out. 

It’s also important to note that using cinnamon to stimulate hair growth is not a one and done type of treatment. It needs to be applied consistently to continually stimulate your hair follicles. I like adding cinnamon paste or oil to my weekly spa night. Even though there aren’t any peer reviews to support this, I found this article from Allure that quotes a dermatologist and doctor on how cinnamon oil for hair growth can actually work! Just one more ritual to try! Here’s a simple recipe..

  • 1 tsp powdered cinnamon (try to find an organic brand)
  • 1 tbsp raw honey
  • 1 tsp warm olive oil

Blend these together and apply as a scalp mask. Leave on for about 15 minutes (if it gets too tingly, you can remove it sooner). 

Related Article: This Unknown Ingredient Will Help Your Hair Grow!

4: Diminished Blemishes:  Since cinnamon has antiseptic properties, it can help clear up acne.  If you have any leftover honey + cinnamon paste from your hair mask, just go on ahead and create a blemish face mask. Honey is another great anti-microbial ingredient that can help fend off the bacteria that causes acne. Cinnamon helps dry out already existing blemishes, and can prevent ones that may pop up in the future. It also helps reduce inflammation and redness, so if you have one of those large and in charge hormonal pimps, this could really help you out!

All you need to do is again blend together 1 tsp of powdered cinnamon and 1 tbsp of raw honey, blend them together well, and apply to a clean face. You can let this one sit for about 20 minutes, then rinse it off with warm water. I would say you should apply this once a week to see continual results! 

Recommend  any other cool remedies with cinnamon you use? Please share!

 

Sources:

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4003790/

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4003790/

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21761153

Photo sources: Pond5

02 comments on “Plump Those Lips! Three Ways To Use Cinnamon In Beauty Remedies

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