such upscale skin care brands as Teamine and RéVive, but you can prepare your own potent
antioxidant green tea blends by adding pure green tea extract to your sunscreens and moisturizers. It
blends well with most toners, moisturizers, and sunscreens, and has reportedly been effective for
acne and rosacea. This is my skin active of choice that I usually add to my body sunscreens during the
summer.
Honey
Whenever I have a sudden onset of skin rash or a dry patch on my lips, I reach for my tube of pure
manuka honey from New Zealand. It makes a wonderful healing facial mask that you can apply as is
or mix with your favorite cream to reduce the gluey factor. If you have any sores or chapped patches
on your lips, leave on a layer of honey overnight and wake up to the softest, smoothest lips. Since
ancient times, honey has been used successfully for treatment of infected wounds because of its
antibacterial activity, but modern science has found numerous exciting uses for this golden gift of
nature. Honey has proven effective against antibiotic-resistant strains of bacteria and fungi.
“Antibiotic-susceptible and -resistant isolates of Staphylococcus aureus, Staphylococcus epi-
dermidis, Enterococcus faecium, Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aerug-inosa, Enterobacter
cloacae, and Klebsiella oxytoca were killed within 24 hours by honey,” say scientists from the
University of Amsterdam, who used honey to treat skin infections (Kwakman et al. 2008). Honey is
successfully used as a wound dressing in many hospitals, including neonatal units (Bell 2007), and
even in patients with diabetes (Lotfy et al. 2006).
Honey heals thanks to its ability to stimulate cytokine production when inflammation is present, and
kills bacteria due to the low presence of naturally occurring hydrogen peroxide. However, to work its
magic (and to minimize the risk of bee pollen allergy), honey has to be medical grade, or produced
under controlled conditions, without any added flavorings that local honeys are often praised for.
Keep in mind that honey is a strong allergen, and before you use it in pure form or in your DIY
preparations, perform a patch test first.
Idebenone
This synthetic analogue of coenzyme Q10 is currently the most potent antioxidant known to science.
It has powerful antiaging effects, as well as anti-inflammatory and photoprotective properties.
Idebenone can prevent damage to the skin’s immune system by ultraviolet radiation and assist in
reversing many other effects of lifelong oxidation. It also boosts cellular activity by improving the
functioning of mitochondria, which are like cellular electric batteries. Yet, both coenzyme Q10
analogues, ubiquinone and idebenone, are less effective in preventing UV-related skin damage than
vitamins C and E (McDaniel et al. 2005; Tournas et al. 2006).
Idebenone can make a highly effective addition to your DIY mixes. It will push your skin into high
gear even at the lowest of concentrations, although keep in mind this is not a natural substance, but is
an analogue, and it has more irritation potential. So start with less concentrated solutions. Add 1.5
grams to 5 ounces of base product for 1 percent concentration or to 10 ounces for 0.5 percent
concentration and mix thoroughly. Make sure your base product is not acidic in any way. Pure
idebenone is bright orange in color, so keep the concentration low to avoid staining your clothes and
your bed linens.