Home Remedy To Reduce Wrinkles

Expensive anti-wrinkle "systems" typically come with multiple products for cleansing, toning and moisturizing. Natural beauty advocates also recommend a layered approach to reducing the appearance of wrinkles. When used in combination, home remedies can give wrinkled skin the exfoliation, gentle cleansing and plumping action necessary to reduce the appearance of wrinkles. Home remedies may not be as effective or extensively-tested as commercial products. Ask your dermatologist or practitioner for recommendations specific to your needs.

Cleanse

While jojoba or olive oil might seem too greasy to cleanse your face, they actually may work better than soap or wash-away cleansing creams for mature skin, because the oil lifts away grime and makeup while forming a protective seal, according to Dina Falconi, author of "Earthly Bodies & Heavenly Hair." The key is to use only a small amount and to blot the excess with a clean cloth. Massage jojoba or olive oil into your skin for a minute or two to loosen external impurities. Remove the oil with a clean cloth. Both olive and jojoba oils boast long reputations for hydrating and protecting mature complexions. Do a patch test on your skin to determine if you might have a contact allergy to either of these oils.

Tone

Astringents can help stimulate your skin's production of sebum, the natural oils that help reduce fine lines and wrinkles. Make astringent floral waters by adding essential oils to distilled water. Use them as you would commercial toners; apply to your face with a cotton ball or clean cloth after cleansing your face each morning. Rose and lavender essential oils are effective for older complexions, as are cistus, frankincense and cedarwood. Put up to 10 drops of combined essential oils into 4 oz. distilled water. For extra hydration, add 1 tsp. glycerin to every 4 oz. of floral water. Keep this homemade product refrigerated. Some people are allergic to certain essential oils; test a small patch of skin before using them extensively.

Moisturize

The hydrating powers of moisturizers smooth out lines and wrinkles by swelling skin cells, if only temporarily, notes MayoClinic.com. Falconi's home treatment for damaged, dry skin combines 6 oz. of a carrier oil with 3 oz. solid fats, 2 tsp. of glycerin, 9 oz. of distilled water and a ½ oz. of beeswax. Melt the ingredients at a low heat until the solid fats and beeswax are liquefied. Remove the mixture from the heat and stir in about 40 drops total of lavender, rose and cedarwood essential oils. Pour the formula into one or more wide-mouthed jars and allow the cream to solidify before using. Good choices for the liquid oils include a combination of jojoba, olive oil, wheat germ oil and lecithin. Use shea butter and coconut oil for the solid fats. Some people are allergic to certain ingredients like essential oils or lecithin, so test a small patch of skin before using this formula extensively. If you have a contact allergy to any of the ingredients, experiment with eliminating or replacing it.

Weekly Masks and Steams

Scrubs, steams and masks for dry and mature skins should be applied about once a week. Home treatments recommended by Kathi Keville's "Herbs for Health and Healing" include a facial steam using rose petals and rosemary leaves steeped in boiling water, followed by an exfoliating scrub made of two parts oatmeal, one part cornmeal, enough water to make a paste and optional herbs and essential oils like lavender and chamomile. Finish with a hydrating mask of oatmeal, rose water or aloe vera gel, castor oil and honey. Use these ingredients with caution initially to rule out skin allergies.

Single Ingredient Remedies

Some home beauty and health treatments employ just one ingredient. These remedies, known as "simples," may prove an effective replacement or addition to multi-step wrinkle treatments. The home and natural remedies web site Grannymed.com suggests using olive oil, either internally or topically, to plump up your skin. The natural oil's fatty acids and vitamin E content may help protect the skin from environmental damage. Similarly, grapes may be a useful home treatment both internally and externally, in this case because of skin-protecting antioxidants, notes Grannymed.com. Store-bought supplements and creams containing grape seed extract exist, but you may also reap some benefit by applying mashed red grapes to your face and leaving the fruit mask on for about 20 minutes before rinsing and patting dry. As with other home remedies, do a small test patch on your skin to rule out contact allergies.