Plants can help keep skin hydrated in winter

In the cool winter months, it can be near impossible to keep skin hydrated.

Fortunately, there is an all-natural method that will help moisturise dry skin – and it requires no expensive beauty products.

According to a recent study into the benefits of houseplants commissioned by The Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) in collaboration with Reading University and PHD student Curtis Gubb, there are certain potted plants that are good for your skin.

The study found that certain flowers and shrubs can counteract the drying caused by heating units through a process called transpiration.

During transpiration, plants lose water through their leaves. When the process occurs with houseplants, the result is an increase in moisture in the air indoors.

Of the findings, Dr Tijana Blanusa, the chief horticultural scientist for the RHS, told The Telegraph: “House plants may be a simple and affordable way to reduce air dryness indoors and alleviate symptoms of dry skin, while providing multiple other benefits – for human psyche and physical health.”

To choose the best plants for your skin, the researchers recommend those with high transpiration rates, as well as plants with large canopies that can expel more water.  

“Depending on plant type, size, and condition within a room, plants can lose as much as several hundred ml of water per sq m of leaf area,” Dr Blanusa said. 

The most effective plants for the purpose are peace lilies, which can evaporate the equivalent of a “small teacup” of water a day, and ivy, according to the study – but Dr Blanusa said there are likely many other plants that would be beneficial in fighting the battle against dehydrated skin.

Full article: https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/houseplant-dry-skin-moisturise-royal-horticultural-society-a8583796.html

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