In my previous post I covered the best lifestyle changes and bio-hacking tips for rejuvenating and tightening skin naturally from the inside. If you haven’t read it yet, go check it out because it is a companion piece to this post.
Here I’m going to go over the next step, which is how to tighten skin naturally using skincare and skin treatments.
I’ll go over the best actives and ingredients that have been proven to have a rejuvenating, skin tightening effect, as well as some general Do’s and Don’ts to preserve the elasticity and health of your skin.
By applying a holistic internal and external approach, you’ll achieve the best results in tightening skin naturally.
Tightening skin naturally – active principles
1 – AHAs (Alpha Hydroxyl Acids)
AHAs are organic acids that include glycolic acid, lactic acid, malic acid, citric acid, among others.
They’ve been used in a clinical setting as gentle chemical peels for decades, but they’ve been very well-known as anti-aging “beauty secrets” for hundreds and hundreds of years as well.
The most famous example is probably Cleopatra. Her milk baths (lactic acid) are legendary and used countless times to help sell you any cosmetic with milk in it!
I’m personally a big fan of yogurt masks and have been using them on and off for well over 15 years. But other DIY examples of AHAs are using fruit pulp or juice as a face mask. For instance, apples, tomatoes, papaya, or pineapple and mixing them with sugar cane.
Of course, they’re also widely available commercially, either in toners, or serums, or mixed in lotions and creams. You can also find them as isolated actives.
So what do AHAs do exactly?
AHAs have an exfoliating effect on the skin. They basically “eat” away at the top dead layer of skin, promoting cell turnover and growth.
They’re also thought to encourage gene expression of collagen and hyaluronic acid in the skin, which of course will make it plumper and increase natural hydration levels.
So, it’ll improve the texture of the skin, diminish lines and wrinkles, and decrease pigmentation (redness, spots, or melasma).
Chief among AHAs are lactic acid and glycolic acid.
- Lactic acid is usually gentler on the skin and it has the ability to increase moisture retention. More water in the cells, more volume, more plumpness.
- Glycolic acid, on the other hand, has the smallest AHA molecules. It’s able to penetrate deeper and more readily into the skin layers, making it more bio-available (packs more of a punch per use/application).
- Both lactic and glycolic acid are anti-inflammatory, and glycolic acid is also an antioxidant. Remember, those are the free-radical scavengers that help reduce our oxidative stress.
AHAs are wonderful tools for tightening skin naturally.
2 – Vitamin A (Retinols & Retinoids)
This one is in almost a class of its own. It’s been proven time and time again, over the last few decades, to be an anti-aging superstar.
- It increases cell turnover
- Regulates skin cell metabolism
- Stimulates collagen production
- Helps thicken and repair the skin
- Improves pigmentation, skin texture, plumpness and elasticity
You can find it commercially under retinoic acid/tretinoin or as a retinol. They’re all vitamin A precursors – the differences between them are mostly down to strength, bio-availability, and concentration. (*)
Retinoids vs Retinols
Retinoic acid (retinoid), or tretinoin, is the medical grade (often prescription-only) version that has been sold for decades as acne treatment.
- It’s very strong
- Usually has an adaptive period where it causes unpleasant side-effects, like extreme redness, dryness and peeling
- These can last anywhere from weeks to a few months, with varying degrees of intensity.
And then you have retinols (there are 3 or 4 different types) which are a much milder version of vitamin A precursors and therefore usually won’t have such intense side-effects.
- You might get some redness and dryness if you have sensitive skin, and depending on the concentration of the formula
- Much milder compared to the effects of tretinoin and they go away much quicker
Overall, they should have the same results in the long-run, but retinols will take longer in getting you there. Both are great for tightening skin naturally.
It’s also very important to take into account that any vitamin A skin treatment will require consistency and persistence. All studies point to at least 6 months of regular use before you start seeing some real improvement.
3 – Vitamin C
Vitamin C is wonderful for tightening skin naturally, from the inside and the outside. It will act in two different ways to rejuvenate your skin.
First, it’s a powerful antioxidant, so it helps to reduce the buildup of oxidative stress and protect the skin against UV-induced photodamage.
Like I mentioned in the previous post, UV is the number one cause, by far, of all the external aging factors. If you’re serious about skin aging prevention, you definitely want to fight that UV radiation damage accumulation.
The second way in which vitamin C is great for skin tightening is that, just like vitamin A, it helps in collagen synthesis, actually enhancing the quality of the collagen produced.
You can get vitamin C in several different types of commercial formulas or you can buy powdered ascorbic acid and mix it into creams, serums, or oils yourself.
The Ordinary sells the powdered stuff, but you can get it in some pharmacies as well. You can also make your own DIY vitamin C serum to have on hand.
If you’re mixing your own, please start with very small amounts of vitamin C and always do patch tests, because it can be irritating to the skin.
For instance, in my case, I have sensitive skin and I can only apply vitamin C serums a couple of times of week in very low doses, otherwise I get redness all over.
4 – Copper peptides
Peptides are short amino acid chains and they occur naturally in the human body. They’re involved in cell communication responsible for things like immunity, growth, homeostasis (balance), and reproduction, among others.
They were first synthesized in the early 1900s and used in skincare for the first time in the 1970s. But particularly since the 2000s there’s been an explosion in peptide research and use for skincare.
There are many different types, including collagen peptides. But one of the strongest candidates for anti-aging superstardom, that is getting placed right up there with vitamin A, are copper peptides.
- They promote collagen and elastin synthesis
- Anti-inflammatory and antioxidant
- Promote regeneration, healing and tissue repair (wound healing and scar tissue)
- Improve appearance, firmness, elasticity and skin thickness
- They also stimulate new collagen production. Some studies rank it even higher than vitamin A or C.
They are quite popular, so easy enough to find, in different price ranges. Like by The Ordinary or NIOD, but you can also buy pure copper peptides to add to skincare. I haven’t tried this so far – I still need to do some more research, but it’s definitely on my list.
Mixing active ingredients
The natural tendency is to go gung-ho and want to use all of these active ingredients in your skin tightening routine – it’s exciting!
However, if you decide to do that, be aware that there are certain things that you should never mix together. Not only because they might interfere with each other and you won’t be getting the full benefit, but because they might also end up irritating your skin.
Don’t mix:
- retinols/retinoid + AHAs. Both stimulate cell turnover, and AHAs are acidic, so adding them together will probably end up irritating your skin and causing sensitivity. If you want to use both, use retinols in the evenings and AHAs in the morning.
- retinols/retinoid + vitamin C. They work best at different ph levels, so combining them will hinder the effectiveness of both, while also probably irritating your skin. To use both, use vitamin C in the morning and retinols in the evening.
- vitamin C + copper peptides. Copper speeds up the degradation/oxidation of vitamin C and the vitamin C denatures the copper peptides. To use both, use vitamin C in the morning and copper peptides in the evening.
Related content: Beauty Products I Still Prefer to Buy as a DIYer
Tightening skin naturally – other ingredients & tips
1 – Sunscreen
I wasn’t sure if I should put this in part one of how to tighten skin naturally, since it is such a foundational lifestyle adjustment to prevent sagging and aging skin in the long-run. But in the end I decided to stick it here, since it’s technically skincare.
So how do you tighten skin naturally with sunscreen?
You don’t tighten it, of course, but you slow down and prevent premature skin sagging by wearing it whenever you’re exposed to the elements.
Like I mentioned before, UV radiation damage is the number one culprit in external skin aging (up to 80% responsible for wrinkles, pigmentation, sagging, and collagen deterioration).
- It’s cumulative and long-lasting, which is why you don’t notice the damage until 20-30-40 years down the line
- UVB rays are the ones that cause the typical sunburn reaction and seem to be primarily connected to wrinkling
- UVA rays seem to be more connected to deeper cell damage, skin sagging and collagen deterioration. (*)
What type of sunscreen should you get?
You can find chemical and physical sunscreens, and sometimes a mix of both.
Many chemical sunscreens have a bad track record as endocrine (hormone) disruptors and carcinogens, so your safest bet is to choose a physical sunscreen, like titanium dioxide or zinc oxide based sunscreens.
If you really want to be a star, chose a reef-safe physical sunscreen. They won’t interfere with the delicate ecosystem of the barrier reefs, which along with plastic is a big problem for ocean life.
Note: it’s especially important to wear sunscreen if you use any of the active ingredients mentioned earlier. AHAs, as well as vitamin A and C trigger skin resurfacing and can cause irritation, which makes skin tissue momentarily more sensitive to UV radiation and damage!
2 – Skin massage and stimulation (with recipes)
Anytime you boost circulation you increase blood flow and oxygen delivery to the skin. By doing this, the tissues will also receive more nutrients (previously supplied by your diet), therefore supporting the overall health and tone of your skin. Which, of course, is excellent for tightening skin naturally.
You can do this with cold water therapy, like I mentioned in part one of this post, but also through physical manipulation, like oil massages and dry brushing.
I mentioned dry brushing previously in my post about the most effective natural cellulite treatments, if you want more of step-by-step instructions.
But basically it works by exfoliating the top layer of the skin using a body brush, which also helps to drain the lymph waste (toxins), that can accumulate in the body, and boost microcirculation in the skin tissue.
Typically, this is best done before you get in the shower, so that the dead skin cells you release during the dry brushing session can be washed off and eliminated.
Massages basically have the same effect, except for the exfoliation. Ideally you would use a mix of carrier and essential oils, with skin tightening and rejuvenating properties.
The best time to do this would be after you shower and while your skin is still moist. This way the oils will glide on much easier, allowing for more massaging time (and benefit), while also hydrating the skin by locking in that moisture with the oils.
What are the best carrier oils and essential oils for tightening skin naturally?
The best essential oils for tightening skin naturally are:
- frankincense: cell regeneration, collagen production, helps even out skin tone, astringent, improves elasticity, excellent for treating scars and stretch marks (*)
- lavender: powerful antioxidant, skin healer, regenerative, anti-inflammatory
- geranium: pore tightening (astringent), tissue repair
- carrot seed: pro-vitamin A carotenes, antioxidants, anti-inflammatory, wound healer (*)
- lemon: high in vitamin C and other antioxidants, improves elasticity (*)
- sandalwood: skin hydrating, anti-inflammatory (*)
- cypress: astringent, stimulates blood circulation (*)
- rosemary: hydrating, improves elasticity, blood circulation booster, antioxidant (*)
- juniper: improves elasticity, antioxidant (*) (*)
The best carriers oils for tightening skin naturally are:
- jojoba: anti-inflammatory, wound healing, closest to sebum (natural body oils), rich in vitamin E (*)
- rosehip: full of nutrients, antioxidants, and essential fatty acids important for tissue regeneration, high in vitamin A and c (collagen booster)
- grapeseed: high in antioxidants, among them resveratrol and vitamin E, advanced wound healer (*)
- coconut: helps protect from UV radiation, faster wound healing through collagen synthesis and turnover, neovascularization (new skin blood vessels connections), due to high lauric acid it’s also antimicrobial, antifungal and antiviral (*)
- argan: high in antioxidants such as polyphenols and vitamin E, proven to improve skin elasticity and hydration by improving barrier function (holds more water) (*)
- avocado: carotene, vitamin A, C, D, E, faster wound healing, increases collagen synthesis, lowers inflammation (*)
Basic body massage oil
- 1 oz. / 30 ml carrier oil
- 6 to 12 drops essential oils (1% to 2% concentration)
Basic face oil
- 1 oz. / 30 ml carrier oil
- 3 to 6 drops essential oils (0.5% to 1% concentration)
3 – Microneedling
I’ve mentioned microneedling before in a post about the best natural hair loss treatments. Microneedles are tools that you roll over the skin to create micro-punctures, which are basically tiny skin injuries that don’t damage the epidermis (outer layer of skin).
But it does set off what is known as a wound healing cascade (process):
- releases tissue growth factors
- activates connective tissue and fibroblasts
- produces new collagen
- helps revascularize scar tissue (grow blood vessel connections)
- tightens skin
- helps to deliver actives and ingredients to the skin. It’s perfect to use in conjunction with vitamin C or copper peptides, for instance, as it will penetrate the skin more easily.
Microneedling is progressive and treatments should be spaced to give the skin time to recover and produce the “healing” that’s going to create new collagen and tissue.
Usually, that can be anywhere from 3 to 8 weeks between sessions and you won’t get the full effect until 3 to 6 months after treatments have stopped.
You can do this in a clinical setting, meaning dermatologists and clinical beauticians, but there are also microneedles sold for home use. These have a shorter needle length.
It can be especially effective on acne or otherwise scarred skin, on stretchmarks or on very saggy skin caused by rapid weight loss. It’s a very powerful tool for tightening skin naturally.
If you decide to do it yourself, please follow the manufacturer’s instructions carefully and do your own research, maybe even consult with a dermatologist.
In any case, the needles must be sterilized before and after each use, and the area you are going to work on should be clean.
4 – Don’t take too long a shower or too hot
The skin gets progressively drier as the years go by.
This is due to both the reduced production of sebum by the skin (its natural oils) and to an increase in transepidermal water loss (loss of water through the skin).
Taking too long a shower or using very hot water to do it, not only strips your skin of those precious natural oils, it’s also associated with skin pH changes and irritation. It basically disrupts the protective skin barrier. This of course is bad news for the overall health and integrity of your skin.
This is also true for the skin on your face, naturally. It’s best to wash the face using cold to warm water only, since the skin of the face is much more delicate.
There are many anti-aging ingredients and extracts out there you can try for tightening skin naturally. It’s absolutely overwhelming at times to know what to focus on. However, the ones I mentioned in this post are the ones most backed by actual science.
This of course doesn’t mean they’re the absolute best in the world, because science isn’t that much in a hurry to study the skin anti-aging benefits of plant extracts and organic compounds. Among other more cynical reasons, there are just so many of them!
But these have been consistently studied for decades now and they have been proven to be highly effective at rejuvenating and tightening skin naturally.
Let me know if you decide to try any of them, or if you already have. Also, please share if you have any neat skin tightening secrets yourself!
