There is nothing new about skin care, it is just in ancient times, herbal products were the only ones available. However, it was the advent of mass production techniques and chemistry that changed the skin care market and lessened the use of natural skin care products. Unfortunately many of these natural formulas where never written down as they were handed down by word of mouth so only a small number remain, there are even people that have never use a herbal product.

Perhaps it is our fast paced lives and the ease with which we can purchase just about any synthetically produced item that has helped with the decrease in using natural preparations. Large skin care manufacturers have jumped on the bandwagon that has come about in all things natural but their herbal preparations have to be mixed with some kind of preservative if they are to last which means they are not as good as home made ones.

It seems that increasing numbers of people are becoming more discerning and using herbal skin care products again from companies that are specializing in making small batches of these products. Still it will never be a huge market an as no-one really wants to make them in their own home, commercial products are likely to continue; below are a few that you may or may not know of.

Almost everyone has heard of aloe vera but did you know is an excellent skin moisturizer and can treat sunburn, cuts and other skin problems? If you have ever wondered why tea has other herbal additives like dandelion, chamomile, lime flowers and rosemary then it is because they are cleansers and often work better when they are combined with other herbs.

You may not know about the herbal antiseptic qualities of other herbs like lavender, marigold, thyme and fennel and the use of lavender water and rose water have been known to have skin toning properties for a very long time. Products containing extracts of tea have also been found to be very effective treating people that have received too much UV radiation from the sun.

You may also be familiar with herbal oil extracts like tea tree, primrose and lavender which are the most popular and used for a variety of reasons. Certain skin conditions can also be helped with oils extracted from plants in herbal skin care preparations.

The best thing about herbal products is there are few if any side effects and if you have the incentive, they can also be made at home. Despite the apparent love for all things herbal, whether mass produced or not, there are occasions when a synthetic skin care preparation may be better than a herbal one.

If you want your skin to look for your whole life, you will take care of it irrespective of whether it is with herbal or synthetic skin care products.