Almost every woman suffers from cellulite to a greater or lesser extent. Although cellulite is medically harmless, it is a cosmetic problem for many women, which is why they try again and again with all their might to fight against dents on their legs, stomach, and buttocks. But the so-called “orange peel” is often very stubborn and difficult to remove. However, it is possible to influence these indentations and increase personal well-being. We will show you which natural remedies can be used easily and effectively against cellulite to do something good for your body inside and out.
- What causes cellulite?
- Avoid risk factors
- Proper nutrition
- Useful drinks
- Physical activity is very important
- Effective exercises
- Anti-cellulite massages
- Cupping massage
- Massage oil
- Alternate baths
- Birch
- Birch sap
- Sea salt as a bath and peeling
- Parsley tea
- Regime with apple cider vinegar
- Potato wrap
- Lose extra pounds
What causes cellulite?
At least 80 percent of women show typical “orange peel indentations” on the thighs, buttocks, abdomen, or upper arms in various shapes. Cellulite is not a medical problem but a natural phenomenon of the female body, so men are usually not in trouble. The reason for that is certain anatomical conditions because women have significantly thinner skin than men. Also, their connective tissue is weaker because it must be more flexible so that pregnancy does not damage it.
Also, there is a different distribution of fat: While fat mainly sticks to men’s stomachs (“beer belly”), women usually accumulate extra pounds on the hips, buttocks, and thighs. Due to loose connective tissue, often enlarged fat cells in women are pushed up faster and, finally, appear in the form of depressions on the skin’s surface. Even women who have always been very slender are not protected from cellulite if they have weak connective tissue. In most cases, this is genetically determined, which is why your mother with a pronounced orange peel significantly increases your own risk of getting it.
Avoid risk factors
Even if almost every woman is more or less seriously affected by this problem, some factors can accelerate the development of orange peel. These include, for example, genetic predisposition, obesity, lack of exercise, low blood pressure, venous diseases, circulatory disorders, or hormonal changes. Water retention in the legs also contributes to the visual appearance of cellulite. Consequently, it is useful, for example, about hereditary aspects, to accept the typical “women’s problem” in a certain way. On the other hand, in other areas, you can strongly influence the shape in which inconspicuous depressions appear. The combination of exercise, a healthy diet, and ethical treatments is usually considered particularly effective, and various home remedies for cellulite support protection and are effective.
Proper nutrition
To keep the annoying orange peel to a minimum, a balanced, healthy diet with lots of fruits and vegetables is essential. On the other hand, you should avoid fast weight loss because experience shows that fat is stored faster after such a “crazy diet.” Since cellulite also occurs as a result of excessive acidification of the body, you should take care to eat as few acid-producing foods as possible, such as alcohol, coffee, sweetened beverages (soft drinks, lemonade), animal proteins, fatty foods such as french fries or chips, such as and white flour, rice, pasta, and sugar. Sugar destabilizes the cell walls of connective tissue. If you really want to get rid of cellulite, your sugar intake should be as low as possible.
Instead of acidic, it is recommended that you change your diet as much as possible to alkaline foods that strengthen the structure and function of connective tissue. Foods that are high in silicon are delicious. Because this trace element supports connective tissue’s firmness and flexibility and has a high water-binding capacity, it increases skin elasticity, and metabolic products are better transported. Potatoes, corn, millet, carrots, and beans, as well as apricots and cherries, among other things, are therefore particularly high-quality foods.
Generally, you should eat many fresh, ripe fruits and vegetables with a high content of vitamin C (ascorbic acid). These fruits and vegetables are necessary for collagen production, an essential organic component of connective tissue and skin. Rosehip, sea buckthorn berries, peppers, citrus fruits and berries, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, and potatoes are especially rich in vitamin C.
Useful drinks
In addition to a healthy diet, drinking is essential in fighting against cellulite. The basic rule here is about 2.5 to 3 liters of water or unsweetened tea. You need to drink so much to eliminate waste products and toxins from the body and make the skin look more relaxed. On the other hand, fruit juices or soft drinks, such as Coke, Fanta, etc., are not suitable for cellulite because they are rich in sugar.
Alkaline tea can do a good job. For that, take a teaspoon of nettles and steam the horsetails with boiling water and cover for ten minutes. Then the tea is strained and drunk three to four times during the day. In addition to this, several other detox teas can also be used to prevent cellulite.
Physical activity is very important
If you want to fight skin indentations, you can’t avoid sports. Because if the body does not move, it leads to muscle relaxation and poor blood circulation. On the other hand, those who train regularly activate the metabolism and thus enable faster purification and thus firmer connective tissue. It is an ideal combination of endurance and strength training because while running, swimming or cycling, for example, stimulates fat burning, strength exercises build muscles, and connective tissue tightens. Combined with exercise, diet to cleanse the body, it can also help.
Effective exercises
For example, squats to tone the buttocks and legs are good for cellulite. The exercise should be done slowly, with the back straight, with the feet hip-width apart. The arms are stretched forward, while the abdomen and buttocks are tense.
To combat cellulite in the abdomen, short abs can be a very effective exercise. Lie on your back with your arms crossed behind your head. Now the hands are placed on the temples, and the upper part of the body is slowly twisted with the help of the abdominal muscles, but unlike the classic “abs,” you do not straighten completely. Instead, a few inches is enough to maintain muscle tension.
After about 15 repetitions, take a break for about a minute. Beginners should perform three sets of exercises. As training progresses, it is advisable to increase sets and reps further. In general, however, you should always take enough breaks and relax, not overloading your body and continue to have fun.
Anti-cellulite massages
Regular massage can be an effective support. Massage improves blood circulation and stimulates metabolism, whereby toxins and waste products are released in the body and can be excreted more easily. For the best possible effect, the pressure should not be too gentle, but you should apply it vigorously to stimulate the skin’s lower layers.
Alternatively, it is recommended to massage the affected areas with a massage roller or loofah sponge to speed up blood circulation and tighten the skin. The effect is increased if oil is used, facilitating skin massage and providing an adequate supply of fat and moisture.
Cupping massage
With the so-called cup, you can gradually heal the body’s affected areas. Treatment should be performed every day, and you can see convincing results after a few weeks. The skin and connective tissue are optimally supplied with blood, and small depressions disappear after repeated therapy. Therapy is performed by circular action. The negative pressure that this therapy creates pushes blood through all layers of the skin. Small bruises may appear the next day. Cupping not only helps against orange peel but also improves your metabolism.
Massage oil
You can make the appropriate oil yourself by mixing 100 milliliters of neutral carrier oil such as almond, olive, or wheat germ oil with 20 to 30 drops of essential oil. Citrus oils with firming and stimulating effects, such as grapefruit or orange, are especially suitable. In aromatherapy, the so-called “ juniper from Virginia ” is considered a “specialist” for weak connective tissue, especially when used in conjunction with cypress oil.
A good choice can be the so-called “argan oil,” obtained from the seeds of the yellow berry fruit of the argan tree and is known for keeping the skin smooth and supple. Rosemary essential oil is also popular for massage because it stimulates blood circulation and strengthens the skin. In general, oils should not be used purely to avoid skin irritation but always diluted with neutral-based oil.
Alternate baths
Hydrotherapy, such as simple alternating showers with Kneipp, can also improve skin structure. The change between hot and cold water affects blood circulation and makes the skin look firmer and fuller. However, it is important to act carefully to unnecessarily burden the circulation and avoid negative consequences for health. If you have an infection, you should avoid this method. Besides, the temperature must be neither too cold nor too hot to burden the weakened connective tissue further.
Instead, it would help if you started with cold water, starting with the right foot, slowly showering the right foot to the hips. Then the left side is processed in the same way. Then work with hot water. In total, the change should be repeated three to five times and finished with a cold shower.
Besides, alkaline baths offer an effective home remedy against cellulite and have been used for centuries to rid the body of toxins and waste naturally. Baking soda is often used because it increases the pH value of bathing water and stimulates the body. After a short time, alkaline body care can make the thighs’ affected areas look smoother and the skin softer.
It starts by adding 100 grams of baking soda to a full bath with a maximum of 37 degrees of warm water. You should bathe for at least 40 minutes at a constant temperature because the deacidification process starts only after about 30 minutes. Even if the bath has a beneficial effect, it means a certain effort for the body. Therefore, it is advisable to rest afterward and drink plenty of water or tea. It is generally advisable to use this bath more than once or twice a week; Anyone suffering from high blood pressure, heart disease, or diabetes should also consult a doctor beforehand.
Birch
Birch is a medicinal plant that was used thousands of years ago. Saponins, salicylic acid compounds, flavonoids, and tannins in the tree cleanse the blood and body.
As a bathing supplement, 100 grams of fresh leaves can be boiled with one liter of water. Let this tea stand for at least 15 minutes. Then pour it into the clean bath water and enjoy the herbal bath for a maximum of 20 minutes.
Birch oil is also available in stores to combat ugly dents and rough skin caused by cellulite.
Birch sap
The so-called “birch sap” is obtained similarly to maple syrup. This requires a wood drill bit, the straw that matches the hole’s diameter, a collection container (no metal), and wood wax. A magnificent birch tree is drilled horizontally two to three inches, and a hole is drilled. The straw is placed as a channel for the sap of the tree to the collection vessel. A maximum of 2.5 liters of liquid should be removed from the wood, not damaged.
If enough juice has leaked, the tree’s wound must be carefully closed with a suitable wood resin. Birch should not be drilled during the dry period because it could die. You can use this juice internally. A maximum of 100 milliliters is drunk daily. Birch sap helps not only to detoxify the skin but also against rheumatism. You can also apply the juice with a cloth or cotton wool to the cellulite areas.
Sea salt as a bath and peeling
A bath with sea salt activates blood circulation and metabolism and removes excess water from the tissues. To do this, mix about one kilogram of sea salt from a drugstore or pharmacy and bathe in it for about 15 to 20 minutes.
Alternatively, sea salt peeling is a tried and tested application for orange peel because it removes old skin flakes and removes toxins. For this purpose, mix four tablespoons of good quality sea salt with one tablespoon of oil (olive, coconut, or almond oil). Then the peeling is massaged into the affected areas of the skin in a circular motion; showering with your hands or a special glove, rinse the peeling thoroughly with warm water.
Parsley tea
Parsley dehydrates metabolism. With its help, you can efficiently expel the body’s stored water. For such tea, pour a small spoonful of chopped parsley with 250 milliliters of water. Tea should be drunk for a long time.
Regime with apple cider vinegar
Apple cider vinegar is a versatile home remedy. A teaspoon of good apple cider vinegar mixed with a glass of lukewarm water and drunk in the morning before breakfast boosts metabolism. Vinegar has a detoxifying effect; toxins accumulated in the connective tissue are practically expelled from the body. You should drink a glass of a mixture of vinegar and water two to three times a day. This drink contains many essential minerals. The drink must be used continuously for at least a month to see results.
Apple cider vinegar is also suitable for external use. Three teaspoons are mixed with one teaspoon of body cream, and a cotton pad dipped in it is used to soak the affected areas. The mixture does not have to be rinsed.
Potato wrap
A warm potato compress can also help reduce cellulite. For that, three to four boiled potatoes are mashed and placed on the thighs, buttocks, upper arms, or stomach as needed. Then the mass is fixed with a transparent foil or a cotton towel. So it is left on the skin for about an hour and finally rinsed thoroughly with water.
Lose extra pounds
If you lose a few extra pounds, cellulite also decreases. Obesity should not be reduced by starvation, but a healthy diet with a lot of exercise.