Dr. Constance Bradley Acupuncture and Wellness

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Pearl Powder Magic

Friends, let me tell you about the magic that is pearl powder. If you aren’t already familiar with this amazing beauty powerhouse, you need to add it to your arsenal. In fact, I made a YouTube Video HERE that shows you exactly how to use pearl powder to get rid of acne scars, fade age spots, and boost collagen. 

Pearl powder is exactly what you think it is - pearls that don’t make the cut to be a piece of jewelry (because they aren’t perfectly round, etc.) are carefully crushed into superfine powder, with a constancy resembling powdered sugar, to use in cosmetics and beauty creams.

Pearl powder has been around for thousands of years and is a staple of Chinese herbology. In the 8th century, Wu Zetian - the empress of China famed for her impeccable complexion - reportedly used pearl powder as a skin care preparation and cosmetic. Her glowing skin is the stuff of legends; her radiance is what captured the attention of the emperor and historical records speak of her youthful skin all the way into her 80’s. 

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Today, many skin care creams and masks in Asia feature pearl powder as a central ingredient. It’s for good reason pearl powder has lasted so long as a beauty tonic — pearl powder stimulates the regeneration of collagen, it is rich in amino acids and trace minerals, and it is a great antioxidant. It also calms redness, helps fade scar marks and hyper-pigmentation (age spots, melasma, etc.), plus it makes your skin look and feel soft. Yep, sign me up.

There are several ways to use pearl powder for skin health - my favorite way is to double its power and use it topically as well as internally as a dietary supplement. Pearl powder comes in both capsule as well as loose form that you can find easily. My favorite capsules are THESE and my favorite loose powder is THIS one. 

Here are some ideas on how to use it topically - 

  • combine several pinches of powder with your favorite moisturizer

  • mix some powder with rose water to form a paste, then apply to your face as a mask for 30 mins

  • Brush it over your face as a finishing powder.

For these uses, I prefer to use the loose powder, so that I can tailor the amount of powder I use to my needs. If you only have capsules on hand, you can certainly break open capsule or two in order to mix the powder to be used for topical application. 

To use pearl powder as a supplement, take 3 capsules per day with a full glass of water. You can also use loose pearl powder as an addition to your soups or smoothies. 

For more ideas and specific how-to’s, check out my YouTube video all about pearl powder HERE.