15 Benefits of Red Wine for Skin, Hair, and Health

Many people love red wine for the reason that it’s the liquid form of comfort food whether its made at home or store bought. At the end of a long and exhausting day, it helps to sip a glass of red wine. But, its benefits go beyond just providing relief. If you are looking for a reason to indulge in these delicious drops of heaven, we’re about to give you fifteen.

Skincare Benefits of Wine

1. Offers anti-aging effects. Most people generally view wine as bad for their health, with numerous studies showing that wine affects the liver and skin. An exception appears to have been made with moderate drinking of red wine, though as it can rejuvenate aging skin.

The resveratrol antioxidant in red wine helps fight damaging free radicals that promote signs of aging, such as fine lines and wrinkles. In fact, it’s predicted that wonder creams and soaps with resveratrol could be the next big thing in the beauty industry. Red wine also makes the skin glow by preventing cell oxidation that causes skin aging.

2. Fights acne. Resveratrol, a powerful antioxidant found in red wine, can help clear acne. It does the job by slowing down the growth of harmful skin bacteria. The results are even more effective when you use resveratrol and benzoyl peroxide together. However, topical creams containing resveratrol haven’t hit the beauty product aisles yet. If you are an acne sufferer, it’s better to stick to your topical treatment while also pouring yourself a glass of red wine. Besides, it’s an undeniable fact that red wine offers many other benefits.

3. Prevents sunburn. The nutrients in grapes, specifically the miracle compound resveratrol, slow down the aging process and prevent breakouts and protect the skin from sun damage. It blocks the body’s chemical changes associated with causing damage to the skin. Apparently, sunscreen isn’t the only way to protect yourself against sunburn.

Is it time to ditch the bottle of sunscreen for a few glasses of red wine? Not really. But along with sunscreen, red wine may save you from the nagging pain of a fresh sunburn.

4. Ensures even-toned skin. Even-toned skin is just a glass of red wine away. There’s no need to spend a hundred dollars on exotic cosmetic products that are advertised to offer skin whitening benefits. After a busy day at work, you can sip a glass of wine knowing full well that you’re not only de-stressing but doing your skin a favor as well.

Red wine has anti-aging and antioxidant properties that help with even-toned and lighter skin. Aside from moderate use of red wine, you may also incorporate wine in your beauty routine. You just need to dip a cotton pad in a red wine that has been diluted slightly and apply it gently on your skin. The fact that this is suitable for all skin types makes it worth trying.

5. Lightens dark spots and blemishes. You can reduce the appearance of dark spots and blemishes entirely by drinking wine in moderate amounts. You can also go for a red wine facial to make all your existing dark spots and blemishes vanish after a few days of continuous use. This is all thanks to the powerful antioxidant resveratrol in red wine that protects the skin against cell damage and restores it.

Hair Benefits of Wine

1. Helps against hair loss. Yes, you’ve read it right; red wine is associated with hair loss. Now before you go to the wine section and buy in bulk, let’s break down the science.

High-stress levels could mean a loss of hair. Indeed, science reveals that significant emotional stress promotes telogen effluvium, a common type of stress-induced hair loss. The hair loss pattern includes widening of the part line, having a thinner ponytail, and experiencing increased shed hairs in the shower. The good news is, a glass of red wine can lower stress levels and bring relief. So, drinking wine to relieve stress equates to eliminating the biggest cause of hair loss.

If you’re not a wine lover, you can still reap this benefit by rinsing your hair with red wine. Do this after washing your hair with your favorite shampoo and conditioner. Red wine as a final rinse offers healthy nutrients similar to natural oils.

2. Promotes thick hair. Most women would agree that thin hair can be frustrating. Even when you have found some tricks that help thicken its appearance, there are still annoying thin hair dilemmas that you can’t avoid. Small ponytails, tiny braids, triple fishtail braid bun- every hairstyle tend to be borderline invisible. Speaking of which, it seems like accomplishing trendy hairstyles is just a pipe dream. But here’s the good news: you can do something about your thin hair. All it takes is drinking a glass of red wine on a daily basis.

Drinking red wine ensures adequate blood circulation to the scalp, promoting hair growth. Moreover, it reduces inflammation and dead cell formation on your scalp, thereby promoting thick hair. With thick hair, you can confidently shake your head side-to-side knowing perfectly well that your glamorous locks are going all over the place.

3. Repairs damaged hair. Much like the skin, the hair is prone to breakage and damage. Damaged hair is usually the aftermath of too much heat and sunlight exposure and overuse of harsh hair care products. But how can you fix it? Before you buy expensive hair repair products, try drinking red wine because its antioxidant can soothe frizzy hair and restore your hair’s healthy glow.

4. Fights dandruff. You’re combing your hair after blow-drying, and you notice falling white flakes. It doesn’t take long to realize that it’s your scalp that’s shedding, not your comb! Dandruff is a common hair problem, and it can be incredibly frustrating. Aside from the constant itch, the condition makes you eliminate all the dark colors from your wardrobe so that flakes falling into your shoulders would go unnoticed. There are many effective treatments for dandruff, but would you have guessed red wine would be one of them? The antioxidants in red wine don’t only help with the scalp’s blood circulation, but also help destroy dandruff.

5. Fights early greying of hair. Premature greying can make you insecure, especially having sprouted your first greys in your early 20s. Even when your friends tell you to look at the greys as highlights, you’re still tempted to look like people your age and constantly dye your hair. But hair dyes have an ugly flip side, with cancer as the most severe side effect.

If you’re struggling with early greying of hair and want to treat it the safe way, red wine can be your savior. It is a rich source of flavonoids that boost your scalp’s keratin production and revitalize your hair’s protein content.

Health Benefits

1. Prevents obesity. The fact that wine drinking makes you lose weight may seem surprising, but studies prove that a red wine compound helps shed off pounds. The antioxidant piceatannol blocks cellular processes that allow the development of fat cells. So, if you include a glass of wine in your diet, you delay adipose cell formation and prevent already formed cells from growing and developing. It is estimated that moderate drinking of red wine reduces by up to 30% the probability of getting obese, which would be caused by the piceatannol’s action.

2. Fights cancer. Apart from being beneficial in preventing obesity, red wine also helps fight cancer. The resveratrol in red wine can cripple mitochondria’s function, which is the cell’s core energy source. It does an adequate job in destroying pancreatic cancer cells that are resistant to chemotherapy. What’s more fascinating is that doctors do not advise cancer patients to give up on red wine because of its importance during colon cancer treatments, prostate cancer treatments, and more.

3. Boosts heart health. The association between red wine and a healthy heart is due to the polyphenols that red wine contains. During the fermentation process, red wine is fermented with the grape seeds and skins longer than white wine. This explains why the polyphenols in red wine are much more concentrated than that of white wine. These polyphenols- particularly resveratrol- have been shown to increase good cholesterol levels. This results in the prevention of cholesterol build-up and heart disease. The possibilities that resveratrol protects the linings of the blood vessels in your heart are promising, and many pieces of research can back this up. However, this benefit can only be achieved with moderate red wine consumption. If you drink it in excess amounts, it is awful for your heart and can increase your heart disease chances.

4. Improves bone strength. The nightly glass of red wine contributes to stronger bone health. Resveratrol increases spinal bone density, and this could hold promise that it can treat osteoporosis. Additionally, red wine’s high silicon content helps with the maintenance of bones and joints. However, it’s worth noting that only red wine in moderate amounts has been suggested to promote healthy bones. If you go overboard and consume red wine in excess amounts, you may develop bone loss and other health complications.

5. Fights diabetes. If you have diabetes, drinking one glass of red wine with your evening meal is the best way to go about it. Red wine is rich in resveratrol which can boost the health of diabetics’ arteries. More interestingly, there’s no need to give up on drinking a glass of wine if you have diabetes as wine can lower blood sugar levels for up to 24 hours. This could also mean that taking a glass of wine every night decreases the risk of diabetes.