Cellulite. No matter how old you are, if your slim or a bit chunky, cellulite has a way of just appearing one day. You would be surprised how many of us young and old deal with this annoyance. I set out to find out how to shrink cellulite. It is possible, takes work and better to start when you’re younger.
Why You Have Cellulite
I was a chubby kid and dealt with weight issues most of my life. When I became a teenager I thinned out, but I started noticing the dimples in my upper thighs. I was in shape for the most part, and I tried exercises to get rid of it and this was years ago, now I am older its even harder.
Cellulite forms when tissue deep in the skin collects fat and this pushes up against our outer layers of skin causing that dimpled look. Unfortunately I saw an estimate that 85% of women over 21 will have cellulite. Our thighs tend to have more fatty tissue than the rest of our bodies, and there are many other factors such as:
- Genetics
- Age
- Poor circulation
- Weight gain
- Inflammation
- Collagen loss
Cellulite isn’t harmful in terms of health, but we do want to get rid of it. I’ve seen creams, lotions, and exercises that will promise to get rid of it, but if you’re like me you’ve tried some of them and didn’t see results. There are many home remedies to shrink cellulite so Let’s take a look.
Home Remedies
Bio-active collagen peptides – I am a big fan of collagen for helping to plump up our skin, so it makes sense that these would potentially shrink cellulite. I found a study that showed improvement in women who took bio-active collagen peptide supplements. Over a period of 6 months both healthy and unhealthy women showed improvement in the cellulite on their thighs. More studies do need to be done but this is promising.
Massage – Massage is helpful and can be done at home or with a professional. Massage has many benefits and one of them is lymphatic drainage. Massage can also stretch out your skin and less cellulite will be visible. Some massage creams and essential oils can help, but it will only show improvement if its used with the massage. It’s best to get routine massages, only one will not help with cellulite.
Stay hydrated – Staying hydrated is important for overall health and it helps to remove toxin buildup and encourages lymphatic drainage.
Self Tanner – Self tanners can reduce the appearance of cellulite and make you look slimmer overall. Cellulite is less visible on darker skin. Before you apply the self tanner its best to exfoliate the skin, and make sure to wear gloves or wash your hands right after. I found an excellent brand here on Amazon you can try.
Weight loss – If you have some weight to lose, losing excess body fat may shrink the appearance of cellulite. As I stated above some women who are not considered overweight can still develop cellulite, especially as you age, if this is the case there are exercises you can try that I will go over down below.
Healthy diet – Of course eating right is the number one way to keep your whole body at its optimal level. Anti-inflammatory foods and antioxidants are great for overall health and aging. Check out my article here for 10 super foods for anti aging.
Dry Brushing – Dry brushing your whole body before hopping in the shower is one way that people have seen results shrinking their cellulite. The process of dry brushing will help with lymphatic drainage and blood circulation as well as remove built up toxins. It has also been shown to improve blood flow to the skin making it look plump. Using a long handled body brush. When you and the brush are dry, brush from your feet to the shoulders and focus on the areas with the cellulite, you can do this before every shower or bath 5 minutes at a time.
Juniper oil – Juniper oil is great for inflammation and detoxifying reducing the appearance of cellulite. Mix 10 drops of juniper oil in a 1/4 cup of olive oil and massage the area for about 5-10 minutes. If you do this twice per day, in about 4 weeks you will notice softer, smoother skin.
Apple cider vinegar – Apple cider vinegar is a great way to detoxify the body internally and externally. This can help reduce cellulite because it contains important minerals such as calcium, potassium, and magnesium. These minerals will flush out toxins and puffiness in the area and it also can help you to reduce bloating and lose weight. Mix equal parts of apple cider vinegar and water rub it on the area and wrap the area with plastic wrap and put a warm towel on it and let it sit for about an hour. Remove the wrap and rinse with warm water, you can do this once a day and see results in about 3-4 weeks.
Cayenne pepper – Cayenne pepper will heat up the body to burn fat, also increases blood flow. It’s also a metabolism booster, and rejuvenates your skin cells. If you take it internally it will flush toxins out of the body making cellulite less noticeable. In a small glass mix 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper powder with 1 teaspoon of grated ginger into 1 cup of water with fresh squeezed lemon juice, stir drink this 2 times daily for 1-2 months.
Coffee grounds – Coffee grounds can be a great way to exfoliate to remove the dead skin cells and rejuvenate the skin, drinking coffee also increases blood flow. Mix together 4 tablespoons of sugar with a 1/4 cup of coffee grounds. Add 3 tablespoons of coconut oil heated up to form a paste. Using firm pressure, take some mixture and massage it into the area for about 10 minutes. Rinse with lukewarm water and do this 3 or 4 times per week until you get the results you want. You can also store what’s left in a glass jar with a lid to use later.
Seaweed – Seaweed is great for exfoliating and stimulating blood flow which flushes toxins from the body shrinking the appearance of cellulite. Mix 1/4 cup of sea salt and 1/4 cup of olive oil with 3 tablespoons of ground seaweed and some essential oil just a few drops. Massage it into the area for about 10 minutes then rinse it off with warm water. You can do this once or twice per day for about 30 days and you will notice an improvement in your skin.
Tangerine oil – Tangerine oil can help break down fatty tissue and cellulite as well as improve blood flow. This essential oil is amazing for detoxing the body. Take 1 tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil mix it with about 6 drops of tangerine oil then rub it into the area massaging it in for about 20 minutes. Be careful to avoid sun exposure for at least 2 hours after using, do this twice per day for amazing results.
Green Clay – Green clay can help to circulate blood flow and lymph flow as well as removes fats, impurities, and dead skin cells from the body. This can also repair and rejuvenate the skin. This clay is amazing for shrinking cellulite. Mix together a quarter cup of lime juice, half cup seaweed and green clay. Add 3 tablespoons of hot water with 1 tablespoon of honey to form a paste. Rub it into the area using circular motions and cover with plastic wrap for 45 minutes. Rinse with warm water. You can do this 2 or 3 times per week until you get your desired results.
Exercises To Shrink Cellulite
Keeping your body moving is super important especially if you have some weight to lose or to reduce cellulite. Although you can’t get rid of cellulite completely, there are some exercises you can do to minimize their appearance. Strength training and cardio are important for lean muscles and losing fat. Here are 6 exercises you can do in 20 minutes I will link the instructions here.
- Curtsy lunge
- Lateral lunge
- Step up reverse lunge
- Split squat
- Glute bridge
- Squat jump
Conclusion
Cellulite is annoying to deal with, no one wants cottage cheese thighs, but there are ways to shrink or reduce their appearance. It happens to 85 percent of women, not so much in men, but some people are just predisposed to it. You don’t have to be overweight to have cellulite. You can find most of these products on Amazon and the prices are very affordable. Do you know of any other ways to reduce cellulite? Please leave any thoughts or questions down below.
As an Amazon associate I get paid for qualifying purchases
