This Spring, Sip Skin-Healing Herbal Teas
March 28, 2012 by Jolene
Filed under *Featured*, Beauty Nutrition, Skin
There’s no question that coffee tastes delicious, but I’ve always found far greater satisfaction in a cup of freshly-steeped tea. My favorite teas are herbal blends that have therapeutic benefits: ginger for digestion, chamomile to calm, peppermint to perk up your mood.
But those are just the basics.
Herbal tea blends can be crafted to address an amazing range of health concerns — including those related to skin.
I recently had the chance to try two herbal teas created specifically to promote clear, healthy skin, from De La Terre Skincare founder Anne Willis. As an educator on aesthetics and holistic skin care, Willis has studied and practiced skin-healing techniques from around the world.
The first tea I tried, Herb Rich Tea to Support Healthy Skin, was packed with healing, calming herbs: lavender, peppermint, mullein, heather, cleavers and calendula. The large, whole calendula flowers and large leaves of mullein in the blend were a sign that this tea was crafted from fresh whole botanicals, not overprocessed bits and pieces. The second tea, Herb Rich Tea to Purify Blemished Skin, contained healing, detoxifying, inflammation-reducing herbs like chickweed, chamomile, dandelion (shown above), nettles and licorice.
Like most therapeutic herbal teas, you really need to steep the herbs for a significant amount of time to get maximum benefits. De La Terre recommends 20 minutes of steeping for its herbal teas. I also recently learned that herbal tea should be covered while steeping to prevent volatile oils from diffusing — so cover your cup with a saucer (it’ll keep it hot, too).
After steeping for 20 minutes in boiling water, the teas are ready to drink as internal detoxifiers, or (if you let the brew cool a little longer) as gentle toners, applied directly to skin with a cotton ball. Note: De La Terre also suggests mixing the teas with clay to create a facial mask, brewing them in your bath, or using the steeped tea as a gentle face wash. The Support Healthy Skin Tea has a slightly bitter taste, compared to the more calming, sweet flavor of the Purify Blemished Skin tea.
Both are great finds for healthy skin and beatifying natural sips that you’ll enjoy drinking — even if they don’t give you a caffeine kick.
Thanks for the tips! I am a big fan of tea, especially loose leaf. I have never tried or experimented with using it at a toner or mixed with a face mask after seeping. I might have to try out a chamomile face wash.