Tea Time for Hormones: A Month-Long Guide to Glowing Skin

Week two of your cycle: your skin looks amazing. Glowing, even. I’m ready for my close-up, Mr. DeMille.

Fast forward to week four, and you’ve got a big zit on your chin, your pores have somehow doubled in size, and your T-zone feels like an oil refinery.

Can you relate?

Here’s the thing: Your skin isn’t the same all month long. The hormones that regulate your skin change throughout the month.

So skincare success isn’t about finding some magic product or glowing skin hack on TikTok. It’s about listening to what your skin is asking for and giving it what it needs during every distinctly different phase of your cycle.

That’s where cycle syncing comes in.

As we reported in this blog post, the term "cycle syncing" was coined by Alissa Vitti, author of WomanCode and In the Flo, who advocates for aligning your lifestyle with your natural hormonal rhythms. (Click over to that post for a sec if you want a little more background. We’ll wait.)

In this companion blog post, we’ll take it one step further and apply these concepts to skincare and wellness. We'll explore how to support your skin through each phase using herbs, teas, and targeted nutrition. Think of it as your month-long roadmap to working with your body instead of against it.

Nope. That’s not a typo. Infradian rhythm.

You’ve probably heard of the circadian rhythm. In case you’re rusty on what it actually means, it refers to the sleep-wake cycle. Everyone’s got it.

But there’s also an elite “menstruating bodies only” rhythm that only some of us have: the infradian rhythm, an approximately 28-day hormonal cycle that has a much bigger impact on your body, soul, and psyche than you might even realize.

Throughout the phases of this cycle, fluctuations in hormones like estrogen, progesterone, testosterone, and luteinizing hormone can affect:

Which brings us back to cycle syncing.

Instead of fighting against your hormones (spoiler: they will win), this approach is about working with them.

By adapting your nutrition, lifestyle, and self-care rituals to align with the four phases of your menstrual cycle, you can finally stop playing skincare whack-a-mole and start actually supporting your skin.

The Restoration Phase

What's Happening Hormonally: During menstruation, estrogen and progesterone are at their lowest levels. What does that mean for your skin? It could be drier and more sensitive, with more-delicate-than-usual barrier function.

Skin Considerations:

Nutritional Support: During this restorative time, focus on iron-rich and magnesium-rich foods to replenish what your body is losing during menstruation. These minerals also support skin healing and cellular function.

Foods to emphasize: Dark leafy greens, grass-fed beef, beets, blueberries, legumes, lentils, pumpkin seeds, quinoa.

Tea and Herb Support: This is an ideal time to limit caffeine, which can increase cortisol and interfere with iron absorption.

Consider Big Heart Tea Co.'s Fake Coffee, a rich, earthy, and deeply grounding caffeine-free blend featuring organic cacao, organic roasted chicory, organic dandelion root, and organic sweet cinnamon. Take particular note of the dandelion root, which is purported to support liver function. Since the liver plays a crucial role in metabolizing hormones, supporting this process could help maintain clearer skin.

Another tea to try? Our Chamomile Mint. Why? So many reasons. Chamomile may help relax muscles; mint may help reduce bloating. Plus, chamomile’s anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties can help calm any redness or irritation on your skin, and may support better sleep, which can help your skin repair faster.

Movement: Keep it gentle: walking, restorative yoga, or stretching. High-intensity exercise during this phase can increase cortisol, which could exacerbate skin concerns.

The Renewal Phase

What's Happening Hormonally: During this phase, estrogen and follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) levels begin to rise. This is the start of your monthly glow-up: think natural radiance, improved elasticity, and fewer breakouts. (Yay)

Skin Considerations:

Nutritional Support: This is an excellent time to support your liver's detoxification pathways, as the liver metabolizes excess estrogen. Supporting this process may help prevent estrogen dominance, which can contribute to various skin concerns.

Foods to emphasize: Cruciferous vegetables (broccoli, kale), fermented foods (sauerkraut, pickles), flaxseeds, avocado, wild-caught fish, eggs, pomegranate.

Note: Fermented foods support the gut microbiome, and emerging research suggests the gut-skin axis plays a significant role in skin health.

Tea and Herb Support: Once again, Fake Coffee is a great choice for liver support. The blend's chicory root is also said to support liver detoxification.

Our Green Tea may be a good pick at this time of the month, too. It contains antioxidants that support overall endocrine health, which may give you the support you need as estrogen levels begin to rise. And ours is the good stuff: 100% single origin green tea sourced from Japan.

Movement: As energy increases, you can gradually ramp up intensity. This is a great time to try new workouts or increase the challenge in your current routine.

The Peak Phase

What's Happening Hormonally: This typically occurs 13-15 days before your next period; it’s the brief window during and directly after an egg is released. During this phase, your estrogen peaks, along with a surge in luteinizing hormone (LH) and a slight rise in testosterone. You’re feeling powerful and lovely, baby.

Skin Considerations:

Nutritional Support: Continue supporting liver function with anti-inflammatory foods that help metabolize the peak hormone levels.

Foods to emphasize: Asparagus, beets, brussels sprouts, figs, lentils, quinoa, raspberries, salmon, sesame seeds, spinach, sunflower seeds, dark chocolate

Tea and Herb Support: Anti-inflammatory herbs are particularly beneficial during this phase to counterbalance the pro-inflammatory effects of the testosterone surge.

Maintain that liver-supporting dandelion root support with Fake Coffee. The blend's cacao and cinnamon also offer antioxidant properties that support overall wellness.

Movement: You'll likely have abundant energy during this phase, this is an excellent time for HIIT, spinning, circuit training, or hitting the road with your rollerblades.

The Preparation Phase

What's Happening Hormonally: This is the second half of your cycle, after ovulation but before your period. During this time, progesterone rises significantly, and testosterone levels increase. For many, this is when skin challenges emerge, particularly for those prone to hormonal acne or excess androgen activity.

Skin Considerations:

Nutritional Support: Towards the end of the luteal phase, you may notice an increase in appetite due to the peak in progesterone, which can increase metabolism. It’s a great time to incorporate magnesium and iron-rich foods in preparation for menstruation.

Focus on foods rich in magnesium and B vitamins, which support healthy progesterone metabolism. Incorporating anti-androgenic foods and those that support blood sugar balance can be particularly helpful.

Foods to emphasize: Grass-fed beef, cauliflower, chickpeas, eggs, halibut, pumpkin, sweet potatoes, sesame seeds, sunflower seeds, walnuts

Tea and Herb Support: Consider spearmint tea, which traditional herbalists have used for its potential influence on androgen activity. This is where Big Heart Tea's Royal Treatmint shines. It contains not only spearmint but peppermint too, all kissed by a soupçon of organic lavender, organic tulsi, and organic ginkgo leaf.

Cup of Sunshine, featuring ginger, offers anti-inflammatory support during this phase. Ginger has been used traditionally to support healthy inflammatory responses and may help counteract the pro-inflammatory effects of elevated androgens.

As this phase progresses and approaches menstruation, you might return to Fake Coffee for its liver-supporting dandelion root.

Movement: Listen to your body. In the early luteal phase, you may still have good energy for moderate to high-intensity workouts. As you approach menstruation, gradually decrease intensity to support cortisol management.

If you're battling hormonal breakouts or noticing hair thinning (androgenic alopecia, if we're getting technical), the luteal phase deserves your full attention. This is when androgens are having their moment, and supporting healthy androgen metabolism can be a total game-changer.

Your nutritional game plan:

If your hormonal landscape looks a little different, whether you're in perimenopause, menopause, or dealing with estrogen dominance, here's how to adjust your approach:

Remember, estrogen is your skin's best friend when it comes to collagen production, skin thickness, and hydration. As it declines, you'll want to step up support:

The goal here is helping your body clear out excess estrogen efficiently:

Your skin barrier is at its most fragile right now. This is not the time to experiment with that new retinol everyone's raving about. Focus on hydrating serums, nourishing creams, and barrier repair ingredients like ceramides and hyaluronic acid. Keep it gentle: think soothing, not stripping.

Your tea pairing: Chamomile Mint to calm inflammation and support skin repair, or Fake Coffee for liver-supporting dandelion root.

Your skin is resilient and your barrier function is strong. This is your window for experimentation. Exfoliate, try new active ingredients, or introduce chemical peels, vitamin C, or gentle retinoids. Your skin can handle it now and will reward you with that coveted glow.

Your tea pairing: Green Tea for antioxidants that support rising estrogen, or Fake Coffee for continued liver detox support.

You look amazing. Your skin knows what it's doing. Maintain your routine; if it ain't broke, don't fix it. Maybe add a lightweight oil control product if you're noticing the very beginnings of increased sebum, but otherwise? Enjoy the moment.

Your tea pairing: Fake Coffee's anti-inflammatory cacao and cinnamon support your body through peak hormone levels.

This is when things get real. Your skin is producing more oil, and that hormonal breakout is eyeing your jawline. Emphasize oil control with salicylic acid, use anti-inflammatory ingredients like niacinamide, and bring out targeted spot treatments. Clay masks can help with congestion, but don't overdo it.

Your tea pairing: Royal Treatmint to help manage androgen activity, Cup of Sunshine for anti-inflammatory benefits, or transition to Fake Coffee as you approach menstruation.

The key? Pay attention to what your skin is telling you, and adjust accordingly. Your cycle is your roadmap: use it.

Understanding the relationship between hormonal fluctuations and skin health empowers us to work with our bodies rather than against them. By adapting our nutrition, herbal support, and self-care practices to align with our cycle, we can support our skin through its natural rhythms.

Remember, this information is educational in nature and not intended to diagnose, treat, or cure any condition. Every body is unique, and what works beautifully for one person may differ for another. Consider tracking your cycle alongside your skin's behavior to identify your personal patterns, and always consult with healthcare professionals before making significant changes to your wellness routine.

The information in this article is for educational purposes and is not intended as medical advice. Always consult with your healthcare provider before making significant changes to your diet or wellness routine, especially if you have existing health conditions or are taking medications.