By: Miles

Teas may not bring dramatic results all the time but they are well tolerated and produce far fewer side effects that regular acne medications. This is why they are one of the best foods/drink to take to help fight acne.  The best teas for acne that you can drink are: Rooibos tea, Chamomile tea, Spearmint tea, Stinging Nettle tea, Dandelion, and Green tea. 

You actually do not need to drink these teas all the time, You can use them as topical agents too. However, the tea has to be brewed to allow the active ingredients to seep into tea solution. This should be the case for both actions - for drinking and for topical application. And in some cases, acne can be treated both by drinking and rubbing the same herbal teas on the skin.

And below are some of the best teas for acne that's worth a try

Rooibos Tea

Rooibos is a legume plant that is native to South Africa. It is also called Red Bush and has been used in the traditional medicine of its native country for centuries.

Benefits are - it has Antioxidant, antibacterial and immune-modulating properties.

This tea also contains high levels of nothofagin and aspalathin as well as superoxide dismutase. These 3 antioxidants provide an effective and broad protection against harmful free radicals and they are active on the skin too. Therefore, they can mop up reactive oxygen species and prevent damage to the skin.

Rooibos Tea also reduces the severity and breakout of inflammatory acne lesions since some of the chemical contents of this tea help regulate the immune system and the detrimental aspects of the immune response in acne breakouts.

When applied to the skin, this tea can:

• provide a mild antibacterial effect as it can contribute to the elimination of acne-causing bacteria on the skin
• help remove excess sebum and dead skin cells from the skin
• help protect the skin from irritants since it is also hypoallergenic
• be used as a cleanser or a toner and it will help restore the pH of the body, prevent skin dryness and unclog the pores

Chamomile Tea

For many centuries chamomile tea has been used as a traditional medicine. For acne, this can provide antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and antibacterial benefits.

Benefits are:

• Drinking the tea can reduce the severity of acne breakouts, applying the tea topically can also help relieve acne symptoms.
• Chamomile compresses that are used on the skin was compared to have a comparable activity to 1% hydrocortisone ointment in reducing skin inflammation. It can also help protect the skin by reducing the damage done by free radicals and also acne-causing bacteria.
• The powdered leaves of chamomile tea can also be rubbed on acne scars to fade them away. Cold chamomile tea bags can be pressed on pimples to reduce the swelling and redness.
• When treating acne by drinking chamomile tea, other acne remedies such as honey and lemon juice should be added to the tea.

Spearmint Tea

• The antioxidant effect of spearmint tea can help prevent oxidative damage to the skin. Thus it can protect the skin and prevent the formation of acne lesions.
• This also slows down and delays the oxidation of fats that reduces a number of harmful free radicals formed as byproducts of this oxidation reaction.
• Spearmint prevents the sebum found on the skin from going bad. When sebum is quickly oxidized, it hardens and clogs up the pores.
• This is also known to prevent a hormonal imbalance that is known to trigger acne breakouts. It stimulates the production of female sex hormones such as estrogen which are known to reduce acne breakouts.
• When drank, spearmint does not also reduce the amount of total testosterone in the body, it produces far less side effects unlike other acne drugs used to reduce the levels of androgens in the body.
• This is especially recommended for women experiencing adult acne which flares up during their menstrual cycles. Because of its ability to affect the hormone levels in the body, spearmint tea should only be consumed in moderate amounts.

Important Note: This should not be used by pregnant and lactating women.

Stinging Nettle Tea

This tea is thought to purify and detoxify the blood, which naturally clears the skin right up. Herbalists also claim that this can be used to make a herbal tea that supports skin and hair health.

This tea is rich in B vitamins, vitamin K, selenium, and zinc. These factors combine to help give the drinker firmer and clearer skin.

Dandelion

This herb has actually been used medicinally for centuries. Native Americans used it to promote skin health, and some of the today’s herbalists and naturopathic doctors recommend it for the same purpose.

Dandelion is thought to help the skin by improving liver function, which cleans the blood and removes toxins from the body.

Dandelion root also contains a ton of antioxidants, which help prevent premature aging, as well as vitamins A, B, C, and the minerals iron, potassium, and zinc, which all support clear skin.

Green Tea

This is considered as the Powerhouse of all teas for acne.

Green tea contains multiple antioxidants including EGCG, carotenoids, tocopherols, ascorbic acid and selenium which are responsible for promoting skin health by preventing oxidative damage due to harmful free radicals.

Other benefits follow:

• The vitamins and provitamins contained in green tea are responsible for a number of biological processes all of which can help correct some of the root causes of acne.
• They can help reduce skin inflammation by modulating the immune system and correct hormonal imbalances too.
• The antimicrobial effect of green tea is also useful in acne treatment. Green tea contains zinc. Zinc is a known antimicrobial agent used for treating acne.
• According to a recent study, green tea was just as effective as 4% benzoyl peroxide in the treatment of acne.

One important thing to remember is that preparing and drinking tea is straightforward, but applying herbal tea on the skin requires some guidance.

You may do these steps as a general rule:

• To rub tea on your skin, first wash and rinse the skin with a hypoallergenic soap or cleanser. Apply the cooled brewed tea on the skin with a cotton ball.
• Allow the tea to dry on the skin and let it stand for 10 minutes before rinsing off.
• You can also soak a small, clean towel in the tea to make a poultice (a soft, moist mass of cloth).
• Spread the poultice on the affected area of the skin and leave it for 15 minutes before rinsing off.
• Apply an oil-free moisturizer to prevent skin dryness

Clearly, these best teas for acne have superpowers! However, just because these teas and herbs are natural, doesn’t mean they don’t come with possible side effects or reactions. Still, consider speaking to a herbalist or other health practitioner to make sure you don’t have any contraindications or health issues that would make these teas unhelpful or even harmful to you.