I started getting acne on my forehead when I was around 11 years old. As of today, I still struggle with it if I stop my treatment, so I’ve been dealing with it for more than a decade. Over the years it evolved, spreading all over my face, and even to my neck, torso and back.
It really affected how others viewed me and my self-confidence. Acne is tough mentally, but it was also physically painful. Sometimes I couldn’t even smile without being in pain from the inflamed pimples. You really can’t feel beautiful, and you always think people are scrutinising your face.
I tried almost everything to get rid of it. From tips online (yes, including toothpaste), to products prescribed by a dermatologist. I also tried the “perfect lifestyle”: drinking water, eating healthy, not touching my face. But nothing worked, because my acne was deeply hormonal. I eventually understood that nothing external could fix it.
Then I heard about peppermint tea. I stumbled upon it online, since I was watching so many videos about skincare tips and healthy habits, I was bound to come across it at some point. I decided to try it simply because I had nothing to lose. I’d already tried everything, and I knew the root of the issue was hormonal. Also I love tea, so why not try it?
I do think that it really works, but you have to be consistent (just like with skincare, you don’t get results overnight!), but of course it also depends on the cause of your acne. In any case it cannot be bad for you, tea is always good to add to your lifestyle, for many reasons. For someone whose acne comes from a poor diet, I guess it could help clean their insides and so help with their skin. And if you drink it mindfully, it helps mentally too, it’s relaxing and comforting, the perfect addition to a daily routine.
It changed the way I think about skincare entirely. So much advice on social media focuses on external products, but the inside is very much often the actual root of the cause. I now believe that a healthy inside leads to a beautiful glowy outside. The other habits make a real difference for me: not fidgeting with my skin, sleeping well, and managing my stress. I try to have a healthy lifestyle and use products that are gentle both on my skin, and on the planet, which is really important for me.
To anyone that is skeptical that something as simple as tea could make a difference, I’d say it’s worth giving it a shot. Even if it doesn’t completely clear your acne, it’s healthy, easy to incorporate into daily life, and has other benefits like helping digestion. It takes almost no time at all to try.
My relationship with my skin is now so much better than before. I still drink infusions because I genuinely enjoy the taste and warmth, but it has also acted like a medicine that helped me balance my hormonal levels and clear my acne. Seeing it get better day after day felt like such a relief.
Now I can feel pretty again. I enjoy my skincare routine so much more because I can actually see my skin being healthy and glowy. I can’t describe to someone who has never had acne how freeing it is (and what an accomplishment it feels like) to have healed from something so embedded in my life.
