91 replies to this topic

[Venus in Virgo Gal]

I don't post very much on this site, but I felt I had to share this info about what is working to reduce my excessively oily skin. Naturally, my face is very very oily.

First, some back ground info is that almost 2 months ago I found out I have high testosterone levels for a female. That was found out thru blood tests. My high testosterone levels is the underlying cause of my oily skin and breakouts. I have had acne & oily skin since age 13. I am now 29. I am not yet being treated for high testosterone levels by my doctor because it will be a while for my next appointment, but in the meantime I decided to try something natural...

OKAY, as of this day, my oily skin has been reduced by about 60-70%.
A month ago from today(June 28, 2010), I purchased a box of spearmint tea bags by a brand called "Alvita." I began drinking two cups per day for about a week. I then read somewhere on a different message board that a brand called "Bigelow" Plantation Mint tea bags worked for this person. On the 7th day(Sun. July 4, 2010), I purchased the Bigelow brand. Since I still had several tea bags from the Alvita brand, I decided that I would increase by intake to 3 cups per day so on the 7th day I began drinking 3 cups per day. My first 2 cups of the day were the Bigelow Plantation Mint brand and the 3rd cup of the day was the Alvita brand. For the next 2 weeks, I drank 3 cups per day. By the end of the 3rd week, I noticed the oily skin coming out on my face was about 50% less. I increased my intake to 4 cups per day on July 19, 2010. I am currently drinking 2 cups of the Bigelow brand and 2 cups of the Alvita brand daily. Well, for the past few days I have noticed my oily skin to be about 60-70% less overall. So far it has been a month of drinking spearmint tea and since it is working for me on reducing my oily skin, I am planning to increase my intake to 5 cups per day. The monthly cost for 5 cups per day would be about $20.

Oh yeah, I forgot to mention that my pores are noticeably smaller now. Drinking spearmint tea has called for many trips to the bathroom. It also makes me thirstier for water and it makes me hungrier. Those changes are no problem for me though.

I will post further updates after I began drinking 5 cups per day...I'm not sure WHEN I will move up to 5 cups per day.

Edited by ctfm, 28 July 2010 - 12:59 PM.

[Maelstrom21]

Hi Venus,

Any updates? Have you noticed any unwanted side-effects from drinking so much spearmint tea? Also, did you ever try drinking peppermint tea instead?

[Venus in Virgo Gal]

Maelstrom,

No. I have not had any unwanted side-effects. The only other side-effects it has given me is getting more hungry and more trips to the bathroom(urination). That is about it. Those side effects are no big deal for me though.

Another benefit I like from drinking spearmint tea is less perspiration(e.g. underarms). That was ANOTHER one of my problems, which WAS excessive perspiration in addition to the oily skin on my face. Oh, also prior to beginning this spearmint tea regimen, I would get oily eyelids, well not anymore!

I live in one of the most humid cities in South Texas. We call this month August, the "dog day" time of the year. Today it is 91 degrees with a heat index of 100. Today is not our worst weather though! Other days prior to this have been worse.

Getting all these good results for the first time....during the city's most hottest, humid time of the year seems promising to me.

I have not tried peppermint tea, but I heard it works just as well.

[tritonxiv]

Just a thought. If this spearmint really has an effect on sebum production, someone here might want to try these spearmint leaf botanical powder pills.

www.herbalextractsplus.com/spearmint.cfm

If it works in the same way, the pills would seem to be a bit cheaper than the tea route, and more convenient.

[Venus in Virgo Gal]

Tritonxiv,

The cost to drink 4 cups of spearmint tea a month is about $20 a month, if I stick to those 2 brands I mentioned in my original post. However, if I were to only buy boxes of the 'Bigelow Plantation mint' brand(about 6 boxes), it would be about $12-$13 bucks a month.
It appears taking those pills would be more cost effective. I am satisfied with the tea for right now, but if anyone cares to try the 'spearmint leaf' powder pills, I am all ears for hearing the results.

[Maelstrom21]

Thanks for replying V.

So, you noticed a decrease in sebum production from the 3rd week on? Nothing before?

Would you say it's necessary for you to drink 3 or more cups per day to maintain the effect or could you get away with 1-2 cups per day?

Lastly, do you think a different brand makes any difference? Is one stronger than the other for example?

I've started peppermint this week as I couldn't find spearmint in my local supermarket. I intend to try peppermint for 1 month and then try spearmint if I get no success.

Being a man, I hope this doesn't mess my hormones around too much!

[Venus in Virgo Gal]

Thanks for replying V.

So, you noticed a decrease in sebum production from the 3rd week on? Nothing before?

Would you say it's necessary for you to drink 3 or more cups per day to maintain the effect or could you get away with 1-2 cups per day?

Lastly, do you think a different brand makes any difference? Is one stronger than the other for example?

I've started peppermint this week as I couldn't find spearmint in my local supermarket. I intend to try peppermint for 1 month and then try spearmint if I get no success.

Being a man, I hope this doesn't mess my hormones around too much!

I noticed a decrease in oil after the 1st week, but my skin was VERY oily to begin with. I will stress that much. I wanted to be even less oily than that. That is why I continued to increase my intake of tea. At this point, I am sticking with 4 cups a day because I actually now at a 95% decrease in oily skin on my face. I will NOT move up to 5 cups a day. I had not posted that update yet, but I am now. I hardly get oily anymore, so I decided I am not going to move up to 5 cups a day.
I honestly don't know if *I* could get away with 2 cups a day since I was always very oily before. However, everyone is different so maybe someone else might be able to get away with 1-3 cups a day. You just have to test yourself.


About the brand....honestly, I think the Bigelow Plantation Mint is better than the Alvita brand. Someone else on this board said that the Bigelow Mint Medley(spearmint & peppermint) worked for them. I find Bigelow at my local grocery store for 2.04 a box. I did find it at Wal-Mart also. I know they sell it online on amazon.com(6 boxes for 14.77 I think). That adds up to more than me buying 6 individual boxes at my local grocer.

Anyway, let me know how the peppermint tea regimen goes.

Oh yeah...as a female all this spearmint tea drinking has not made my chest grow..lol. So, don't worry about it because I doubt it will on you as a male.

[tritonxiv]

Just as an update, I purchased a 1lb bag of pure spearmint powder for $8.95 shipped from a spice company. I'm not sure how best to ingest it (straight or boiled like a tea) but for the cost I figured it is well worth a shot as I have huge pores and could stand to be a little less oily.

I will update if anything interesting happens.

Edited by tritonxiv, 11 August 2010 - 06:15 PM.

[anana]

I've been drinking 3 cups of loose leaf peppermint tea a day for about a week now and I've seen a HUGE improvement!
My skin was clear as a result of the regimen but the oil and shine was absolutely out of control! Now I'm back to a normal feeling face that looks only a bit shiny (the oil actually felt heavy on my skin - so gross)
No word yet on whether it shrinks the appearance of pores or helps to decrease my minor shoulder acne but I'll keep you posted!
-ana

[Priestess]

Quick question, are you using one bag of tea to one cup of water? When I make tea I usually make a pot of tea with 6 cups of water and one tea bag steeped for about 3 minutes.

[Venus in Virgo Gal]

I've been drinking 3 cups of loose leaf peppermint tea a day for about a week now and I've seen a HUGE improvement!
My skin was clear as a result of the regimen but the oil and shine was absolutely out of control! Now I'm back to a normal feeling face that looks only a bit shiny (the oil actually felt heavy on my skin - so gross)
No word yet on whether it shrinks the appearance of pores or helps to decrease my minor shoulder acne but I'll keep you posted!
-ana

anana, glad to hear that!
Yeah, I heard peppermint works just as well and I was thinking of going the loose leaf tea route myself. I think loose leaf tea is more effective than tea bags and maybe I could get away with drinking 3 cups of loose leaf tea instead of 4 cups a day.

Just curious, do you buy your loose leaf tea online?

[Venus in Virgo Gal]

Quick question, are you using one bag of tea to one cup of water? When I make tea I usually make a pot of tea with 6 cups of water and one tea bag steeped for about 3 minutes.

Yes, I am infusing one tea bag per cup of boiled water. I use about 4 tea bags a day.

[anana]

Just curious, do you buy your loose leaf tea online?

Actually I live just across the street from a great little tea shop so I picked it up there, but they do online orders.
www.tealish.com
They're a Canadian company tho, so if you're in the states there's probably an easier way of getting it.
Let me know if you want to order from them, last time I was in there they were giving out cards with 15% off online orders. I can send you the discount code

About the amounts.... I only use 1 tsp of looseleaf tea per cup so it's definitely more economical.

[Oil Queen]

Well you're definitely on to something. I just googled "mint tea" and read this article that talks about the pros and cons of mint teas. It says there were studies done on women who have polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) and drank mint teas for 30 days, a study was also conducted on male lab rats.

Here are the results for the women with PCOS:

In the trial, 42 women with PCOS related hirsutism were assigned to drink spearmint tea or a placebo herbal tea twice daily for 30 days. Blood tests measuring hormone levels were taken at the beginning, the mid way point and at the end of the experiment. The results indicate that the women receiving the spearmint demonstrated significant reductions in free and total testosterone levels and increases in luteinizing hormone and follicle stimulating hormone concentrations.


Results for male lab rats:

It's interesting to note that a study in male rats found the exact same hormonal shifts that were exhibited in the women with PCOS, namely, a reduction in testosterone. Potentially negative effects on the testicles of the rats were also detected. This testicular disturbance could possibly be important with regard to fertility. (7)

Here's the link to the article. It's titled Mint Tea Warning, but the author is pointing out the good and bad of mint teas. Also the site looks a little sketchy, but the author does provide scientific references at the end. http://www.healthyfellow.com/290/mint-tea-warning/

I see that the women benefit more from the mint teas than the guys, raising estrogen and decreasing testosterone. So on that note, I will go ahead and fix myself a cup or two of minty goodness.

Edited by Oil Queen, 18 August 2010 - 07:38 PM.

[Oh_yesterday_came_suddenly]

Is this the stuff that you're drinking?

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000GFYRI...DYPX0KZ8VHXC3QC


Also, are you just dipping the tea bag in boiled water or actually taking the contents of the tea bag out of the bag and drinking them along with the water?

[demaguil]

for sever oily skin,i guess it doesn't work.

[tofupalace]

I recall people in the past using peppermint oil and peppermint soap to combat oily skin/acne, theory was that it had some kind of anti-androgenic effect associated with it I believe. I never saw any results personally, but I guess drinking it as a tea is worth a try.

[greentiger87]

Imho, guys shouldn't try this systemically. We have such high androgen levels that the small putative decrease likely wouldn't have any effect sebum excretion; it's likely already "maxed out". Not to mention other potentially dangerous effects of messing with male hormones.

Topically maybe, but peppermint is known to be a potent skin irritant as well - so don't use it if you have sensitive skin.

It's too bad though, cuz peppermint tea is so yummy.

Edited by greentiger87, 19 August 2010 - 04:27 PM.

[Venus in Virgo Gal]

anana,
Thanks for that offer.
Right now I have lots of tea bags left. They don't sell loose leaf spearmint OR peppermint at any local store. When I plan to order online, I will let you know to see if you still have a dsct code. Thanks!
---------------------------------

Oil Queen,
About the reference to that article, yeah I was told by my doc that my t levels were high for a woman, however I was checked for PCOS and I don't have it...thank goodness.
We women are lucky we have this natural solution to control oily skin.
-----------------------------------

Oh_yesterday_came_suddenly,
Yes, that is the brand I drink. I found it and buy it at my local grocer.
--------------------------------------

demaguil,
I see that you are a male. I have not yet heard or come across one male claim this works for his oily skin. For how long did you try drinking this?
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tofupalace,
Topical products do temporarily help.
I have heard of peppermint oil to apply topically. I have never tried it myself.
Peppermint tea can also be used as a topical. It can be made into a homemade astrigent/toner. I think the homemade recipe is to infuse peppermint tea in a mug/cup of boiled water and then let it cool off. Then you mix it with a tsp. or two of witch hazel. I would have to search the web for the specific recipe. For years, I have occasionally applied that green mask called 'mint julep' by 'Queen Helene.' That temporarily reduced my oily skin and pores for a few hours or so, but that was it.

After all these years I have learned treating conditions internally is what works the best. I find drinking this herbal mint tea is controlling my oily skin in the long-run.
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greentiger87,
I agree. I don't think males should drink this in the long-run.
To add to this, even if males happened to see good results for their oily skin, staying committed to drinking this could give them side effects they don't want such as lower sex drive, etc.

Edited by Venus in Virgo Gal, 21 August 2010 - 10:27 AM.

[Venus in Virgo Gal]

I also want to mention about the the article Oil Queen referenced to.... I think it is important for a person to drink lots of water while drinking peppermint or spearmint tea, since the article mentioned drinking this tea can affect the kidneys and liver. Of course many of us already know drinking lots of water is important for various reasons, not just for acne/oily skin.