Drinking green tea has been a rewarding experience for me, it not just cleared my cystic acne but prevented new ones from coming as well. Here is why you should also utilise green tea for acne treatment and prevention.
Green tea or camellia Sinensis contains polyphenols like epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG) that act as antioxidants and have anti-inflammatory properties.
It also reduces androgen levels thereby creating less sebum and decreasing the chances of clogged pores, thus fewer cases of acne.
In this article, you will find out everything about green tea and how it can be used to treat acne, pimples, and even acne scars. So read on!
Table of Contents
How Green tea is Prepared?
Green tea is prepared by plucking the leaves, steaming them ( in Japan) and slightly roasting them ( in China). In India, either of these processes may be followed.
After that, the leaves are dried and packed.
Due to less processing, green tea has more antioxidants than black tea, although they come from the same plant.
How to Drink Green Tea for Acne
I drink just one cup of green tea thrice a week, I used to drink green tea daily when I had active acne.
Adding one teaspoon of honey to it makes it more beneficial as honey has those anti-inflammatory and anti-ageing properties too.
You just need to boil 1 cup of water and pour it into the cup that has a green tea bag and one teaspoon of honey in it. Let it brew for about a minute or two and enjoy!
You can also cold brew it if you don’t like it hot. Just keep a cup of water with a green tea bag in the refrigerator at night. Sip it in the morning.
You may not like the taste for the first few days but you can always buy the lemon flavour variant to make it more palatable.
Whatever you do, Do not add milk!
Drink this daily in your active acne phase and see the acne disappearing and skin clearing from within.
I have tried it and I am a fan.
Here is the whole internal cleaning routine to get rid of acne faster.
Green Tea on the Face for Pimples
You can also apply the green tea on your face, directly on pimples either in the form of a tea bag or in the form of a green tea mask as described below.
If applying directly, you can simply take out the tea bag once you finished your green tea and apply it on the acne directly. One study on green tea and acne suggested that applying green tea extract on the skin is more beneficial than drinking it orally (source).
So if drinking green tea for acne is not your best option, applying it on your face also has its own perks.
You can also opt for one juice among these 5 juices for acne treatment within a week.
How to Use Green Tea for Acne Scars
Green tea works well when mixed with apple cider vinegar for acne scars.
You just need to make a cup of green tea by simply boiling water and adding the tea leaves or tea bag to it.
Let it cool down completely and add ¼ cup apple cider vinegar to it and a few drops of essential oil (optional).
As the smell of apple cider vinegar is quite pungent, you can add essential oil to it. Even if you don’t do that, the smell of this mixture will go away after its application.
You can use this mixture as a face spray or as a toner.
Using this green tea for acne scars as a toner is a better idea and is easy as well.
Apply it through a cotton pad or spray it directly (shield the eyes), let it sit for a minute and apply your moisturizer for acne-prone skin.
How To Apply Green Tea on the Face Overnight
If you prefer to apply green tea as the night treatment then you can use it overnight, in these forms –
- Green tea gel (mix 1 tablespoon green tea with aloe vera gel and store)
- Green tea mist for acne (simply brewed green tea)
- Green tea seed serums (it’s too nourishing so it is only suitable in winter)
- Green tea night clarity gel
Green Tea for Hormonal Acne
Green tea is miraculous not just for teen acne but for hormonal adult acne as well. It has been proven that it works well both topically and orally.
You can either apply it on your face in the form of gel, mask, toner or mist or you can drink it at least thrice a week if not daily.
I recommend doing both, as green tea is not just effective for acne treatment but is also anti-ageing and anti-oxidant as well. Here are lots of benefits of green tea.
If you are suffering from hormonal acne then follow this routine to get rid of your hormonal acne once and for all. This one is tried and tested!
Green Tea Mask for Acne
- Green Tea Face Mask – Add green tea leaves, and warm water for 2 minutes, after that, add chickpea flour to it, make a paste and apply for 20 minutes.
- Green tea water mask – prepare green tea by boiling one cup of water with one tsp of green tea, once the water changes colour, strain it. Add one teaspoon of honey to it. Mix it properly and let it cool. Add to a bottle and spray on the face covering the whole face. Keep it for 20 minutes and wash it off.
- Sonophoresis Treatment with Green Tea for Acne – In this treatment, the green tea gel is applied on the skin and the ultrasonic device is applied on the skin to fasten the absorption of the gel in this skin. Combined with bamboo extract and lactic acid, it showed great results in acne treatment in females (source).
- Aloe vera Gel & Green tea Mask– Add warm water to green tea leaves and add aloe vera gel. Mix and apply. Keep for 20 minutes and wash off—more info about how to use aloe vera gel for acne.
- Green Tea & Coffee Mask – Mix green tea extract or brewed green tea with one teaspoon of water in half a teaspoon of coffee. Make a concoction, it will be a bit runny but apply it on the skin & acne. Keep it for 20 minutes before washing it off. This mask has been proven to decrease the acne-causing bacteria considerably and treat acne as well (source).
- You must checkout the natural skincare routine for acne treatment that helped me get rid of acne
Other Benefits of Drinking Green Tea for Skin
- Reduces oil, sebum & acne by reducing androgen hormonal levels (source)
- Green tea also protects the skin from sun damage and it has been proven by several studies on green tea and ultraviolet skin damage. So it can be called your internal sunscreen! You need to take it for at least two months regularly to reduce the damage and to see the effects of a decrease in photo ageing.
- Boosts skin elasticity by helping in cell regeneration
- Both topical application and drinking green tea have effects on decreasing sun damage to the skin and decreasing redness as well (source)
Health Benefits of Green Tea
- Decreases cholesterol levels
- More control on Blood pressure ‘
- Better Oral Health
- Anti-ageing properties
- Helps in Weight loss ( see GM diet chart for weight loss in 7 days)
- Improves mental awareness
- Helps in treating genital warts as well (source)
Side-effects of Green Tea
- Can cause mild indigestion if taken empty stomach
- I always eat something with it as it can cause nausea
- Excess of everything is bad, I prefer taking just 2-3 cups in a week while some people drink it every day and others drink 2-3 cups a day. I don’t recommend more than one cup daily.
Forms of Green Tea to Be taken For Acne Treatment
- Green tea leaves or tea bags to be brewed in hot or cold water
- Green tea extracts
- Green tea capsules
- Green tea infused products, I like the plum green tea range and Innisfree green tea seed serum
FAQs
Can I drink green tea every day?
Yes, you can drink green tea every day but it is advised to have just one cup daily and not more than that. Some people experience nausea and indigestion symptoms after consuming green tea. To avoid this, try eating some nuts or a healthy snack with it.
What to add to green tea to make it more effective for acne treatment?
You can make whole hormone-balancing tea. Or you can add liquorice root powder, cinnamon or fennel seeds to your green tea to make it more palatable and increase its efficacy for acne treatment.
P.S. – Low sugar, less milk, less fried food and more fruits & vegetables are the mantra of decreasing acne (source).
That’s all folks, I hope this article will help you get rid of acne faster and rewards you with healthy skin!
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