Infusions for your skin
Reading the skin can be one of the most resourceful parts of my work but the hardest part isn’t actually acquiring the information but rather delivering it. I’ve slowly gotten more comfortable throughout the years with telling my clients that they are depleted. I know how I feel when someone tells me I’m less than full and it can be tricky information to receive. The panic starts to set in that you have to try to turn your whole life around in order to just get back to zero instead of chronically negative. We all don’t want to be operating less than what we optimally would need or want to but we also might not have the best time to refuel. That’s when herbal infusions come into the big picture of health-hacking. Today I want to discuss a few of my favorite infusion recipes for different skin conditions.
Now first, I’m not an herbalist nor am I the type who wants to step outside of my skincare boundaries to tell you that ingesting something will clear your skin. I am simply going to share my experience on what infusions have done for me and some clients who have tried it. So with that, please do your own research and check in with your primary care doctor or naturopath to see if you are contraindicated to any herbs or need additional support for any vitamin and mineral depletion.
For a long time I thought that infusions were just tea, and to an extent they are. But part of me didn’t really understand why even just tea was so incredible for us. I have been a tea drinker ever since I was a singer in choir class because I would lose my voice so frequently. I would still to the single ingredient teas until I was older and experimenting with detoxing my system for the first time. I fell in love with blends from traditional medicinals, kusmi, and more recently neakita organics. The difference between infusions and tea is essentially the period of time that you allow the herbs to float freely in order to fully immerse their constituents into the boiled water. This process allows the water to fully mineralize from the herbal formula. Part of me loves this idea because the cheapest way to purify water is to boil it so it’s immediately more beneficial to the system. The other part of me finds the use of specialty herbs much more beneficial if we can just let them soak until we can absorb the most use out of them. This practice just makes sense and is as easy to prepare as your daily tea.
Most of us have absorption problems with our bodies because we are depleted in the vitamin or mineral needed to absorb the vitamin or mineral that it pairs with. For example, many people who are vitamin d deficient typically need a blend of D3 and K2 in order to absorb the benefits into their system. Minerals are often the missing link for great skin recovery when we experience conditions such as post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation, hyperpigmentation due to excess stagnation in hormones, dehydrated skin, and chronic conditions such as eczema.
What you want to do is simply add the appropriate herb to water ratio to a big mason jar with a lid. Typically 1-3 teaspoon of your herb of choice per cup of water is ideal. Start by adding in the herbs to your mason jar and pour over your boiled water to start infusing. I let the mason jar sit sealed overnight either on my countertop or if I’m making a bulk amount, in my refrigerator. In the morning I simply strain out the herbs to enjoy the smooth taste of mineral-rich infusion water.
My favorite infusion recipes include the following options:
Nettle, Oat Straw, alfalfa, horsetail, red clover, mint (mineral rich)
Lavender, red clover, lemon (calming)
Rosehip, hibiscus, dandelion (more detox)
You can play around or speak with an herbalist about a blend that is right for you but when I started I would mix in nettle for its rich vitamin B profile to help restore my adrenals, and oat straw to help soothe my nervous system.
Other herb benefits include:
Alfalfa is rich in vitamin K, soothing to the digestion, and can become a great blood cleanser
Horsetail is rich in silica, helps with kidney and bladder support, and is anti-bacterial
Red Clover is great for PMS, menopause, helps with coughs, and is great for most skin conditions
Mint can soothe the digestive tract and calm the system of irritation, cramps, and indigestion
Lavender is antiseptic, soothing, healing for cuts, and can also help reduce any anxiety
Lemon balm helps to heal wounds, supports the heart and liver, and is a wonderful antioxidant
Rosehip is filled with vitamin C to help with overall immunity as well as support skin healing for wounds and scars
Hibiscus is antioxidant rich to help prevent oxidative stress, supports healthy cholesterol and is naturally a wonderful source of AHA
Dandelion is amazing for supporting liver detoxification, and is rich in iron, calcium, vitamins c + a
On Thursday, June 14th I will be serving up infusions during my event at the new Osea Malibu storefront on Abbot Kinney. Check out all the details here and I hope you can make it. I’d love to hear some of your favorite infusion success stories and recipes. Comment below with any tips or herbs that you love! Most of the herbs I find are from Mountain Rose Herbs and local markets where you can really get an education from the staff. Just remember that I recommend you speak with your healthcare provider on which profile works for you and the recommended dosage.
Have a beautiful day everyone and thank you for reading!
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