Research suggests that almost 85% of women suffer from acne at some point. Most people turn to doctors and prescription medications to treat acne. This can help, but it's treating the problem and not the cause. To properly get rid of acne, experts agree you need to work from the inside out to prevent it from forming.
Butterfly pea flower is used in many herbal remedies for acne as well as being an ingredient in commercial skincare products. Using the flower topically or ingesting it can have many benefits for your skin. The butterfly pea flower is excellent at helping clear up acne and other skin conditions.
Many acne creams, washes, and medications can be very harsh on your skin, not to mention they add toxins into your bloodstream. These can have a long-term effect on your health. So, it's no surprise that people are turning to natural remedies to treat acne.
Read on to find out how butterfly pea flower can help treat acne and give you glowing skin without all the harsh chemicals.
The best teas for Acne
TEA | CUPS / DAY |
Butterfly Pea Flower tea | 2-4 |
Rooibos tea | 1-3 |
Skin Tea Belle Femme | 1-2 |
Nettle tea | 1-3 |
Chamomile tea | 2-4 |
Dandelion Tea | 1-3 |
Arrowroot tea | 1-2 |
Lemongrass Tea | 2-4 |
Turmeric Tea | 1-3 |
Butterfly pea flower can reduce redness and irritation
Butterfly pea flower contains compounds that are proven to soothe angry red skin and help minimise swelling.
The flavonoids in the flower are great at combatting redness as well as stopping swelling and irritation. This means that any spots will be smaller, less swollen, and less angry to look at.
Acne is so frustrating because it's so obvious. Particularly if you suffer from cystic acne or hormonal breakouts, the spots can be very red and inflamed. If you pick them, they only stand out even more! Calming the redness should be a priority. |
Drinking just one cup of butterfly pea flower tea per day is enough to instantly relieve redness and calm angry acne. You can also remove the tea leaves after brewing your tea and apply them topically as a mask for less redness within minutes.
This 2018 study proves that some of the antioxidative properties in the flower have a lightening or whitening effect. This can help fade any angry red marks and lighten acne scars and uneven skin colour.
If your skin is broken or damaged, the flower can also help calm everything down to aid the healing process. |
The soothing properties can stop cracked skin from feeling itchy or sore, so you will be less likely to scratch it and make the situation worse. If you find yourself desperate to squeeze that painful zit, the butterfly tea flower will help you forget it's there. Read:
SUMMARYButterfly pea flower contains specific flavonoids that are very soothing and calming for the skin. Drinking just one cup a day or topically applying used tea leaves can calm redness and soothe irritated, cracked, and broken skin. The soothing properties also reduce swelling and help the spot become less painful as well as less noticeable. |
Kill acne-causing bacteria with butterfly pea flower tea
The butterfly pea flower is mildly antibacterial, so it can help clear up acne by eliminating acne-causing bacteria.
Many types of acne are caused by the same types of acne bacteria that clog pores and cause irritation. These bacteria can spread quickly and are often resistant to face cleansers. |
Eliminating these bacteria can be a considerable step towards clearing up acne and preventing it from coming back.
Studies show that the butterfly pea flower plant has some antimicrobial and antibacterial properties that can help to kill off these bacteria from the inside. The antibacterial properties can help kill bacteria currently causing acne, which will result in your acne starting to clear up immediately.
You should continue drinking the tea once your skin has cleared up because the antibacterial compounds can prevent the bacteria from coming back. Using butterfly pea flowers to remove harmful bacteria from your skin can also prevent other infections and irritation so open sores or popped spots won't get infected.
SUMMARYButterfly pea flower has natural antimicrobial and antibacterial properties. Drinking the tea can help kill acne bacteria and prevent them from spreading or coming back. It can also help ensure that open, cracked skin won't get infected. |
The blue tea may improve moisture levels
The best way to deal with dehydrated skin is to hydrate from within. Drinking butterfly pea flower tea helps improve your skin's moisture levels in two ways. Firstly, as a herbal tea, it's just great for overall hydration. A few cups a day will add extra water to your body.
It sounds counter-intuitive because acne often comes with oily skin, but improving the moisture levels in your skin is an important step in tackling persistent acne. Underlying dryness can cause your skin to overproduce oils which clog your pores and lead to spots.
The butterfly pea flower has a high concentration of essential vitamins that support your skin's natural barrier. Butterfly pea flower tea can help ensure your skin stays hydrated for longer and keeps skin healthy, glowing, and plump.
Secondly, the butterfly pea flower contains vitamins A, C, and E, all of which help improve your skin's water retention. Your skin is continuously losing water to the outside world in a process called trans-epidermal water loss. Supporting your skin's natural barrier with these vitamins helps keep your skin hydrated for longer.
With more hydrated skin and less trans-epidermal water loss, your skin will produce fewer oils. Less oil-clogging pores means clearer, brighter skin and fewer spots. |
Hydrated skin has a faster turnover rate, which means your cells are replacing themselves faster, so acne will heal more quickly. Furthermore, a high cell turnover can help to reduce acne scarring and remaining marks.
If you are looking for other ways to help hydrate your skin, check out this article on Marshmallow roots to learn about more long-lasting hydration.
SUMMARYThe butterfly pea flower is full of Vitamins A, C, and E, which help support your skin's natural barrier. This means your skin can retain water and stay hydrated for longer. Hydrated skin produces less oil to clog pores and cause acne. Hydrated skin is plumper, firmer, and has a faster cell turnover which minimises scarring. |
Could butterfly pea flower tea help reduce hormonal acne?
The butterfly pea flower contains anthocyanins which are great for balancing hormones. If you suffer from hormonal acne around your chin and jaw, butterfly pea flower tea could help reduce these breakouts during menstruation.
Hormonal imbalance can cause under-the-skin spots on the bottom part of your face. Dealing with these can be hard because they aren't caused by bacteria or lousy skincare routines. Your hormones are responsible. Balancing your hormone levels is essential in fighting these breakouts that reoccur every month. |
Butterfly pea flowers contain a compound that can help balance your hormones and prevent hormonal breakouts. Specifically, this can help reduce breakouts on the lower half of your face, along your jaw and around your mouth.
The anthocyanins found in the butterfly pea flower can help to reduce hormonal stress meaning fewer breakouts. Any breakouts you do get should be less angry and fade faster. It's best to start drinking the tea before your next period to minimise how many spots you get.
If you are looking for other ways to balance your hormones, read:
- How do I Know if I Suffer from Hormone Imbalance?
- How to balance Oestrogen and Progesterone during your period
- How can I balance my hormones naturally during menopause?
SUMMARYHormonal breakouts usually happen on the lower part of your face. Butterfly pea flowers contain a natural chemical that helps to balance hormones during menstruation. Drinking some tea mode from the flower leading up to and during your period can minimise hormonal breakouts. |
Butterfly pea flowers are packed with antioxidants
Antioxidants are a skincare hero ingredient. You find them in skincare supplements as well as in topical creams because they are so good for your skin. Having acne can cause damage to your skin on a cellular level leaving your skin scarred, uneven in texture, dull or irritated.
Antioxidants help prevent damage from happening and encourage repair if you've already damaged your skin.
Antioxidants in butterfly pea flowers can also help protect against other kinds of damage, including alcohol, smoking, stress, and pollution. All these external stressors cause damage to your skin and can encourage acne bacteria to spread. By flooding your skin with antioxidants, the butterfly pea flower helps stop acne from getting worse. |
The antioxidants in butterfly pea flowers ensure your skin is protected from damage caused by acne bacteria. It can also help encourage repair and stops things like stress, alcohol, and smoking from making acne worse.
The anthocyanins and phenolic compounds in butterfly pea flower tea can help to trigger antioxidant activity throughout your body. Unlike skincare creams applied topically, drinking butterfly pea flower tea helps beat acne throughout the day by ensuring your body stays in repair mode.
Find about more about boosting your antioxidant levels in this article about blue lotus flowers.
SUMMARYButterfly pea flower tea can be used to encourage antioxidant activity in your skin cells. The antioxidants help to repair cell damage caused by acne, which promotes healing. It can also help prevent acne caused by irritations such as smoking, alcohol, and stress. |
Is butterfly pea flower tea suitable for all skin types?
The plant is especially sensitive to pH levels which is why it is perfect for skincare. The tea changes colour if you add lemon juice and reacts instantly. If your skin's pH balance is off, which could be causing your acne, the butterfly pea flower will respond to bring your skin back to a healthy, average pH balance.
Butterfly tea flower has lots of vitamins that support your skin's natural barrier and prevent the spread of acne bacteria, no matter your skin type. The flower is also pH sensitive, which means it can help balance your skin's pH levels, promoting normal skin.
By helping to support your natural skin barrier, butterfly pea flower tea helps fight acne by preventing the spread of acne bacteria. The bacteria can spread via irritated, broken, and damaged skin meaning your acne will spread over more of your face. You need to be gentle with your skin, and help the butterfly tea flower can help keep your skin soft, supple, and healthy. |
The vitamins in butterfly tea flower tea can also help keep your skin healthy. The same vitamins that benefit oily skin also benefit dry and normal skin. Specifically, butterfly pea flowers can support your body's natural production of collagen. Collagen supports your skin's structure and helps keep your skin healthy. The butterfly pea flower can help increase collagen production, meaning beautiful glowing skin.
SUMMARYDrinking butterfly pea flower tea every day can boost your natural collagen levels, balance your skin's pH level and support your natural skin barrier. This helps prevent acne bacteria from spreading and keeps your skin plump, youthful, and glowing. |
Conclusion
A natural way to help reduce existing acne and minimise scarring is to add butterfly pea flower tea to your daily routine.
This colourful flower can help boost collagen, protect your skin from damage, and promote repair. It is instantly calming, helping reduce swelling, redness, and pain making spots less obvious almost immediately.
It can also kill harmful bacteria, prevent infections, fade acne scars, and prevent hormonal acne.