Magic Potion for Beautiful Skin
Written by Lauren Arent (Lo Clark)
Owner of Bewitched Esthetics & Licensed Esthetician since 2013
Hello my darlings,
Today we are going to make a magic potion for beautiful skin. I’m only kind of kidding. Herbal teas have been made for thousands of years and it is only in more recent times that I have met people who don’t realize that herbal teas are the original magic potions! Seriously, I am not exaggerating.
There are potions to help you sleep (chamomile, lavender, skullcap tea), potions to settle your stomach or for digestion (peppermint, mango, or ginger tea), even potions for fertility (raspberry leaf and nettle). The secret ingredients to these potions aren’t ‘eye of newt’ or ‘batwing’ as we see so often in movies. The ingredients are herbs. Plants with medicinal properties. As I learn and understand which herbs aid in which ailment, I find it a treat to go to a grocery store and read the labels of popular teas like Yogi or Bigelow or Celestial brands. Try it next time you go, the tea you drink is an herbal blend – sometimes with some unsavory additives.
Which is why I am going to let you in on a little secret. You can make your own herbal blends at home for a fraction of the cost. AND these blends will be healthier and more potent!
Why You Should Make Your Own Herbal Blend
Herbal teas bought at the store have a couple of downsides:
#1. Often come in bags with microplastics
Just a fact of our culture. Tea bags these days are often made with microplastics which when steeped in hot water is literally just infusing plastic into your drink. Absolutely not. Microplastics can lead to devastating consequences like cancer and hormone imbalance. Don’t want it!
#2. Pesticides
If you are not purchasing certified organic teas, then you are brewing a cup of pesticides. A lot of time these herbs aren’t even washed before they are dried! If you are going to purchase from the grocery store, please be sure to pick a brand that is organic!
#3. Added colors
Some tea brands will add color to their teas because when we steep tea, we have grown accustomed to being able to see it “work”. The color fills the cup of hot water as the tea steeps. The more colorful, the more potent – or at least that is what our brain tells us. Find a trusted tea brand (there are so many small batch brands out there) or make your own!
#4. Lack of Efficacy
When you buy tea at the store it comes in individual bags of small herbs, who knows how long those herbs have been in that bag. When you make your own teas, you know the shelf life and you can use a proper dose of herbs for a more effective tea!
#5. Cost
Buying your herbs in bulk is SO MUCH more cost effective than buying one of those boxes of tiny tea bags. Or at least, if you’re going to be consuming on a regular basis! When I was pregnant and had to drink three cups of raspberry leaf tea a day, I started by buying Traditional Medicinals Tea (one of my favorite box brands) and it cost something like $6 a box for 16 bags of tea. When I went to the apothecary and bought in bulk, it was more like $6 for what I needed for the remainder of my pregnancy. I still have some left!
Where to Get Ingredients for Your Magic Potion for Beautiful Skin
There are many ways to get your herbs for your magic potion for beautiful skin. Wild sourcing is a time consuming way that is wonderful but not accessible to all of us, especially us newbs who wouldn’t even know where to start looking. You can grow your own. If you get started now, we could be drinking tea by the end of the summer. Or…you can head to your local apothecary. This is my favorite method. I absolutely love the word apothecary. The one here in Boise (Vervain Collective) is fabulous and I might be spoiled because they always have every herb I need.
When preparing to make your magic potion for beautiful skin, start by researching apothecaries in the area. If you don’t have one, you can order the ingredients online. I recommend Mountain Rose Herbs, they are a reliable source for bulk herbs!
What Do The Herbs Do In Your Magic Potion for Beautiful Skin
Horsetail – high in silica which is good for healthy hair, nails and bones as well as containing vitamin C, B and K, minerals calcium, magnesium, iron, zinc, and copper, and antioxidants. It can reduce inflammation and is good for overall skin health.
Spearmint Leaf – aids in hormone balance, contains vitamin C, folate, iron, copper, manganese, and potassium, and is high in antioxidants. Said to aid in reducing teenage acne (may be useful for other hormonal acne!)
Raspberry Leaf – many drink this tea in replacement of a multivitamin because it is so nutrient dense. It helps to strengthen the female body system, hence being excellent to drink during pregnancy. It is excellent in combination with nettle as the health benefits compliment each other.
Rose Petals – not petals from store bought leaves. This is incredibly important. You must use wild or no-spray leaves to avoid any pesticides in your magic potion for beautiful skin. The rose has long been a symbol of beauty, known to aid in overall skin health as well as reduce inflammation. In this potion, the rose adds both color and harmony to the other herbs.
Nettle Leaf – Where Raspberry leaf is high in iron, nettle is high in calcium as well as being a good source of magnesium. Nettle leaf aids in detoxing the kidneys which keeps the skin toxin free and clear!
Oat Straw – is calming and soothing for the nervous system, helping to ease stress and prevent the issues caused by stress within the body and therefore from showing up on the skin. Nutritionally, oat straw is high in silica (good for hair and nails), calcium, vitamin B, and flavonoids. Like the rose petal, the oat straw brings balance and harmony to our magic potion for beautiful skin.
Cinnamon – I love to use cinnamon as a natural sweetener. It’s a very subtle sweetness (I don’t love a sickly sweet tea) and comes with the spiciness that cinnamon is well known for. This is also a stimulant, helping to move all the benefits of this tea through the body swiftly. Cinnamon can help to regulate blood sugar levels which can be very helpful when trying to reduce sugar intake (see my article on how sugar affects skin health).
*If you do not enjoy the taste of cinnamon, you can add honey to sweeten your tea. Honey has long been used for its medicinal properties. It is high in antioxidants and polyphenols, making it anti inflammatory, anti-fungal, and antimicrobial. Raw honey contains prebiotics, learn how these can benefit the health of your skin with this article.
How to Brew This Magic Potion for Beautiful Skin
Boil a pot of purified water and let your herbs infuse as the water cools. I would give it at least 10 minutes to steep. If you have never used loose leaf tea before there are a couple ways to allow the herbs to infuse in the water without becoming a mess.
#1. Paper tea bags. These are great and budget friendly! Easy for a single serving of your tea but not as easy if you are making a large batch. No microplastics and these are compostable! Here is the link to where I get mine.
#2. A tea strainer. Again, great for making a single cup. You can drop it into your tea cup and remove it when you’ve reached your desired potency. They make so many cute ones now, here is one I believe is entirely practical.
#3. This is what I use most often. I tend to get slightly frustrated with the paper bags (they don’t always hold together with as much herbs as I use) and I feel as though the individual tea strainers will occasionally let a few herbs slip into my tea which makes sipping a little chunky. I love my gorgeous tea kettle, it’s cast iron so I can even take it camping! What I love about my little tea kettle most is the strainer on the inside. No mess, it fits right into my tea kettle. I can pour my tea straight into my cup without having to dump out herbs and it holds a whole lot of herbs. In this way I can brew a big batch and keep some in the fridge!
Something that came in really handy during my pregnancy was the ability to remove the strainer. It fits almost perfectly into most of my mugs so I would just brew my tea this way because I was drinking at least three cups of NORA tea a day!
When mixing your tea, you will notice the recipe comes in ‘parts’ not cups or tablespoons. This is the traditional herbalism method of making tea, easy because you can adjust your formula for making the batch size your wish. You can use any measurement to set up your formula and go by ‘parts’. For example, replace ‘parts’ for teaspoons for making a small batch or cups if making a large batch, keeping the ratio of herbs used even across the board.
Magic Potion for Beautiful Skin
Equipment
- tea kettle
- tea cup
- tea strainer/tea bag
Ingredients
- 5 parts horsetail
- 5 parts spearmint leaf
- 3 parts rose petal
- 2 parts nettle leaf
- 2 parts oatstraw
- 1 part cinnamon chips or honey
Instructions
- Mix all ingredients together (except the honey)
- If making a small batch, add into a tea bag, if making a large batch, use a larger strainer
- Steep in hot water for 5 minutes and allow to cool
- Drink up to 3x a day for a month for best results!
Let’s get a little more magical while we make our magic potion for beautiful skin, just for fun!
*You can cleanse your tea cup with sage or palo santo smoke. Before doing any spell, it is a good idea to cleanse the vessel. Sometimes, I can pick up a slightly smoky flavor in my tea, perfect for colder months.
*For an extra boost, try stirring clockwise (deosil) to manifest and counterclockwise (widdershins) to banish. Three times is a lovely magic number. Once to do the job, twice to get it done, and three times for good measure.
*Don’t forget your affirmations! When stirring deosil, manifest beautiful, glowing skin with words like these:
“I am radiant. My skin glows.”
“My skin shows not a single blemish or large pore.”
“My fine lines and wrinkles fade away.”
When stirring widdershins, banish skin issues and blemishes with words like these:
“There is not a single blemish on my beautiful skin.”
“Dry and cracked skin heals swiftly with my care.”
“Fine lines recede more and more each day from my face.”
*Like so many of my recipes, this can actually be applied topically if desired! Pour into a clean spray bottle to use as a facial mist or pat onto the skin as a toner. Apply to a cotton round after cleansing and gently sweep over the skin. Due to the lack of preservatives, you will want to keep the bottle in the fridge and be sure to throw it out after a few days then brew a new batch of your magic potion for beautiful skin.
Enjoy Your Magic Potion for Beautiful Skin
To maximize the benefits of this tea, it is recommended to drink 1 cup three times a day for a month.
Please note as a *Disclaimer* that I am NOT a doctor and in no way, stated or implied, is any of the information I provide on my website or in this article meant to diagnose, treat or prevent or cure any illness or disease. Please seek medical attention from your doctor if you have concerns or if you are taking prescription meds, if you are nursing or pregnant.
My midwife gave me the go ahead to drink nettle, raspberry leaf, and oat straw (NORA tea components) during my third trimester but there was an increase in Braxton Hicks so I always advise speaking to a licensed expert about herbs before trying, it certainly made me feel more comfortable.
These statements are not FDA approved and I don’t really care that they aren’t but I need to tell you the facts. If you would like to know if it matters if the FDA approves of this recipe, please listen to this podcast on the Model Health Show.
Enjoy making this magic potion for beautiful skin. I deeply believe magic should bring everyone joy and wonder. There is magic, even in the mundane, you just have to have the eyes to see it. Tag me in your brews on social media @bewitchedskinandsoul and I will share you to my stories!
Wishing you a life full of beauty and blessings!
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