Menstruation: Support your skin during your period with clean, hormone-safe skincare. Calm breakouts, reduce sensitivity, and nourish your skin naturally.
Your hormones change weekly, your skincare should too.
Your menstrual cycle affects much more than your mood or energy levels. It influences how your skin behaves from oil production and hydration to inflammation, collagen levels, and even sensitivity. Tuning into your cycle and adjusting your skincare accordingly can be a game changer for skin clarity, texture, and glow.
Here’s a breakdown of how your hormones shift through the four phases of your cycle and what your skin needs during each one.
1.Menstrual Phase (Days 1–5): Focus: Hydrating
Hormones: Estrogen and progesterone are at their lowest.
What you might notice: Dullness, dryness, increased sensitivity, and slower skin cell turnover.
Your body is focused on menstruation; it's a time of physical depletion. This drop in hormones means less oil production, making the skin feel dry, tight, or more irritated than usual.
What your skin needs:
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Barrier repair and moisture
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Soothing, anti-inflammatory ingredients
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Minimalism less is more
Routine Tips:
Use a cream or oil-based cleanser to avoid stripping the skin
Hydrate deeply with hyaluronic acid, calendula, or oat-based products
Nourish the skin barrier with squalane, jojoba, or magnesium oil
Avoid retinoids, strong acids, or exfoliants
Apply a warm compress or calming mask if you feel inflammation
Behrhaus Recommends: Use the Cloudburst Balancing Gel Hydrator for deep hydration and barrier support.
2. Follicular Phase (Days 6–13): Focus: Brightening
Hormones: Estrogen starts rising; testosterone remains low.
What you might notice: Glowing skin, more elasticity, better texture, less oiliness.
This is the time your skin naturally starts to bounce back. Estrogen boosts collagen production, improves hydration, and encourages healthy cell turnover.
What your skin needs:
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Gentle exfoliation to clear away buildup from your period
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Brightening and protective ingredients
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Lightweight moisture
Routine Tips:
Use a fruit enzyme or oil-based exfoliant to reveal fresh skin
Incorporate antioxidant serums (vitamin C, green tea, strawberry extract)
Hydrate with aloe or hyaluronic acid
Light facial massage supports circulation and lymph drainage
Behrhaus Recommends: Our Daily Glow Oil helps enhance your natural radiance with hormone-safe botanicals.
3. Ovulation Phase (Around Day 14):Focus: Balancing
Hormones: Estrogen peaks, and testosterone spikes briefly.
What you might notice: Glowy skin, but more oil production and possible clogged pores — especially around the chin or T-zone.
Your skin often looks its best right around ovulation, supple, smooth, and glowing but the sudden rise in testosterone can cause increased sebum production and set the stage for breakouts.
What your skin needs:
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Oil-balancing support
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Gentle detoxing
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Pore care
Routine Tips:
Use a clay-based mask or niacinamide serum for balance
Spot treat blemishes with hormone-safe botanicals (like mint, thyme, or tea tree hydrosol)
Keep the skin clean but not stripped pH-balanced cleansers are key
Consider a probiotic mist or serum to support microbiome balance
Behrhaus Recommends: Ms Skincare ritual Ayurvedic Clay mask can be used post-cleanse or mid-day to reduce bacteria and inflammation naturally.
4. Luteal Phase (Days 15–28): Focus: Clarifying
Hormones: Progesterone rises, then estrogen and progesterone drop toward the end.
What you might notice: Puffiness, breakouts, clogged pores, more oil, and possible redness aka the pre-period phase.
This is often the most challenging skin phase. Progesterone can cause your skin to retain more water (hello, puffiness), while sebaceous glands go into overdrive. This leads to more breakouts and congestion especially along the jawline or around the mouth.
What your skin needs:
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Anti-inflammatory care
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Gentle clarifying
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Stress support (inside and out)
Routine Tips:
Incorporate a gentle clarifying cleanser or spot treatment
Avoid aggressive acne treatments focus on calming inflammation
Add in adaptogenic ingredients (magnesium oil, licorice root, chamomile)
Support your stress response with lymphatic drainage, herbal teas, and more rest
Behrhaus Recommends: Our Gentle Exfoliating Oil is ideal here not just for exfoliation, but for feeding the skin with anti-inflammatory plant oils.
Your Skin is Cyclical Just Like You
When you learn to shift your skincare rhythm with your body’s hormonal shifts, you give your skin exactly what it needs without fighting against it. It’s a softer, smarter way to care for yourself.
And best of all? You don’t need a drawer full of complicated products. Just a few trusted, hormone-safe essentials that work with your body, not against it.
Ready to start syncing your skincare to your cycle?
Explore our Behrhaus Cycle-Safe Routine each formula designed with hormone health in mind.
