Spearmint for hair reduction.

Spearmint tea is a great addition to the arsenal of the transitioning woman. Spearmint has a chemical in it that has anti androgenic properties. Mainly it acts on the follicles of the facial and body hair, interrupting the androgen receptors in the follicle that would signal the need to produce hair when testosterone is present. It does not interfere with the hair on your head, which is a big bonus to many of us trans women. (me included!)
For centuries women have used spearmint to combat unwanted body hair. Turkish researchers have confirmed that the stuff works.
Trans women can add spearmint to their regimen of HRT without fear of side effects and it is rather effective. I have used spearmint tea to great effect. Prior to drinking the tea I was on estrogen and anti androgens but my body hair had only responded in a minor way. I was rather upset as I would shave 2 times a day and I couldn’t keep up with the hair. Then I read about spearmint and I was intrigued. After procuring a pound of bulk spearmint for about $15 USD I started to drink a quart of tea a day. I would drink half in the morning and half in the evening. It took about a month to notice any results but eventually I started to see it. My body hair grows in allot slower. I can go a week or two before I need to reshave my legs. My face I can go two days before I need a shave, whereas before I needed to shave twice a day to control that hideous shadow. Also the thickness of the individual hairs and the density of hair have substantially reduced. My hair is much more femme than before.
I call spearmint tea my “HRTea”. Spearmint has medicinal properties beyond hair reduction it treats fever, flu, cold or to calm nervous stomach.
The way I like to do it is to make a quart of strong spearmint and black tea in the morning. I drink half and save half for latter in the day as it is best like many medications to do more than one dose daily. Spreading it out 12 hours apart would work best but as I like to add regular tea to my brew for flavor I don’t drink it to late in the evening due to the caffeine.

Here is the recipe I use:

HRTea
I boil a quart of water after it boils reduce the heat to simmer and throw in about 1/6-1/4 of an ounce of tea to the water (a moderate handful). Add a teaspoon of lemon and a small pinch of salt. (the lemon adds acidity to the water and assists the chemicals to release from the plant material) For flavor you can also add a couple of normal tea bags. Cover and let sit for 15 minutes. The brew needs to steep for at least 15 minutes, as this is how long it takes for the majority of the anti androgen to release from the plant material. Then strain. Sugar and lemon make it yummy.