Ovulation is the true main event of the menstrual cycle.

While most of us were taught to organize our cycle around bleeding, biologically the entire month builds toward ovulation. This is your inner summer — a phase of outward vitality, peak circulation, collagen stimulation, and hormonal expression.

It’s often when skin looks luminous and resilient… but it can also be when:

• Breakouts begin forming • Redness feels amplified • Hyperpigmentation appears darker • Oil production shifts

Skin Care:

Live Botanicals Oasis Enzyme Mask

Live Botanicals Oil Cleanser

Laurel Oil Cleanser

Live Botanicals Gel Cleanser

Laurel Sun Serum

Blissoma Photonic SPF

Resources:

Episode 92. Your Skin & Your Cycle: Part 1: The Menstrual Phase

Episode 93. Your Skin & Your Cycle: Part 2: The Follicular Phase

Cookbook: The Moon Cycle Cookbook

Book: The Fifth Vital Sign

✨ Moonday Notes — my weekly love letter with seasonal rituals, skincare wisdom, and herbal support. Sign up here: https://stratumaesthetics.myflodesk.com/newslettersignup

✨ Stratum Aesthetics Apothecary — herbal skincare, castor oil packs, body oils, and tools I use every day. Shop here: https://stratumaesthetics.com/collections

Understanding your monthly cycle is a literal superpower. When you begin to track and work with your cycle, you strengthen your relationship with your physical body and your intuition. This awareness creates clarity, agency, and self-trust, and honestly, I believe the world would be a better place if more of us lived this way!

In today’s episode, we’re continuing our four-part series on the menstrual cycle and the skin, focusing on the follicular phase, the springtime of your cycle. We’ll explore what’s happening hormonally and physiologically, why breakouts can appear after your period, and how to support your skin so it continues to thrive.

Skin Care:

Refine Clay Mask

Unburden Serum

Face Cupping Cups

Resources:

Episode 92. Your Skin & Your Cycle: Part 2: The Menstrual Phase

Book: Wild Power

Book: The Fifth Vital Sign

✨ Moonday Notes — my weekly love letter with seasonal rituals, skincare wisdom, and herbal support. Sign up here: https://stratumaesthetics.myflodesk.com/newslettersignup

✨ Stratum Aesthetics Apothecary — herbal skincare, castor oil packs, body oils, and tools I use every day. Shop here: https://stratumaesthetics.com/collections

If your skin changes every month during your period, it’s easy to dismiss it as “just hormones.” But that explanation doesn't helps us understand what’s actually happening, or how to support our bodies more effectively.

In this episode, we’re taking a closer look at what’s happening in your body during the menstrual phase and why your skin can feel drier, more sensitive, inflamed, or prone to breakouts during this time. We’ll explore how hormonal shifts, inflammation, circulation, and nervous system tone all play a role, and why pushing through your period can make skin symptoms worse.

This is the first episode in a four-part series on your skin through the menstrual cycle. We begin with menstruation, the winter of the cycle, and talk about what changes in the skin are normal, which ones are common but not supportive, and how to work with your body rather than against it.

Wild Power Book

✨ Moonday Notes — my weekly love letter with seasonal rituals, skincare wisdom, and herbal support. Sign up here: https://stratumaesthetics.myflodesk.com/newslettersignup

✨ Stratum Aesthetics Apothecary — herbal skincare, castor oil packs, body oils, and tools I use every day. Shop here: https://stratumaesthetics.com/collections