HOW TO KEEP YOUR SKIN CALM IN A CRISIS
With the global pandemic raging on outside, we are so incredibly lucky to be able to retreat to the relative safety of home and hide there for the foreseeable. Whilst many are using this time to read, catch up on box sets, complete those house projects we keep putting off to the summer/weekends/when there’s no football on; many of us are using the time for self care. There’s something quintessentially luxurious about days without a scrap of makeup on, in comfy clothes, perfectly manicured and pedicured (because, you know, we have the time) and generally waltzing about looking like a skincare advert. HOWEVER, have you considered that your skin doesn’t know how to cope with all this new found attention?
KEEP IT SIMPLE, STUPID
The temptation when time is on your hands, is to “treat yoself” to an at home facial. Which is great and I’m sure appreciate by your skin however, not daily. We have the luxury of time at our disposal however, messing with your skin routine can have negative impacts and cause long term damage that you may not be considering right now. Think of it like a houseplant; just because you now have the time to water it, prune it and repot it everyday, doesn’t mean you should!
- Too much exfoliating; The signs that you’re using your exfoliator too much include: excessive dryness, irritation, redness, and sensitivity.
- Too much moistursing; Some signs you may be over-moisturizing are clogged pores, blackheads, bumpy skin and excess oil. Over moisturizing signals to your skin that it has enough water, lipids and protein (skin’s building blocks) and that it can slow down the production of these important skin nutrients. This can turn into a vicious cycle in which your skin appears dry because it’s no longer producing necessary nutrients which causes you to moisturize more.
Bear in mind, particularly in the UK, it has been a relatively mild winter therefore, your skin hasn’t been stripped and dehydrated as much as usual over the colder months. If you’re looking for something to do, paint and repaint your nails, step away from the scrub!
KEEP IT CLEAN
With everything I’ve said in mind… still keep your skin clean. You might think because you’re not wearing makeup your skin is clean but there is still the accumulation of dirt, sweat, dust and oils in your skin as you’d experience outside the house. Ensure that your cleansing routine is maintained – whatever it may be. You may even find that the ritual of your little self care is all the more enjoyable for having the time to do it thoroughly. I have found that rather than “a thing I have to do before I go to bed” cleansing and moisturising has become a time when I really look at my face, check in with myself and bookends by day, whilst using my rose quartz roller:
WATCH YOUR CORTISOL LEVELS
Stress triggers a wide range of physiological and behavior changes and responses including a spike in adrenaline and cortisol.
- Increased adrenaline and cortisol causes us to sweat to more which can lead to you becoming more dehydrated. Keeping your water levels up will help to offset this dehydration and keep you balanced.
- These stress hormones, particularly cortisol, causes an inflammatory response within the immune system and conditions such as an eczema or psoriasis can flare up or be exacerbated by stress.
- That shift in hormone levels ― cortisol in particular ― caused by stress can also be a contributing factor to pesky acne breakouts.
All in all cortisol is a big disruptor to skin; we all know that managing stress is difficult but you can help yourself by ensuring you get plenty of sleep, plenty of water and try to keep stress at bay as much as possible – not easy I know! Alongside this, keep your skin clean with gentle cleansers and hydrating moisturisers to remove excess oil and keep the skin well hydrated.
NO TOUCHING OF THE HAIR OR FACE
Luckily everyone has become very aware of how much they are touching their faces at the moment – you may have noticed how much you do touch your face throughout the day once you’re told not to! Keeping phones hygienically clean, not touching your face and regularly cleaning pillowcases are all key in keeping bacteria and oils at bay.
