I love that so many of us are choosing not to wear makeup while we're #staying home. We're giving our skin a true chance to breathe and we're learning to love it without makeup too, because y'all know beauty begins on the inside, yeah?!
But perhaps you're wondering why you don't have that insane glossy #glow you'd expect from not wearing makeup? I'm hearing from you gals that, sadly, you're actually seeing your skin breakout during this COVID-19 lockdown, and here's why this is happening:
Stress is leading to acne on your skin
Even though you may not be having to do the daily commute from office to home and back, the stressors are real. From worrying about your family's daily routine to stressing over job cuts or pay cuts. And all of it is taking a toll on your skin causing breakouts. When we are stressed, our body releases cortisol. When this happens in abundance, it lowers the oestrogen production which leads to a spike in androgen levels. Androgens play a vital role in connecting with the sebaceous glands. When stressed, these glands over produce oil. Our pores close up because of the excess oil, and these clogged pores lead to an inflammation cause an acne breakout. In summary, stress leads to inflammation which may lead to breakouts.
Not having enough water
It's important to hydrate yourself through the day, we all know this, yet so many of us are forgetting to drink enough water at the moment. We're out of routine, we're out of sync and sometimes the most basic of things might be forgotten. The easiest thing you can do for the benefit of your skin is drink more water!
Increasing alcohol consumption
A whole lot of us are reaching out for a glass of wine to unwind or de-stress at the end of our hectic days. I'm not here to lecture you on how much (or how little) alcohol you should be drinking, but just know, alcohol can deprive your skin of essential vitamins and nutrients, leaving it feeling dull, causing puffiness and this can also lead to breakouts.
Lack of sleep
Getting a good night's sleep at the moment is challenging for us all. If you are sleep-deprived due to stress you might lie to read this article on how to recover from a bad night's sleep. Ongoing poor sleep can definitely take a toll on your skin, leading to dull skin (if this is you try this Face Mask), dehdyrated skin (if this is you try this moisturiser) and eventually even breakouts.
Indulging and emotional eating
Right now your relationship with food may be a little more fragile than normal. You're likely to be eating differently than normal. Now is such an important time to offer yourself compassion and acceptance in all areas of life (including what you're eating).
We can't be expected to be moving, working, eating etc as normal, because nothing about this situation is normal. You might be stress-eating, over eating or even forgetting to eat, and I get this, but rather than beating yourself up for this, try simply accepting what has happened and ask "how do I feel?".
And, if you have recognised you want to make some changes, and because these changes in your usual diet may lead to breakouts, read here about how to bust your sugar cravings.
Your key to healthy skin
We've developed a super simple three step regime for glowing skin which you can learn about here or check out the free eBook 9 Beauty Rituals for Glowing Skin here. As always, I read every message, so please feel free to get in contact by commenting below or messaging me here.
Be well,
Jacqueline x