By Alice Hartwell for THE GLOWCERY
No matter how good your skin, everyone’s face goes through the odd freakout every now and again. You know those mornings when you wake up, look in the mirror and wonder how so much chaos could have ensued overnight? This is most definitely an SOS skincare scenario, but what steps should we take when our skin just isn’t playing ball? In our latest post, we’re diving into SOS skincare, potential reasons behind your skin freakout, and top products from The Glowcery to help get your skin back to its glowy, happy self.
Reasons your skin might be throwing a temper tantrum:
Hormonal changes
Hormonal shifts in the body causing your skin to freak out is a tale as old as time. Sadly for those of us who go through monthly reproductive cycles, our hormones can end up all over the place. This may lead to irritated and acne-prone skin, typically in the run-up to or during your period.
Lifestyle factors
One word: stress. Sadly, we can’t always control how stress-filled our lives are. With busy jobs and personal lives, sometimes it can only take something small to send us down a stress spiral. Unfortunately, this can often be detrimental to our skin, with stress spots making their highly unwelcome appearance.
Diet
You are what you eat, and there have been many links made between diet and skin quality. Certain foods are typically more likely to trigger freakouts. These include fried foods, dairy, sugar and white carbs.
Poor sleep quality
A good night’s sleep is vital for the proper functioning of our bodies and minds and also has huge sway on the condition of our skin. Poor sleep quality means your body is less able to restore and heal, leaving you more prone to unhappy skin.
Weakened skin barrier
It’s important to have a strong skin barrier to fight environmental stressors, prevent infections and keep your skin happy overall. When this is weakened (often through the over-enthusiastic use of active ingredients in skincare) you’re likely to find your skin more freakout-prone.
Tips for coping in your SOS skincare moments
Strip your routine back to basics
When you’re in the midst of a skin freakout, the best thing you can do is keep your skincare simple and ride it out. Use as few products as possible that won't irritate the skin. A gentle cleanse and moisturise will suffice until your skin calms down. Our Blue Dew Fruit Enzyme Oil to Milk Cleanser is perfect for stressed-out skin as it gently removes impurities without stripping and irritating the face further.
Lay off the active ingredients
When your skin is in SOS mode, using multiple products with active ingredients (like retinol and acids) will only make it angrier. For the moment, simply focus on hydrating and moisturising the skin so it can heal and settle down.
Know that you are more than your skin
There’s no denying that a bad skin day, or even bad skin weeks, can take a toll on your self-esteem. While SOS skin can be hard to sit with, it’s important to remember that no one's skin is perfect (even though Instagram wants us to think otherwise) and this freakout will pass. Try not to be too hard on yourself, because we are all more than our skin.
How to deal with your freakout:
For breakouts and acne flare-ups
Typically during a bad period of breakouts, the skin is irritated and inflamed to boot. In this scenario, focus on calming the skin to reduce inflammation. Look to also use hydrating products like our Clean Greens Superfood Serum to help the skin heal and limit any further flare-ups.
For dry, dull skin
If your skin is having a perpetually dry or even flaky moment, focus on hydration. Apply a moisturiser or serum multiple times a day if need be until your skin regains a normal balance.
For sensitive, irritated skin
When you’re experiencing a bout of redness and sensitivity, go in with calming products like our Tomato Tonic Fragrance-Free Superfood Serum which helps to soothe redness and strengthen the skin barrier