signs of stressed skin

Stress is a natural part of life - let's all face it, it's unavoidable (especially when we're dealing with a viral pandemic). Whether you're worrying about your grandparents' health, trying to figure out why your bf/gf hasn't told you they love you yet or avoiding your best friend because you don't wanna tell her you spilt olive oil all over her favourite Kookai top, stress has a way of creeping up on us, settling in and making itself at home.

The worst part? Stress will most likely appear on your skin (you can almost hear the words 'hi b*tch' as you start to see a pimple form on your forehead).  Most often than not, when your body's in almost-hit-breaking-point mode, hormones are released into the bloodstream, creating different reactions in your skin. 

The good part? Most people deal with stress-related acne and other irritations at least once in their lifetime (this is supposed to make you feel better about the colony of pimples on your cheek that are refusing to leave). 

Luckily for you, there is a way to calmly and efficiently banish your nasty little face craters so you can get back your glowin', healthy skin in no time (and it doesn't have to mean spending heaps of cashola on skincare products). We've put together a list of how to look out for your skin's distress signals and what to do when it starts freaking the f*ck out. 

Irritation 

Chances are if you're yelling at the tv because the bachelor just eliminated a contestant you really liked or you feel like crying because you realised you forgot to buy milk at the supermarket, you're feeling irritated thanks to stress. When you feel this way, your skin picks up on it and starts to irritate you right back.

This could manifest itself as rashes and itchy skin, and for the reeeaallly unlikely ones, this could mean hives or major redness. 

When you feel like your skin might be going down this path, the best thing to do is try to remain as calm as possible (easier said than done, we know). Try cutting out caffeine (we also know this is easier said than done) as it will only stimulate your brain and give it more capacity to overthink the things you're stressing over. 

Perhaps run yourself a bath, indulge in some herbal tea and pop on some of our Lavender Body Oil + Face Cleanser for a little R & R. The lavender will help soothe stressed and tired skin and might even help to calm you down enough so you can get a proper 9 hours of sleep. It's worth a try right? 

Adult Acne 

Ahhh the joys of adulthood. You may have assumed that your puberty fuelled acne days were long behind when you graduated from high school but the little line of angry looking, torch welding, spots of gunk on your face are saying otherwise.

The scary thing is, you can go to bed with a perfectly clear face of skin and unbeknownst to you, while you're sleeping the pimple fairies are creating havoc on your face as a nice little surprise for when you wake up. Like how rude of them. 

The trick is not to let them win. Try not to let your sudden appearance of acne get you even more stressed out. Your skin is throwing a hissy fit because of the chemical imbalance in your body. To fix this, try getting some fresh air - it could be as easy as opening the back door and standing outside for a couple of minutes a day. During this time, let your mind relax and let go of everything that's worrying you. 

Maybe you could do that while wearing our Rose Pink Clay Face Mask? We guarantee it'll help restore and replenish your skin thanks to its dynamite duo of chamomile and lavender. Or there's the Hemp Face Oil, your go-to breakout warrior that's 100% down to pummel those pimples all the while helping to protect and hydrate your skin. 

Accelerated Ageing 

We're gonna hazard a guess and say you don't like looking 47 years old even though you've just celebrated your 30th birthday. Yep, that's right. Intense stress doesn't just feel like it ages you, it actually does. 

When you’re stressed out, the cortisol (an important hormone) disrupts your circadian rhythms and breaks down your skin structure, leaving the cells responsible for slowing down the ageing process (in other words, they relax and produce wrinkles). 

Our advice? Try to get as much sleep as you can. Turn your room into a tranquil place of serenity by turning off your phone at 9pm (we know talking to your friends on House Party is addictive but enough's enough) and by playing calming music before you drift off to sleep. 

You know who's the perfect bedtime buddy? Our Cactus Face + Hair Oil! We only have two words for you: deep hydration. 

Dullness 

Not only does stress make you struggle to hang in there but it also encourages your skin to knock off at 4pm on a Friday afternoon. Your skin can't renew itself as quickly as it normally does and instead of shinin' brighter than the sun in the middle of February, your skin becomes dull and lifeless looking. 

Help your complexion out by exfoliating regularly. This will help to eliminate dead skin cells so new ones can take their place and have you looking hydrated and fresher than ever. Girl, your glow will be back in no time, especially if you use our Hemp + Rosemary Sugar Body Scrub. 

While you're soaking in your scrub, it might also be a good idea to talk to someone about the stress you're feeling. Instead of using your phone to scroll through instagram, call a friend. Chances are they might be going through a tough time too and when it comes to problems, two heads are definitely better than one. 

At a time like this, it can be easy to forget that you're not alone. Calling someone you love will remind you that we're all in this together (never thought we'd use a high school musical reference but here we are). 

Dehydration 

Not only should you be keeping up with your nutrition because it's just al' round good for you but dehydrating yourself is awful for your skin. Your personal problems can also affect your skin's radiance if it doesn't get the fuel it needs to keep shinin'. 

The outer layer of your skin protects you from bacteria and all kinds of things that can penetrate it, but it won't if your cortison levels are high, leaving your normally healthy & plump face sallow looking and grey. 

Feeding your skin nourishing omega fatty acids can help deliver essential nutrients and restore that dewy glow. By hydrating your skin we don't just mean water, although we recommend drinking heaps of that too, but filling your diet with foods such as salmon, almonds, and avocados (healthy fats) will do wonders. 

Try eating those foods and applying our Rose Body Oil.