Well, 2020 has definitely been an interesting year! We are experiencing a global pandemic, most countries and states have sheltered in place, businesses have shut down, conspiracies have run rampant, a civil rights movement has been ignited from a horrific chain of unjustifiable events amongst every day life happenings. Not to mention, we are in an election year. Can we say STRESS?
I’ve done my best to pivot and get creative in these challenging times. With bans being lifted and people going out and about more publicly, many establishments require an individual to wear a mask before entering. In my own business, I make it a point to keep my mask on, even if a client tells me they don’t expect me to wear it. Because I wear my mask 8+ hours a day, I’ve started to notice my skin has been feeling irritated, with blemishes popping up in places I don’t normally have problematic skin. In fact, as I’ve shared with many people in my community, I have dry skin and am prone to fine lines and wrinkling, not breakouts our irritations. I have also had more clients come in and share their frustrations with “chin-strap” acne and irritations along their cheeks, jaw and chin. What’s the cause of this new rise in cases of stressed out skin?
It’s the mask.
Here are 3 reasons why the mask you are wearing can be irritating your skin:
1.) We have a delicate balance of sebum known as the acid mantle that acts as a barrier to protect our skin from bacteria, infection, pollution, toxins and environmental stressors. When we wear a layer of cloth on our face, it absorbs the oil and water in our skin, leading to dryness (oil) AND dehydration (water) that causes an imbalance in our skin. It’s almost like wearing a blotting paper towel on our face all day everyday. Our brains need to send a signal to our skin to replenish what is lost, hence, we have an overproduction of oil in the skin, which can lead to breakouts and irritations.
2.) The straps and/or fabric of the mask you are wearing can lead to irritations and demarcations on your skin.
3.) The skin on your face is much thinner than the skin on your body and it needs to have access to oxygen for vitality and nourishment and an ability to detox trapped toxins and sweat. Your mask could be preventing your skin from getting what it needs and releasing what it doesn’t.
What can you do about it? Here is what I’ve shared with clients to help alleviate the irritations and breakouts they are experiencing recently due to this new way of living.
1.) Exfoliate. You must exfoliate with acids and enzymes to break up any dead skin cells and assist the sloughing process that happens naturally but may be thwarted when wearing a mask all day.
2.) Calm. If your skin is sensitive or you are experiencing breakouts, you need to apply anti-inflammatories to reduce redness, soothe the irritations and heal your skin. I recommend this one:
3.) Hydrate. In order to create balance in the skin, we must replenish what is lost. We often lose water in our skin when we sleep on cotton sheets and pillowcases because the water content in our skin is absorbed. This is the same phenomena that is happening when we wear masks. Hydration is critical. I recommend this combo.
I recommend these:
If you need more help specifically with your routine, you can book a virtual consultation for 30 minutes at $40 HERE and the price of the consult goes towards your purchase of product. You can also purchase the product HERE.
I also recommend this combination for internal support to help with replenishing your body with much needed minerals and probiotics to support healthy digestion in your gut and skin, while also detoxing your body of unhealthy congestion and buildup. You can order these HERE:
Finally, if you are looking for skin-spiration and tips on acupressure, meditation, mindset and gua sha / jade roller routines, join the Rebel Beauties community HERE for holistic health & beauty rituals.
Leave a comment below on what steps you will be taking to get that inner outer glow!
