My Affordable Stress Relief Night Routine for Hormonal Skin Breakouts
I've seen a lot of people say, "hey on the upside, now that we're all in isolation, it's the perfect time to try out that hardcore serum!" Which, I get it, really I do - it makes sense to try something when only your household will see any backlash.
However, most likely your lifestyle has changed, and most likely you're feeling stressed about the current pandemic. Or maybe you're reading this long after Covid-19 has done its worst, and you're looking for ways to reduce the effect of stress and maybe product overuse on your skin. Or maybe you've been eating a lot of crap recently and your skin is giving you hell.
So, I'm going to show you how to treat and prevent hormonal skin breakouts in this easy and affordable skincare routine.
Where Do You Sit on the Beauty Scale?
I have been a massive beauty nerd for a decade and working in the industry for 7. In life I'm a chronic optimiser, I like to get the most efficacy for my money. I'm also the proud owner of a skincare spreadsheet. Yes really.
How to Reduce Skin Breakouts Caused by Stress
The best thing you can do for your skin during these times is to keep it hydrated and build up your the natural barrier of your skin. Our skin becomes accustomed to certain things, the environments we're in, the level of stress we're exposed to, but right now the world's upside down and you need to get on team hydration.
My Night Routine for Skin Problems Caused by Stress and Hormones
This is my isolation routine! How to address stressed, hormonal skin when your lifestyle is turned upside down, and you're broke 🙃
My skin is normal but this applies to nearly all skin types - I'll suggest some alternatives to what I'm using.
Step 1: Double Cleansing
It's as important as ever to ensure you're getting a thorough cleanse. You want to avoid anything remotely harsh, however. And in this economy, who is spending money on cleansers?! Pssh. Happily, there's a few options I like depending on your skin type that will tick all these boxes.
Affordable Cleansing Option for All Skin Types - From Oily to Dry:
Affordable Cleansing Option for All Skin Types - From Oily to Dry:
The Ordinary Squalane Cleanser
This highly rated product I recommend for nearly every skin type is . People who don't rate this product tend to not like it because it just doens't do the job on makeup, however if you're at home it is PERFECT for double cleansing. It's a gel to oil so you can apply it directly to your face, massage it in, rinse, and repeat.
- While you're cleansing, take the time to gently massage your face. Focus on the bridge of your nose, your eyebrows and temples, the muscles where you may clench your jaw, and your jawline. It's good for your complexion and some people swear by it for anti-ageing... not me, I'm a simple creature who just likes a massage.
Affordable Cleansing Option for Extremely Sensitive Skin:
Affordable Cleansing Option for Extremely Sensitive Skin:
La Roche-Posay Toleriane Dermo Cleanser
Even though The Ordinary's cleanser is designed for sensitive skin, your skin may be so bad that you can't use water. That's ok! If your skin is sensitive to the point of irritation and redness, or your eczema is flaring up, I recommend cleansing with.
- You can still use this twice as a double cleanse. Simply apply directly to your face, very softly work the product over your skin then gently wipe (don't press, don't rub) with a cotton bud or very soft muslin cloth. It sounds like it doesn't work that well, but it means that you can cleanse without water without your skin having a freak out, and it's still very comforting!
Step 2: We Are Hydrating
So by now you've probably overdone it on either: powerful skincare, stress or a crappy diet. Maybe you're seeing breakouts, maybe your skin is flaking, maybe the blackheads you thought you dealt with back in 2008 are back for an encore performance. If you're into skincare, your instinct is probably to exfoliate at this stage, whether through a physical scrub or something like an AHA, BHA, or retinol for instance.
Unpopular opinion but I speak for your skin - I'm here to tell you to knock that off! Hahaha. No but really. If your skin is stressed, tired, hormonal etc etc, the very best thing you can do is hydrate.
So - fill up your water bottle and otherwise, let's pick a serum shall we?
Affordable Hydration Serum for Normal to Dry Skin:
Affordable Hydration Serum for Normal to Dry Skin:
The Ordinary Hyaluronic Acid 2% + B5
Yeah I know, everyone has tried this, but there's a reason - it's GOOD. 4.5 stars from 1,393 reviews (at time of writing) are definitely not wrong, statistically. is a lightweight gel that wont knock your socks off overnight, however it will do great work to keep your skin stable in times of stress.
- Let me tell you something from 10 years of recommending products to people - many people stop using Hyaluronic Serums because they just will not give you that "wow" factor. You may not wake up glowing the next day, but you're helping your skin recover. And one of the cheapest, most effective ways to get that is The Ordinary Hyaluronic Acid 2% + B5 - 30ml
Affordable Hydration Serum for Oily Skin:
Affordable Hydration Serum for Oily Skin:
The Ordinary Marine Hyaluronics
If your skin is very oily, instead of The Ordinary Hyaluronic 2% + B5, I recommend you give a go. It gives a similar effect, but the consistency is like water. Again, definitely not going to make you write home to mum about it but yes, your skin does need this.
Step 3: We Are Still Hydrating
No matter what your skin type is, you can definitely benefit from locking in your hydration serum with another barrier.You really have two options here depending on what you're after.
True Neutral - A Lightweight Hydrating Oil for All Skin Types:
True Neutral - A Lightweight Hydrating Oil for All Skin Types:
SALT BY HENDRIX Mini Babetown Booster Base Squalane
Salt By Hendrix does an excellent squalane with literally just one ingredient - it's about as natural as you can get. is also very cute, and affordable! This is the option you want to go with if your skin is really dehydrated and can't handle any active products right now. It absorbs quickly into the skin, making it the best option for oily skin types too. Just use about 3 drops and pat on!
A Little Somethin' Somethin' - A Mid-Weight Oil to Give You a Glow:
A Little Somethin' Somethin' - A Mid-Weight Oil to Give You a Glow:
Pai Rosehip BioRegenerate Oil
If you want something that sinks in quickly yet hydrates like a beast, this is absolutely my pick. This product is amazing on all skin types, but it's especially good for those with dull and tired skin. I love it to help with flakeyness too, and I swear it prevents blackheads. really is a cut above every other rosehip I've ever tried. It smells lovely and whatever their extraction process is, they've nailed it. It also comes in a mini size, which is great if you don't believe me about it being THAT much better.
- I've been using Pai Rosehip Oil for about a decade now, and I cannot stop, and I will not stop. If you're looking for a truly affordable routine, you can absolutely buy the one from The Ordinary!
Step 4: A Little Masking, as a Treat
I'm not going to try to recommend a specific moisturiser. Partly because moisturisers are in my experience the most personal thing, and the most difficult to get right. There are too many options. That, and really, from an skincare routine optimisation point of view you want to get your serums right before you worry about your moisturiser, as it's your serums that are doing the hard yards.I WILL however recommend to you some masks to try, again focusing on hydration and building up that skin barrier, so it can take on the world! Or, at least your home, since you're probably in lockdown right now.
Affordable Masks to Strengthen and Hydrate
Affordable Masks to Strengthen and Hydrate
Both Dermalogica and Aspect offer excellent hydrating masks, but I'm going to tell you something here though - on a price per millilitre basis, is really excellent value - and everyone in the office raves about this. You CAN try the too, which doubles as a moisturiser and a mask, and it does have a lower price point but less value overall.
- Both of these masks are designed to help restore the skin barrier, featuring pro- and prebiotics to help get your skin microbiome flourishing. This is especially helpful if you want your hormonal skin to heal up already, or you're dealing with other signs of stress like flakiness and dehydration.
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