Can Your Skincare Routine Help Lower Stress Levels?

Feeling stressed? You’re not alone. Stress affects everyone, with the majority of the population noting that their stress levels seem to be increasing year upon year, to the point where they end up feeling truly overwhelmed. Not only does this have severe consequences for your mental health, but it can impact your physical health too, including the health of your skin.

With today’s world being so stressful, it’s always a good idea to have a few stress busters that you can turn to whenever emotions run high. One surprising stress reliever that you may not be aware of is carrying out a skincare routine. Many assert that the simple act of applying their skincare products can quickly lower feelings of stress and anxiety, bringing their mood back into balance.

How much truth is there to this claim? Join Lionesse as we take a look at how a skincare routine could help to lower your stress levels. We’ll also be explaining how to create a stress-busting skincare routine, as well as sharing other tips to keep your stress levels to a minimum. 

How Can a Skincare Routine Help With Stress?

There are a number of studies out there that confirm that a skincare routine can help to promote physiological relaxation, improving mood while reducing stress. Let’s take a look at exactly how this works:

Releases Endorphins

Endorphins are hormones that are produced by the brain. Not only do they relieve pain but they also boost the mood and lower stress levels. 

How can you encourage your brain to release more endorphins? By engaging in various stimuli, one of which would be carrying out a skincare routine. The simple act of caring for your skin incorporates tactile stimulation in a way that activates the sensory pathways in the brain. This leads to the release of endorphins, as well as oxytocin, which is another hormone that’s known for encouraging a state of relaxation.

Adds Structure to Your Day

Routines and structure play a crucial role in keeping a person’s mental health stabilized. The way in which they foster a sense of predictability gives your day a framework while putting you in full control. 

Ideally, you should have routines in various aspects of your life, with your skincare routine being one of them. Even a very short skincare routine that involves nothing more than cleansing and moisturizing will still provide an anchor to your day. This will help you to feel a little more grounded and little less stressed, especially when other parts of your life feel particularly overwhelming.

Helps to Regulate Your Circadian Rhythm

Usually, a skincare routine is carried out twice a day: once in the morning and then again at night. These habits, particularly when it comes to your evening routine, can help to regulate your circadian rhythm, aka your natural body clock.

Following consistent habits before bed, such as a skincare routine, triggers your body to prepare itself for sleep. It encourages the body to release its necessary sleep hormones while also optimizing your body temperature and blood pressure for sleep. 

As you probably know, quality sleep can have a huge effect on stress levels. Getting your eight hours each night will help to lower the cortisol (the stress hormone) levels in your body while giving your body the time that it needs to recuperate from the stressors it has faced that day.

Promotes Mindfulness 

It’s no secret that mindfulness is one of the most useful tools when it comes to lowering stress levels. Numerous studies have proven this, with research also confirming that mindfulness can help with anxiety, depression, brain activity, and overall well-being.

While mindfulness doesn’t come automatically when you’re applying your skincare products, this is something that you can intentionally practice. When you’re carrying out your skincare routine, immerse yourself in the moment. Focus on the various sensations that each step of your routine instigates. Not only will this take your attention away from whatever happens to be stressing you out, but it will also allow you to benefit from the calming effect that mindfulness has. 

Creating a Stress-Busting Skincare Routine

As you can see, having a skincare routine can be very beneficial when it comes to stress management. With that said, some skincare routines are better at relieving stress than others. Here are a few tips for creating a routine that’s capable of tackling your stress levels:

Treat Yourself to Some New Skincare

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Ever felt that familiar rush of excitement when you try a new skincare product for the first time? That’s actually a physiological reaction. It’s caused by your brain responding to the novelty of that experience by releasing dopamine, a neurotransmitter that boosts mood and reduces stress.

When your stress levels start to soar, it only makes sense to take advantage of this effect, giving you a good reason to treat yourself to some new skincare products! Pick a product that feels exciting to you – perhaps a type of skincare product that you’ve never used before. The Lionesse White Pearl Wrinkle Reducing Syringe, for example, never fails to instantly exhilarate. It’s innovative, unique, and the fact that it will immediately make your fine lines and wrinkles look less noticeable is an added bonus, especially if you’ve been stressing about the appearance of aging skin! 

Incorporate Aromatherapy

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Aromatherapy is an age-old practice that’s used for a few different reasons. One of these is stress reduction, with certain scents known for having a calming effect on the mind. 

Aromatherapy is most commonly carried out with essential oils, and many skincare products contain these too. Seek out products infused with oils that have been proven to have a calming effect on the mind and your skincare routine will then be able to lower your stress levels further.

Which oils should you be looking out for?

Lavender is one. Studies confirm that the scent of lavender can reduce stress and promote relaxation. Therefore, skincare products containing lavender, such as the Lionesse White Pearl Facial Cleanser, will have the same effect. 

While lavender calms the mind, citrus scents have an uplifting effect. This makes it worth also seeking out formulas that contain a citrus essential oil, like the orange peel oil in the Lionesse White Pearl Vitamin C Serum. 

Indulge in Face Masks

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Face masks are a great way to give both your skin and your mind some TLC. Since most masks need to be left on the skin for around 15 minutes, masking is a way to force yourself to take some time out from your stressful daily routine and turn your attention to your skin. Practice mindfulness while you’re masking by indulging in the feel and scent of your mask and the benefits that you experience will be two-fold! 

One face mask that lends itself extremely well to a stress-busting skincare routine is the Lionesse Diamond Rejuvenation Facial and Eye Mask. These hydrogel masks will immediately impart a refreshing and soothing sensation to your skin. They also contain lavender oil, bringing you aromatherapy benefits too! 

Consider Texture

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As we’ve mentioned, practicing mindfulness while carrying out your skincare routine will really help to alleviate your stress levels. To make it easier to get into that mindful state, seek out skincare products that have an indulgent texture. This then gives you something tangible to focus on while you’re applying your products, with textural contrasts between each product you use being particularly beneficial.

Of course, some products, like the Lionesse Opal Sheer Melting Mask, offer more than one texture. This formula starts out with a creamy consistency that feels ultra-luxurious when spread over the skin. After ten minutes or so of sitting on your skin, that creamy mask will start to transform into liquid droplets that your skin will readily absorb. The change in texture will undoubtedly give you a big dopamine rush! 

Take Your Time

In order to achieve true mindfulness and relaxation when carrying out your skincare routine, you’ll need to take your time. Rushing through your routine will have the opposite effect, so make an effort to set aside some time each day to dedicate to your skincare habits.

Follow this ethos when applying each product too. Treat your skin to a facial massage when slathering various formulas over your face. Not only will a massage help with your stress levels, but it can also enhance product absorption while boosting circulation to give your skin a gorgeous glow.

Other Ways to Lower Your Stress Levels

As you can see, a skincare routine can go a long way in reducing stress and anxiety. However, skincare alone is unlikely to keep you feeling stress-free at all times. Instead, you’ll need to incorporate this with other stress-busting techniques. 

Fortunately, there are plenty of science-backed stress busters out there that you can try. Here are some of the most effective:

• Do some exercise. Research shows that participating in aerobic exercise twice a week can significantly reduce overall stress levels. Pick a form of physical activity that you enjoy doing to prevent this from feeling like a chore. 
• Cut back on screen time. Studies have found that excessive screen time correlates with increased stress levels. Try engaging in a hobby that doesn’t involve anything digital! 
• Journaling. This gives you a positive outlet for your emotions, which can help to reduce stress.
• Spend some time with friends and family. Having a social support system will give your mental health a huge boost.
• Spend time in nature. Just ten minutes in a natural setting can have huge physiological benefits, including reducing your feelings of stress.
• Try deep breathing exercises. This is a form of mindfulness that can be practiced anytime, anywhere.

Summary

When it comes down to it, yes, a skincare routine can really help to lower your stress levels. However, there are certain things to take into consideration if you want to make the most of this. Pick the right products, be consistent with your habits, and, most importantly, take your time. Combine your skincare routine with some of the other stress-relieving techniques that we’ve discussed above and it won’t be long before your mental health is in a much more positive state.

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