Photo by muha…

The economy is haywire, stock markets are down, unemployment is rising; is stress taking a toll on your skin? When anxiety rises due to prolonged stress your skin responds with pimples, blotches, oiliness, dryness, wrinkles. If anything is wrong with your skin, stress makes it worse.

The good news is with proper care you can restore healthy radiance to your skin no matter what your skin type. Armed with the knowledge of how to care for your skin, this is a battle you can win!

Acne

Whats going on: Stress causes the oil producing sebaceous glands to pump more oil to the surface of the skin. Bacteria grows and breeds in surface oils causing inflammation, clogged pores, pimples, zits and blackheads. When anxiety levels lead nervous fingers to the face to squeeze and pick acne blemishes, they look worse and become more difficult to treat as bacteria penetrates deeper into the skin. Brown and red marks (discoloration from injuring the skin and pores) is also much more likely to occur as the skin tries to heal after pinching and squeezing.

What you can do: Keep your hands away from your face. Stop pinching and squeezing acne blemishes NOW. Remind yourself not to touch your skin when you look in the mirror and are tempted. Busy your hands with a stress ball, massage your scalp, anything to keep your hands off your face.

Morning and Evening Care Regimen:

- Wash your face with a gentle botanical cleanser. Natural vegetable based soaps and facial washes cleanse without stripping skin of moisture. Unscented olive oil soaps provide gentle cleansing for oily and acne prone skin types. Tea tree oil soaps are also very effective for killing acne blemish causing bacteria on the skin.

- Gently blot skin dry and follow with a light, natural moisturizing lotion that contains tea tree essential oil. Why not an oil free moisturizer? Because products that over dry skin without supplying moisture promotes an imbalance in oil production. This causes skin to produce more oil, leading to pimples, blackheads.... you get the idea. Lotions made with light, natural plant based oils absorb easily and hydrate skin. Tea tree essential oil kills bacteria that causes breakouts.

- Blot excess oil during the day with a tissue.

- Weekly: Do an herbal steam with astringent herbs and flowers. This helps to unclog pores and remove toxins from skin to keep skin looking clearer and blemish free. Herbal steam: Make a tea from 2 cups of boiling water and add 1 tablespoon whole herbs (lavender, rosemary and thyme are wondreful herbs for oily skin). Allow tea to cool until very warm (not hot) and soak a clean dry washcloth in the tea. Wring washcloth and lay the cloth on face for 2 to 5 minutes. Do not dry face, apply moisturizing lotion to damp skin.

Essential oils added to 2 cups warm water works equally well. Add a total of 6 drops essential oils from the following list to 2 cups very warm (not hot) water. Soak a clean wash cloth in the water with essential oils and lay the cloth on the face for 2 to 5 minutes. Do not dry face, apply moisturizing lotion to damp skin.

Essential oils for face steaming:

Lavender: 3 to 6 drops

Rosemary: 3 to 6 drops

Tea Tree: 3 to 6 drops

Orange: 3 to 6 drops

Note: Do not use essential oils during pregnancy.

- A weekly mask with french green clay helps to remove excess oils and toxins from skin.

- Mist skin with floral water - lavender and orange blossom (neroli) are best for oily skin. Floral waters can be found in natural food stores and online, and provide skin soothing (oil controlling) moisture hydration.

- Get serious about drinking pleanty of water, a minimum of 8 glasses per day. Water helps to flush wastes and toxins from the body, key to achieving and maintaining smooth, blemish free skin.

Dullness and Dryness:

Whats going on: Dull dry skin that lacks radiance and luster can result from lack of circulation, dehydration and dead skin cell buildup.

What you can do: The best treatment for dull, dry skin is to increase circulation and hydration by exfoliation and effective moisturizing.

Morning and Evening Care Regimen:

- Wash face with a gentle moisturizing bar or cleansing cream.

- Twice weekly, exfoliate skin with a gentle natural scrub.

- Moisturize with a cream or lotion made with natural plant oils.

- Combination/Oily skin: Natural creams and lotions made with olive, soybean, sunflower, and jojoba oils provide light moisture and hydration to correct the oil and water balance of this skin type.

- Dry Skin: Natural creams and lotions made with shea butter, cocoa butter and avocado oil provides rich moisture to hydrate and nourish dry skin.

- Learn to love water. Drink a minumum of 8 glasses of water per day. Water hydrates all skin cells of the body and promotes healthy radiance.

Wrinkling:

Whats going on: Not enough sleep, frowns, squinting, dryness, poor nutrition (too much sugar, sodas and coffee - not enough juices and vegetables), can add up to new wrinkles. Yes, you can start seeing wrinkles in as little as a few weeks with lack of sleep, prolonged stress and poor dietary habits.

What you can do: Get your beauty rest. Restful sleep is restorative and key to youthful looking skin. Try to sleep a minimum of 7 hours per night. Can't seem to fall asleep? Massage pure lavender essential oil into the soles of the feet immediately before going to bed. You will sleep like a baby and awaken feeling rested, refreshed and energized. Lavender is amazingly effective for promoting relaxation and sleep.

Morning and Evening Care Regimen:

Wash face with a gentle moisturizing bar or cleansing cream.

- Twice weekly, exfoliate skin with a gentle natural scrub . This removes dead skin layers to reveal, smoother younger skin that absorbs moisturizers more effectively to combat dryness.

- Moisturize with a natural shea butter cream. Shea butter is one of natures most effective antiaging skin care treatments. This skin nourishing butter helps restore elasticity and smooth texture and reduces wrinkling around the eyes, cheeks, and neck.

Shea butter contains antioxidant nutrients that help to neutralize free radicals from stress that attack skin at the cellular level and contributes to wrinkling. Shea butter moisturizers help skin look softer, smoother and more youthful.

- Drink the elixer of youth, water. Drink a minumum of 8 glasses of water per day. Water is necessary for hydrating skin and helps to plump skin cells to make them appear rounder which reduces the appearance of wrinkling.

Finally, calm down. Practice taking deep cleansing breaths: breathe deeply and exhale completely to promote inner calm and peace. Minimize the negative effects of stress on your skin with these body pampering tips and be rewarded with beautiful skin that glows with healthy radiance.