If you already struggle with dry skin or acne, the holidays can be an absolute nightmare for your skin. As if the dry winter air wasn’t brutal enough on your skin, you’ve also got to deal with breakouts caused by the stress of the holiday season.
Fortunately, there are ways to get a handle on both your stress and your skin problems. With the following self-care practices, you can reduce your holiday anxiety and take control of your skin:
Wear a Hydrating Face Mask
As temperatures cool and the air becomes dry, our skin can start looking dull and lifeless. One effective and affordable way to rejuvenate dehydrated skin is by wearing a nourishing face mask.
In as little as 15 minutes, a face mask can banish your biggest skin care woes. For instance, oily skin types should find a clay mask with willow bark extract and hyaluronic acid to control shine.
For those struggling with dry skin, a hydrating sheet mask with glycerin will be a huge help. Glycerin attracts water to help soothe and moisturize skin ravaged by winter.
While wearing a face mask might not be every man’s definition of relaxing, you should give it a try for the sake of your skin. Just slather it on, boot up Netflix and lounge on the couch while you let your skin soak up all the benefits.
Make Relaxation Part of Your Bedtime Routine
Sleep is critical for skin health. Each night, our skin gets busy repairing and restoring skin cells that were damaged during the day.
To supercharge this regenerative process, your body needs an adequate amount of sleep each night. If you have trouble getting to sleep due to stress, it’s time to make relaxation part of your nighttime routine.
One way you can do this is by meditating before bed every night. In fact, meditation is a scientifically proven way to improve sleep quality (see claim: “The use of a community-accessible MAPs intervention resulted in improvements in sleep quality at immediate postintervention…”).
Another way to create an ideal sleep environment is by investing in a humidifier. Humidifiers can restore moisture to your skin, help you breath more easily and even reduce the chance of illness (see claim: “This modeling analysis demonstrates the potential benefit of portable residential humidifiers in reducing the survival of aerosolized influenza virus by controlling humidity indoors.”).
Make Time for Exercise
When holiday stress levels are at an all-time high, one of the first things people neglect is regular exercise. Unfortunately, we need exercise the most when we’re feeling overwhelmed and anxious.
If your holiday schedule is packed, you can still benefit from sneaking in a quick workout. According to a study published in the Journal of Happiness Studies, 10 minutes of physical exercise is all it takes to improve happiness and well-being (see claim: “As little as 10-min physical activity per week or 1 day of doing exercise per week might result in increased levels of happiness.”).
Exercise also directly benefits your skin by increasing blood flow in the body. Increased blood flow allows cells to deliver more nutrients to the skin, which helps skin cells repair damage caused by free radicals.
Eat a Healthy Diet
Eating healthy during the holidays is challenging, to say the least. However, it’s also key to reducing your stress and keeping skin condition flareups under control.
Scientists have known for a long time that the foods we eat can significantly influence our gut, skin and mental health (see claim: “Through complex immune mechanisms, the influence of the gut microbiome extends to involve distant organ systems including the skin.”). Eating junk can exacerbate our holiday stress and make us more likely to breakout.
While eating healthy isn’t a cure-all for every skin condition, it can help reduce your symptoms. To keep skin radiant and blemish-free, try loading up on a diet rich in omega-3 fatty acids and antioxidant-rich vitamins. Both omega-3s and antioxidants are known to reduce inflammation in the body (see claim: “Fish oil n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids, mainly eicosapentaenoic (EPA), and docosahexaenoic acids (DHA), reduce symptoms in many inflammatory skin diseases.”) and provide powerful anti-aging benefits to boot.
Level Up Your Skin Care Routine for Winter
With the holidays bringing colder temps and higher amounts of stress, your regular skin care regimen may not be cutting it anymore. To combat the effects of the holiday season, you need a powerful skin care system made specifically for your skin.
Generally, men don’t want a dozen skin care products in their bathroom—nor do they need them! But to achieve a healthy glow for the winter, exfoliation and moisturization are non-negotiable.
Applying a men’s moisturizer with SPF every day will not only hydrate the skin and reduce dry flakes, it will also block harmful ultra-violet rays. In fact, protecting your skin from sun damage is especially critical if you live in a high elevation area because UV rays can be reflected from the snow (see claim: “Skin damage increases when UV is elevated.”).
An exfoliating scrub is also a must-have item in any man’s skin care arsenal. Using a face scrub twice per week can slough off dead skin cells to revitalize dull skin and prevent breakouts.
Unwind with a Men’s Facial
Despite the many benefits of receiving a facial massage, some men are still reluctant to get one. This is a shame, considering how getting regular facials is one of the best things a man can do for his skin.
A facial massage can reduce symptoms of stress, improve your circulation and effectively treat many common skin care problems such as redness and acne breakouts. To reap the full benefits, you need to do is find a facial massage that is designed for your specific skin.
There are facials for oily skin, dry skin, anti-aging facials, acne reduction and much more. Treat yourself to one for the holidays and don’t be surprised to walk out feeling like a new man.
Swap Alcohol for Green Tea
Holiday cocktails and mulled wine can make you feel relaxed in the moment. But while alcohol may not make you feel stressed, it does put stress on the body.
If you keep waking up with pimples after a night of fun, alcohol could be to blame. Alcohol is a toxin which can disrupt hormones, lower your immunity and leave skin feeling dull and dehydrated.
While swapping out your fancy cocktail for calming green teas may not sound like fun, your skin will thank you for it. Green tea contains catechins, which are known for their skin-healthy, anti-inflammatory properties.
Final Thoughts
Our skin is often a big indicator of our overall health. If your skin is acting up during the holidays, it might be trying to tell you something.
This holiday season, remember to practice self-care. By taking the time to prioritize your health and well-being, you’ll finally look as good on the outside as you do on the inside.
