“When stress becomes too overwhelming, risks for personal wellbeing and medical problems increase drastically. Long-term stress can heighten your chance of experiencing a variety of health problems, including anxiety, depression, sleep issues, pain and bodily complaints such as muscle tension. Stress isn’t always obvious, but it can be detrimental on your hair, skin and mood,” Ben explains.
How stress can affect your skin:
Studies have proven that excessive amounts of stress can alter your hormone balance, increasing your skin’s cortisol production, which, in turn, leads to clogged pores and breakouts. Stress can also dry out your skin, depending on your body’s reaction to the extra cortisol produced.
Because cortisol can reduce your skin’s elasticity and water retention, it is important that you use a high-quality face moisturiser to keep it hydrated, such as Murdock London’s Daily Face Moisturiser, designed to inject some much-needed hydration back into your skin.
How stress can affect your hair:
Another side effect of excess stress is patches of baldness that can appear anywhere on your body.
If you begin to notice bald patches at all on your head or body, it’s important that you pay attention to your day-to-day responses to stress – such as busy columns and juggling work and family commitments – to stop the condition developing further.
How stress can affect your mood:
When suffering from stress, you are likely to be more tired, irritable, not as productive as you usually are and lacking interest in activities you normally enjoy. December can be a busy time and, as hair professionals, we often put our needs bottom of the list, prioritising our clients and making sure we’re there for our team members.
It takes just ten minutes for us to reduce stress, so regularly check in with yourself, close your eyes, step outside, take a deep breath and smile… it’s amazing what a difference this can make.
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