Any bride knows there is so much more to a wedding day than the walk down the aisle. It’s about stepping into and truly becoming the fantasy; you’ve always held in your mind about this perfect moment. The day you get to be a princess, a living fairy tale, and a vision of beauty.
Suppose you are a sensitive soul like me. In that case, the anxiety struggle combined with sensitive skin issues can add additional stress in the run-up to your big day. I, therefore, gift you with my personal SOS essentials for sensitive skin in preparation for your big day. However, before venturing into the shaky ground that is “skincare tips” (because we all know how quickly this can become an exercise in focusing only on the outer and not the inner beauty that glows within us all) – let me make one clear point to see you through this little read.
You, my dear soul, are special, exactly the way you are. Your glow emanates from you, through you, and within you. There is no beauty like that of a shining soul filled to the brim with the happiness of embarking on life’s journey with the one you love. Hold fast to this because there may be plenty in the external world that creeps into the mind and plants roots of doubt. Outer beauty, including radiant skin, is a true reflection of what is happening inside. Glow from within, and you will surely radiate without.
Understanding the Mind-Skin Connection
As an anxious soul with sensitive skin and dry skin woes, I cannot in good conscience mislead you with a barrage of false hope for perfect wedding day skin. There are no quick skin fixes, no instant blemish reducers, and no magical tricks to ensure you don’t wake up on your big day with the dreaded red spot. Our skin is our largest organ, and just like the gut and every other organ, it shows the impact of our stress. The best routine for achieving glowing skin is paying attention to what is happening on the inside
How we deal with our emotions, how we feel stress, listen to our gut, and follow our souls. Why is the skin so affected by how we feel on the inside? The main culprit is a tiny part of the brain called the amygdala, which sends out “DANGER” signals to set the body in
fight or flight. (1) Once this alarm is activated, a message shoots to the hypothalamus, another part of the brain (2)Wanting to help your body get ready to attack or fight off the life-threatening danger, the hypothalamus releases a massive surge of stress hormones like cortisol and adrenaline. These flow through your bloodstream to your nerve endings, and all the sensitive nerve endings in the dermis set alight. This often causes reactions like burning, itching, and pins and needles sensations which are more pronounced in the facial skin and other parts of the body where the skin is thinner and generally more sensitive.
You may also notice pre-existing sensitive skin conditions you have flare up or worsen when stresses like eczema, rosacea, or psoriasis. (3) Now that we understand what happens on the inside and why we need to pay attention to the soul, we can dive into my personal favourite sensitive skin SOS methods, both internal and external. This is based on my own practice and experience, but if in doubt your first port of call should always be your dermatologist.
1 Davis M “The role of the amygdala in fear and anxiety” Annual Review of Neuroscience Vol 15 (1992) at 353.
2 Zhang H “Role of stress in skin diseases: A neuroendocrine-immune interaction view” Brain Behaviour and Immunity Vol 116 (2024) 286 at 292.
3 Peters E M J “Stressed skin? – A molecular psychosomatic update on stress-cases and effects in dermatologic diseases” (2016) at 233-252.
Seal in the Glow: Why Damp Skin Matters
It’s crucial to apply products to damp skin. Why? Our skin consists of a high percentage of water. This beautiful hydration helps our skin look plump and glow, improving the appearance of our dehydration lines, fine lines, and wrinkles. When the skin is dehydrated, it looks dull and lacklustre; fine lines and wrinkles are more pronounced, and skin tone looks uneven. When we dry our skin before applying skincare, we rub off all that beautiful water and hope to replace it by “pressing” it back in with our moisturisers or other products. This action is counterintuitive. It’s best to leave all that beautiful hydration on our skin and seal it inside with good moisturisers, whose main aim is to prevent trans epidermal water loss by creating a seal or barrier on the skin to keep the moisture from evaporating.
Stop wearing makeup
At least for a few weeks before the big day! Of course, you want to indulge in all the luxuries on the big day, maybe even while indulging in a glass of wedding day bubbly. However, when my skin reacts, I have found soothing relief in immediately stopping the use of makeup. I usually stick to this for at least 14 days to get my skin back into a good state and to ensure I’m not adding any unnecessary irritants into the mix. Many makeup products contain extremely irritating ingredients, such as fragrances, colorants, and various acids, including alpha-hydroxy or glycolic acid. These are all the elements best avoided during skin tantrums. (4)
Let Your Skin Breathe Before the Big Day
When my skin goes on strike, one of the key symptoms for me is burning, aching sensations. Even the air burns, and it’s sensitive to touch, which can be due to a disruption in the skin barrier. There are two actions I take here. I immediately stop cleansing or rinsing my face with tap water and use pharmacy-bought distilled water instead. Some areas have tap water or hard water with an excessive amount of chlorine that my overly sensitive skin does not appreciate in this state. Switching to distilled water helps me cleanse and refresh my skin without irritating it.
If I’m at home and using the same water I usually use, but my skin is on strike, I stop rinsing with just water. I add a bag of Rooibos tea to my water and then rinse my skin with this. I will also use this while cleansing. The Rooibos soothe and calm my skin. It has excellent anti-inflammatory properties that are a true knight in shining armor to my skin, and that’s why it’s the hero ingredient in our FIGGI Beauty-sensitive skincare line.
4 Opinion of the Scientific Committee on Cosmetic Products and Non-Food Products intended for Consumers concerning Linalool (9 December 2003) SCCNFP/0760/03 European Commission available at https://ec.europa.eu/health/ph_risk/committees/sccp/documents/out248_en.pdf. Opinion of the Scientific Committee on Cosmetic Products and Non-Food Products intended for Consumers concerning Essential Oils (24-25 June 2003) SCCNFP/0673/03 European Commission at page 3 available at https://ec.europa.eu/health/ph_risk/committees/sccp/documents/out218_en.pdf.
Simplify to Soothe: A Gentle Pause from Actives and Extras
I immediately stop everything ”extra” in my routine, like targeted treatments that contain active ingredients. I only use the basics: cleanser and moisturiser. I continue this ritual for at least 14 days until my skin has had an opportunity to breathe and calm down.
Actives can irritate any skin type, especially those of us with sensitive skin. It’s challenging to avoid these products altogether because we all have specific concerns we’d like to target, such as dark spots, uneven skin tone, fine lines, or the dreaded breakout.
A Gentle Check-In: Tracing Triggers with Care
Most of the time, my skin reaction is due to an anxiety flare-up and everything that comes with that. So, the first action is to take my anxiety steps to restore my equilibrium. These steps include focusing on breathwork, meditation, stress-releasing yoga, not skipping meals, and a balanced diet. However, if this is not the problem, I usually refer to this little checklist:
Was there a change in hormones lately? Hello, Aunty Flo.
Did something in my skincare routine change? Did I add or remove a product, for example?
What has my diet been like for the past 14 days?
Am I drinking enough water?
How have I been sleeping? Being tired affects many facets of our lives, and the skin is not immune to this.
The Takeaway
After all is said and done, consistency, patience, and kindness are the three magic words for sensitive skin, especially in preparation for The day. These are also the three cornerstones of inner peace and equilibrium. What is within shines without, and what shines without is felt within—the perfect little circle of life.
So, whether you glow within, without, or both, there is still radiant beauty shining through you in waves. Understandably, we would like the external to be perfect on this special day, but knowing we have done all we can and resting in peace that we show up exactly as we should on this momentous occasion goes a long way to achieving the calm glow, we all seek.
Images AM Photography
