At one point or another, we’ve all experienced “hangover skin.” Whether it’s from too many margaritas or eating too much salty food, your skin will at some point this summer become bloated, puffy, and in need of some major hydration. Here, we lay out how to combat these issues for a fun summer without any skin disasters.
For the actual hangover…
The one extra cocktail always feels like a good, ‘no-harm’ idea the night before. Until you wake up the next morning with bird’s nest hair and a headache that makes you want to burrito in your blankets and never come out. But did you know that too much alcohol can affect your skin too?
Drinking too much alcohol can result in your skin feeling and looking well, hungover. It can leave your skin dry and dehydrated, puffy, red, and with enlarged pores, which only gets worse if you’ve also slept in your makeup. To rescue your poor skin, opt for the Thank You Farmer Back to Relax Soothing Gel Mask.
This gel mask will help to cool and rescue your skin. It has ingredients like hyaluronic acid, glycerin, and water to hydrate and plump up your dry skin, as well as centella and licorice to heal, soothe, brighten, and get rid of any of that unwanted redness.
Bonus: Cooling masks like this one can do wonders for not only relieving your skin hangover, but also your actual hangover. The cooling sensation can help relieve and ease the pain of migraines and headaches. Plus, its soothing nature makes it especially good for if you’ve slept in your makeup and your skin is now trying to compensate.
For after the salt…
Sodium, or salt, plays a huge role in the body. There are tears in every cell in your body. But even though some of that salt is definitely necessary, healthy, and essential, too much of it can affect the outward appearance of your skin. Ever eaten a super high-sodium meal and felt bloated after? Or noticed what happens if you’ve been crying after a breakup?
Puffiness. Too much sodium forces your body to retain water, leading to puffiness in certain areas, which explains the bloating. But puffiness can also occur elsewhere in the body, especially in places where the skin is particularly thin, like under the eyes.
An easy way to de-puff the face is to give yourself a facial massage, by removing some of the fluid buildup in the eye area. Massaging also increases blood flow and circulation to the skin which helps the skin to function better and reduce inflammation. But that isn’t the only reason to give yourself a facial massage if you’re feeling puffy. Giving yourself a facial massage can help active ingredients penetrate the skin, helping the products you’ll apply to de-puff work better.
Product wise, try something with caffeine in it! Caffeine causes vasoconstriction, which is the temporary shrinking of blood vessels, and can help get rid of excess puffiness and dark circles. Plus it’s high in antioxidants to protect and treat your sensitive skin. We love the My Skin Mentor Dr. G Crystal Deep Peeling and the Manefit Green Tea Pore Care mask. These two products will leave skin feeling cooled, pampered, de-puffed, and awake without being too harsh on your sensitive skin.
For after the sun…
We’ve all been there. You’re spending a great day out in the summer sun and that re-application time just gets glossed over. Then you’re warm and red, even if you’re not necessarily feeling burnt to the point of peeling. It happens to the best of us.
The best way to treat sunburn is certainly to not get it in the first place, but what do you do when you’re past that point? For treating skin after a sunburn, super soothing and moisturizing products work best, particularly ones that have aloe vera or milk.
For a DIY hack for a sunburn, try soaking a cool compress in milk or aloe vera and then placing it on the affected area. This cooling sensation will help to reduce any swelling and inflammation and the milk and aloe vera will help to heal.
The Benton Aloe Propolis Soothing Gel is another great option if you don’t have aloe vera on hand. Aloe and propolis will help to heal irritated skin whilst still keeping your skin hydrated and even brightening. Follow up with any of the A’Pieu Milk Masks. In particular the A’Pieu Pure Milk and Coffee Milk will work great for pampering your damaged skin and helping speed up that healing process.
The Bottom Line
The best way for treating any of these hangovers is always not to get them in the first place, but hey, we’re all human. Sometimes you deserve a little extra pampering to compensate for the night before.
+ How do you treat “hangover skin”? We’d love to know your best tips — leave them in the comments!
