My skin needs moisture...er, no, it needs to be washed...aarrrrh!

January 2, 2012 12:33 PM

When I'm lacking sleep, my skin feels awful - too dry in some places and too oily in others. Does anyone know what causes this and what I can do about it?

I can't stand this feeling which hits when I'm particularly tired. The dry bits feel burn-y, but because of the oily bits, I feel like I have to wash my face (which will only inflame the dry parts). I wash with a very gentle Kiehl's cleanser and moisturize with Pond's cold cream. I wear makeup.

Basically, I'm looking for any kind of solution that will help on those bad days when I haven't had enough sleep, whether it's a product or a dietary thing.

posted by kitcat to Health & Fitness (6 answers total)

I know exactly what you mean. I think it's partly due to a generalized increased sense of stress, ill-being and irritation, in addition to whatever is specifically going on with my skin. I address it by tying to just feel better in general -- exercising and eating something nutritious.
posted by yarly at 12:47 PM on January 2, 2012

it's not a cure-all, but when I'm sleep deprived and stressed, lots of water and then 2-4 omega-3 oil capsules a day seem to help.

[I know the power of placebo is strong -- this may well be the case here, but at least it's a placebo that's generally safe.]
posted by mercredi at 1:06 PM on January 2, 2012

Best answer: Cold cream is really meant to be more of a cleanser than a leave-on moisturizer. You may get some relief by using something simpler and gentler. Olay Complete, Nivea creme, Eucerin for Sensitive Skin, and Cetaphil moisturizing cream are all drugstore picks that get consistently good reviews on forums like Makeup Alley.
posted by argonauta at 2:19 PM on January 2, 2012 [1 favorite]

Drink lots of water. Clean just the oily bits of your face with a gentle toner on a cotton ball. I have ridiculously dry skin and the only thing I can use to get my makeup off that doesn't turn my face into a paper husk is the Cetaphil cleanser that you wipe off instead of rinsing. Maybe that would work for the dry bits?

(I know, just what you need when you're tired, a multi-step skin care regimen.)
posted by corey flood at 2:33 PM on January 2, 2012

Best answer: I've read about and tried the oil-cleaning method, and though I don't do it all the time it's very soothing when my skin is being weird. I rub it into my face and then gently remove with a warm washcloth.

In the winter I use either Neutrogena's sesame oil or just plain baby oil on the rest of me - the second I turn off the shower I rub it into my skin, focusing on the problem areas, and then I just towel off. It definitely helps the dry bits and it doesn't hurt the oily bits.
posted by bunderful at 5:19 PM on January 2, 2012

Response by poster: Followup: Well, I knew about the oil-cleansing method and did not believe. I was using a nice non-sudsing unscented cleanser. I had taken the half-step of moisturizing the the Pond's (perhaps not a good idea as was mentioned above, although it's produced wonderful results for clearer skin). But I decided to try it (using the Pond's - I don't have the recommended oils) and - bingo! My skin feels great and has since I started. No itch, no burn, no pore-suffocating oiliness. Even though I had less than five hours sleep last night.
posted by kitcat at 8:47 AM on January 6, 2012 [1 favorite]