Selfcare and Skincare:  An Introduction to Combining both Worlds

Selfcare and Skincare: An Introduction to Combining both Worlds

 

Our mental wellbeing can impact us physically, socially, and emotionally. The impact of our brain can be the difference between getting out of bed or meeting with friends. In some cases, these impacts turn into illnesses that may require medication and treatment, much like a physical disease. Like physical illness, there are things one can do to reduce the risk or severity of poor mental health.

With everything going on in our everyday lives, it has never been more important to put mental health first. However, it can be difficult to know where to start. . 

Before we begin, an important disclaimer:

Urthly Organics is not a psychology service and advises that all self-care and exercises included in the blog are ideas only. Tips included in this blog are suggestions that help the author. The included ideas may not be appropriate or effective for everyone. We also wish to advise that anything included in this blog will not cure mental illness or substitute psychological treatment options.
We encourage anyone struggling mentally to seek professional advice and treatment first. A list of Australian Mental Health support organisations will be included at the bottom of this article. Please do not hesitate to reach out to them as we at UO have done ourselves. 

Mental Health and Skincare:

Many of us picture bath bombs, spas, and face masks when it comes to self-care. The feelings of pampering, luxury, and seclusion are things we use to unwind. However, the connection may go beyond this. 

Research has been conducted into the impacts of skincare and wellbeing across countries and demographics. A few outcomes across studies included:

A 2013 Japanese study of Female Japanese Students Aged 18 - 30 found thatmakeup, perfume and skincare products may act as effective agents for promoting sleep and mental health for young women. 

A Canadian Masters study of women found that skincare potentially empowers self-esteem as it provides something that participants could use to gain control over their bodies. 

Control, good sleep, mood control and self-esteem are potential benefits of using skincare products. The link between the two allows for thoughtful approaches to reducing stress, feeling confident, and maintaining mental wellbeing that utilises skincare products as a tool.

 

Urthly Organics and Mental Health:

Specialising in skin care, soap, and cleaning, we get to see the difference that our products make to mental health. 

At Urthly Organics, we have all experienced poor mental health at some stage in our lives. As a business, we offer employees indefinite mental health days, and carers leave to allow for people to put themselves first. In addition, we regularly conduct mental health check-ins with employees to ensure everyone is aware that the conversation can be bought up at any time. 

To spread the message, we created our COVID care packs in July 2020. The packs aimed to improve connection, spread kindness, make people feel loved, and receive self-care in what has been an unstable environment. The packs contained products to help care for skin, while also including affirmations and the option for a personal handwritten message for the recipient. These packs were successful in many ways and resulted in an ongoing pack that changes yearly. For recipients and senders, it brings people together. For UO, we laugh, smile, and cry to messages of hope, love, loss, and empathy people want to send to others. The packs have inspired us to take a positive approach to a time that is filled with chaos.

The impact we see is far greater than when we focus on the negatives. That is why for this year, we put mental health as the focus in this blog. 

Affirmation of the Month:

 I am Humble Enough to Seek Help when I Need it - Allegra Sinclair. Sourced: https://allegrasinclair.com/i-am-humble-enough-to-seek-help-when-i-need-it-affirmation/

Important Support: 

For any information, assistance, and advice for mental health, we encourage you to contact the following services:

SANE Australia (people living with a mental illness) 
1800 187 263.
Beyond Blue (anyone feeling depressed or anxious) 
1300 22 4636.
Lifeline (anyone having a personal crisis) 
13 11 14 
Suicide Call Back Service (anyone thinking about suicide) 
 1300 659 467.
Emergency Services 
000
Kids Helpline (children and young people support) 
1800 55 1800
Alternatively, you can contact your GP or other health services for psychosocial assistance. 

 We make the time to ask RUOK?, RUOK. Source: https://junkee.com/just-seek-help/119695

References:

Nishihara, R., Wada, K., Akimitsu, O., Krejci, M., Noji, T., Nakade, M., Takeuchi, H., Harada, T., 2013, 'Effects of Makeup, Perfume and Skincare Product Usage and Hair Care Regimen on Circadian Typology, Sleep Habits and Mental Health in Female Japanese Students Aged 18 - 30', Scientific Research Open Access, Vol.4, No.3, pg.183-188, http://dx.doi.org/10.4236/psych.2013.4302

Smofsky, S., 2017, 'Shaping the Skin: Conveying Identities Through Skincare and Cosmetics' (Masters thesis), Concordia University, pg.1-182.

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