Abbi Taylor Beauty

Why is your skin oily by lunchtime? 🤔

It usually isn’t because your skin is “too oily.”

Here’s what’s often happening:

1. You wash your face.

2. Your skin starts losing water throughout the morning.

3. Your sebaceous (oil) glands release sebum to help protect the skin and reduce further water loss.

4. As the morning goes on, that sebum mixes with sweat, sunscreen, makeup and dead skin cells leaving your skin looking shiny by lunchtime.

Here’s the important part:

Sebum (oil) and hydration are not the same thing.

Your skin can be dehydrated and oily at the same time.

So before reaching for a stronger cleanser or another exfoliant, ask yourself:

Is my skin producing too much oil… or is it trying to protect a compromised skin barrier?

For years, I thought stress meant there was something wrong with me.

Then I learned about capacity.

Have you ever noticed that one day you can juggle work, the kids, the house, dinner, everyone’s messages… and you’re absolutely fine?

Then the next day, one small request feels like it’s going to tip you over the edge.

The request didn’t change.

Your capacity did.

Maybe you didn’t sleep well.
Maybe you’re hormonal.
Maybe you’ve been carrying everyone else for weeks.
Maybe you’ve been pouring from an empty cup.

A regulated nervous system isn’t one that never feels overwhelmed.

It’s one that recognises:

“I don’t have the capacity for that today.”

Without guilt.
Without shame.

I think every woman needs to hear this, because we spend so much time blaming ourselves when really… we just needed more capacity. 🤍

Have you ever had one of those days where the smallest thing felt like too much?

I think one of the most misunderstood symptoms of burnout is this:

People mistake it for laziness.

But burnout doesn’t always look like someone falling apart.

Sometimes it looks like procrastination.
Sometimes it looks like cancelling plans.
Sometimes it looks like scrolling for hours, feeling stuck, overwhelmed, and unable to start.

The truth is, when your nervous system has been running on stress for too long, even the simplest tasks can feel heavy.

So before you judge yourself for not doing enough…

Ask yourself if you’re actually lazy.

Or if you’re simply exhausted. 💛

✨ Save this for the days when you’re being harder on yourself than you need to be.