What is sweat anxiety and how can I combat it?

Tackling the taboo.

As an anxiety-ridden high school student, some of my most dreaded days involved partnered dance practice. I realised early on that when I felt stressed, my palms started to sweat. This was exacerbated when thinking about any scenario in which someone was likely to grab my hands, only to be disgusted by their excessive clamminess. Hours – days, even – before dance practice, I’d start stress-sweating at the mere thought of a boy reaching for my slippery digits during an awkward cha-cha.

Marketing professional Hannah Milgate and microbiologist Clare Tubolets are the best friends behind the new skincare brand Skoop, simply designed ‘for people who sweat’. “The idea for Skoop really came about when I was in my early teens during a family trip to Bali. I vividly recall walking through the markets as my thighs rubbed together, and the pain intensified as chafing became increasingly worse,” Hannah explains.

For more health and wellness advice, head on over to our Health section.

Skoop offers sustainably-made, science-backed products, formulated to tackle sweat-related stresses. I know a high school me would’ve felt validated (and relieved) to see a product like Skoop’s Hand Hero on the market. For all my fellow clammy girlies (and all other kinds of stress sweaters), I asked Hannah and Clare to explain the link between anxiety and perspiration below.

Can you explain the link between anxiety and sweat?

Sure thing! When you’re anxious, your body’s ‘fight or flight’ response kicks in, releasing stress hormones. This can stimulate sweat glands, causing you to sweat more than usual.

Although sweat is a completely normal and even healthy response to anxiety and stress, it often happens at inconvenient times, like during a stressful boardroom meeting, holding hands on a first date or the ultimate challenge, reverse parking with a car full of people.

What we found when creating Skoop is that people who often sweat when anxious can begin to associate sweat with anxiety. This increases the possibility of sweating, causing them to sweat in scenarios where they may not generally sweat. This then creates a vicious sweat cycle.

Skoop is here to put a stop to that by tackling taboos and creating products to aid in sweat relief and discomfort related to sweating. The more we talk about it, the more we realise just how many people suffer from sweat-related discomfort. Sweat’s a thing, so let’s make it cute.

How does Skoop Skincare help combat excess sweating?

This one is twofold, even threefold. As a brand, we believe that by tackling the taboo nature of sweat and sweat-related discomfort, we can reduce and even eliminate the anxiety around sweat issues. Secondary to this, we’ve created products specifically designed to decrease sweat, like our Hand Hero and our Skin Shield which address sweat-related discomfort.

All our products boast a unique dry-touch formulation so when they rub on, they leave your skin with a soft powder finish. They are plant-powered and include ingredients such as cassava root extract, which absorbs oil and moisturises, along with pomegranate seed oil… which [hydrates] the skin without adding to that clammy feel [that] many moisturisers create.

 

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When applying our Hand Hero, you’ll literally feel your hands [being] moisturised while [also] being dry to the touch in seconds (and for hours to come) – all without any nasties like talc or aluminium. With our Skin Shield, our aim is a little different. In this instance, the product acts as a shield against chafing (a common occurrence when the skin on the body rubs together, worsened by the occurrence of sweat, no matter how minimal).

Here, we use ingredients such as aloe vera leaf juice powder, pomegranate seed oil and tapioca starch to ensure you experience zero friction no matter the situation you are in. Skin Shield is a must for any beach bag this summer.

Sweat happens to everyone – why do you think it’s so taboo?

I suppose we can chalk it up to the list of peculiar body standards society imposes on us (the list is endless). Similar to any taboo subject, many of us have endured the discomfort related to sweating in shame but with Skoop, that’s no longer the case.

In conjunction with Skoop products, what are some tools we can use to combat anxiety sweat?

Great question. As we know, sweat (not linked to exercise) is often caused by everyday stressors activating our fight or flight mode. Therefore, in addition to Skoop, we know that these tools work well for combating anxiety sweat:

• Deep breathing exercises. Practice deep and slow breaths to help calm your nervous system and reduce anxiety-induced sweating.
• Mindfulness and meditation. Incorporate mindfulness techniques (we love the Calm app, we both use it for the whole family) or meditation into your routine to manage stress and anxiety, which can contribute to excessive sweating.
• Regular exercise. We know this one always seems to be on the list but engaging in regular physical activity to release built-up tension and stress promotes overall wellbeing and potentially reduces anxiety-related sweat.
• Stay hydrated. Proper hydration can help regulate body temperature, potentially minimising the triggers for anxiety-induced sweating.
• Wearing breathable fabrics. It may seem like a no-brainer, but choosing clothing made from breathable materials like cotton allows better air circulation and reduces the likelihood of excessive sweating.

For more on combatting the physical symptoms of anxiety, head here.