#AskE - (Combatting Burnout, my Favorite Face Cleanser + MORE!)

TGIF, PEEPS. And hello from HOT-lanta! AKA Atlanta, Georgia, where it is V HOT right about now. And humid. And rainy. Basically dream weather amiright? 😉 I’m here for a lil’ weekend conference before jetting off on another trip next week. It’s a blogging conference, so it’s also basically a dream any time I get to have some solid girl time catching up with girlfriends I’ve known from the internet for basically ever.

In other news, it has been a HOT SEC since our last #AskE post! No bueno, yo. It feels like I’ve been hoarding Q’s for months now (I have), so it’s about dang time we have some chit chat. Grab yo’ coffee + let’s hop right in!

(here’s a favorite of mine, with more favorites here!) // (only $17!!! I’m wearing size S) // Studded flip flops (under $10 designer lookalikes of flip flops!) // Sunglasses (under $17 designer lookalikes of !) // (in Tu-Lip Treatment)

In one of your last Q&A posts, you mentioned how you wash your hair not often! I need your secrets. I’ve been dealing with horrible dry scalp because of hard winter and the winter weather. What kind of products do you use to keep your hair looking clean?!

Correctamundo – I wash my hair typically twice a week MAX.

First off, if you’re on the drier scalp struggle bus, I’d recommend trying a good scalp treatment/clarifier to get back to ground zero! Sometimes it’s dry scalp, sometimes it’s product build-up, sometimes it’s a combo of both – so clarify + hydrate to start fresh.

My personal favorites for some good scalp TLC are an Aveda scalp treatment ( I have/use, but they also make specifically for dandruff if that’s something you struggle with!) followed by a Head & Shoulders shampoo, or a Kerastase shampoo. Head & Shoulders I’ve used for both dry scalp (so, a more hydrating one, ), and also for clarification (eliminating build-up from products, etc). And then I’ve been using lately as a “clarifying” treatment once/week to be a deep cleanse!

I think it really comes down then to the way you handle your hair post-shower and between-washes. Sidenote: Should this be an entire blog psot??? STRONGLY considering doing a what-I-do-between-shampoos post since I get so many Q’s about this – ha!

Dry shampoo is bae. It is life. It is the alpha and the omega. Invest in a quality dry shampoo and it will become your lifeblood between washes. I’ve done multiple dry shampoo posts, but this one is the most recent (you can always search “dry shampoo” in my search bar up above for a list of any/all related posts!)

Beyond that, I just keep my hair on a “cycle.” I plan to wear it down + styled the first two-ish days post-wash. Beyond that, I’m using headbands, I’m wearing a ponytail – I’m mixing it up to work with my hair’s texture as the week progresses. If/when it doesn’t look clean anymore, I don’t force a down ‘do – I just rock the sock bun and call the next day wash day! 😉

How do you combat burnout & overwhelm?

First thing’s first, wrote a biga$$ blog post about that some time ago – and much of it still holds true to this day 100%. So, I’d recommend!

Combatting burnout/overwhelm is really twofold: Prevention + Elimination. Preventing it from happening in the first place (important), and eliminating it if/when it shows up on your doorstep uninvited (also important).

The short version: I first get down to the why. WHY am I feeling burnt out and/or overwhelmed? If you treat just the symptoms and not the underlying disease, you risk it getting worse…or just repeating itself in the future. No bueno, yo. So really get real with yourself to figure out what specific circumstances or situations are contributing to the negativity you’re currently experiencing.

Next, get disciplined. I HAVE to set strict rules for myself, *especially* in any period of time that happens to be busier than usual. Otherwise, I risk my schedule running me instead of me running it! If I look at my calendar and my gut reaction is to groan in horror, I know it’s time to either a.) buckle down + get strict in balancing my own time management with self care, and/or b.) give myself grace and let some things off of it for the time being.

Through it all, it’s important to know thyself. What are your triggers? What sends you over the edge? What do you NEED in your daily routines to feel inspired + healthy? What people should be surrounding you, versus who shouldn’t be near your energy field with a 9-foot pole? How much “me time” do you need? What’s your creative outlet, and how often should you be flexing those muscles? How much tech time is too much tech time for your brain?

Dig deep, A those Q’s for yourself, and remember your own answers for future reference.

If I’m already at the point of burnout (#BeenThereDoneThat), I HAVE to have to have to cut back immediately to get back to the good feels. Pushing through burnout just leads to…worse burns. Gotta heal first, yo! So if I find myself at Burnout Station, it’s time to put a halt to any non-essential things on my calendar for the foreseeable future. If it’s not absolutely mandatory, it’s not happening. Not until I a.) brain dump, b.) get a workout in, c.) get a good night’s sleep, d.) have some solid Bible time, e.) organize something in my house, and f.) rinse + repeat the above steps.

Hey girl! I am looking for great skin products that you could recommend. I already use the Mario Badescu toning spray, which I love, but I’m looking for a great cleanser and I’m prone to acne. I saw you like Tula, but is that your favorite?

Hey girl hey – funny you should ask! I just posted this humdinger of a post sharing both my morning AND nighttime skincare routine of the past month-ish. Check it out, yo!

But to A the specific Q’s here…1.) Yes, Tula is my favorite face cleanser. Their just can’t be beat. I have 3-4 tubes on stock at my house at all times. It’s my go-to for WHENEVER, and it’s the one I go back to if/when I’m having any sorta flare up of any kind, be that a breakout or redness or just a reaction to a product I’ve been testing. The fact that it balances out your pH + works with *your* skin is so so so good. AND it’s a cleanser that truly works on all skin types – oily, dry, older skin, younger skin, you name it!

If I need a deeper cleanse from a heavier makeup day or am specifically spot targeting, I might do a combo of a mud cleanser with something that’s a gentle exfoliant (chemical or physical, either or!). Some current favorites for that are the ones I mentioned in that most recent skincare roundup (so check that out here!) – + this !

ALSO, worth noting that I lovelovelove using my with my Tula cleanser to get a little deeper with that clean. is reserve for the deepest of cleaning days – my FOREO is like the perfect in-between (say, for nighttime before bed), and my Dew Puff is what I use in the morning in the shower for a really light, gentle cleanse.

P.S. I do have discount codes for some of my fave products, since the companies know how much I lovelovelove their stuff and wanted me to able to spread the lovelovelove to YOU guys if you’re interested in trying any of my personal faves. SO.

COMINGUPROSES gets you 20% off (+ FREE shipping over $50!)

ERICA20 gets you !

What are you watching/reading/enjoying nowadays?

Great Q. TBH, this Q got me thinking about how I need to be more *intentional* about actually carving out time in my day TO watch/read/enjoy things beyond work – ha! But…

Watching: Bachelor in Paradise. And The Bachelorette before that. Truly my guilty pleasure. Although I have zero guilt about it. #SorryNotSorry

Reading: Into the Water as a fun thriller (cos I’m a sucker for anything thrill-ish). Grace Not Perfection as my “self-help-y” fix.

Enjoying: This whole “nesting” thing that accompanies pregnancy, supposedly. I’ve always been someone who *craves* organization + everything having it’s place, but it’s RARELY happened in my life…namely because I have too many things and not enough time. Sure, I could just purge it all and start anew, but realistically, that feels impossible. Ha! I was always slow-but-steady in my approach, but in the past few weeks, I’ve just gotten bit by the organization bug – to the point where my mama has been over at my house spending full days with me just purging + donating + cleaning + organizing #AllTheThings. And MAN OH MAN, do I enjoy it. I enjoy it too much, really. My poor husband has had to deal with house tours as I show off my revolutionary approach to organizing beauty products and my linen closet makeovers. 😉

What did you want to be when you grew up when you were a kid?

I went through phases as a kid! One of my *biggest* slash longest phases was to be a marine biologist. Which is really code word for “dolphin trainer.” Which is also code word for “professional swimmer with dolphins.” #Dreamer

At one point, I wanted to be a counselor/therapist, but then didn’t think I’d have it in me to listen to people’s problems all day long without being able to physically fix them myself (bless you, any therapists in da house).

At another point, I thought pharmacist, but then realized how much math school was necessary for that (so, nope).