Sensitive skin does not require more care in quantitative terms, but in qualitative terms. You must compensate for its weakness, which deprives it of effective defenses, by carefully choosing the treatment you reserve for it. Here are our tips to restore your skin’s health and radiance.
How do you know if you really have sensitive skin?
You must differentiate between sensitive skin and allergic skin, and not consider temporary reactions, because so-called sensitive skin corresponds to the permanent state of your epidermis.
If you have sensitive skin, you constantly suffer from redness, discomfort, tingling, tightness, etc. Your skin reacts to the slightest external aggressions, whether it’s bad weather (cold, heat, wind, sun), pollution, or strong emotions, such as stress and, for women, hormonal changes. Add to that sensitivity to cosmetics.
Light and thin skin are more sensitive. Her tolerance threshold is low and she tends to blush and develop pimples, rosacea, and other unpleasant symptoms.
How to adapt your care to your sensitive skin
Having sensitive skin does not mean dry skin. This error in judgment is frequent because it is intuitive. The problem is that it causes people with sensitive skin to use cosmetics for dry skin that will grease their skin, without protecting it as it should.
Here is a list of tips that identifies the best solutions to strengthen your sensitive skin, and thus arm it against external aggressions.
Analyze your tap water
In France, we have tap water of excellent purity. However, in some regions, it is particularly calcareous. However, limestone is the enemy of sensitive skin. The amounts are sometimes such that it even happens that people with normal skin are irritated when they get out of the shower.
Limestone dries out the epidermis. It weakens it, which accentuates the natural sensitivity and generates even more redness and skin reactions.
The only radical solution is to install a water softener. If you are in a house, it is installed on the general water supply, if you are in an apartment building, you will connect it to your private supply.
From your first shower or the first time you run water over your face, you will feel the difference. Along the way, you’ll save taps, extend the life of your hot water tank and you’ll clean your sinks and washbasins with a sponge, without having to scrape off limescale deposits.
To finish with the subject of water, know that if it is too hot, it alters blood circulation and dries out your skin. So be moderate and avoid hot showers.
Use organic cosmetics
Do you know that industrial cosmetics mostly contain derivatives from the petrochemical industry? Yes, you are unknowingly applying products that are made into your car’s fuel, road tar, or plastic!
On the other hand, the color, smell, and consistency of industrial cosmetics result from an amalgam of chemical products. Artificial colors, flavors, gelling agents and emulsifiers are derived from pure chemistry and nature no longer has much to do with the finished product.
Take the time, for example, to look at the composition of a product whose label boasts the merits of aloe vera. You will find that sometimes the rate is less than 1%. As for emulsifiers, they are added to make cleaning products foam, because we instinctively associate foam with effectiveness, which is a mistake.
So use organic products that use only a few preservatives when necessary for health reasons. You thus put all the chances on your side to reconcile your skin with cosmetics.
Do not abuse cosmetics
Even if you use organic cosmetics, there is no need to abuse them, neither in number nor in frequency. For example, use a superfatted bar for the shower, a cleansing milk for the face, and a moisturizing cream. That’s enough.
Once you have found the panoply that suits your skin, don’t change it. Sensitive skin is more intolerant and you risk destabilizing it by changing products.
Avoid chafing
Sensitive skin overreacts to friction. For example, you should avoid clothing that can create irritation, especially around the collar.
On the other hand, choose reusable wipes for facial care instead. They are softer than disposable cotton and more environmentally friendly.
You should also avoid all treatments that “scrub” the skin: peelings, scrubs, astringent masks, etc. If you’re serious about it, you can try a pink clay mask, but don’t let it dry out too much before washing it off.
There are bee honey masks that are very suitable for sensitive skin. They clean the skin in depth, in the most gentle way possible.
Avoid essential oils
Essential oils are very powerful plant concentrates. It is rather advisable to avoid them because your skin could react exaggeratedly. If you like essential oils, save them for your diffuser, but don’t apply them directly to the skin.
Good products for sensitive skin
Here are some of the very gentle products that soothe the skin, care for it, and moisturize it. Always check the composition of the product you choose to ensure that it actually contains a high enough level of the ingredient you are looking for to be effective.
The aloe vera
Aloe vera has all the virtues for sensitive skin. It is antiseptic, antibacterial, healing (it stimulates cell renewal), soothing and moisturizing.
You can very easily grow aloe vera at home, provided you do not leave it outside during the winter. It is a succulent plant that grows very quickly and recreates new plants automatically in its pot. Be careful not to water it too much, because it comes from rather dry countries.
You just have to break one of its stems and apply the gel directly to your skin. Its softness is incredible and there, you are sure that it is an organic product!
chamomile
Chamomile is not reserved for herbal teas, it is prized for its anti-inflammatory and soothing properties for the skin. It contains bisabolol, an alcohol that promotes the regeneration of the skin barrier, a weak point in sensitive skin.
Chamomile does not trigger any allergies and is very suitable for sensitive skin.
Donkey’s milk
Skin contact with donkey’s milk is a delight. In addition to having a good time, you provide your skin with treasures of vitamins, minerals, and trace elements that help it regenerate.
Donkey’s milk is also very effective in relieving irritation.
Calendula
Calendula oil is extracted from the yellow or orange-yellow flower of the marigold. It operates an instant calming action if you experience a sudden eruption of pimples or redness. Calendula is antiseptic and healing. Its calming action will relieve your pain and soothe your itching.
oats
The oats you find in the form of milk repair your skin when damaged by a breakout. Oat milk gives you protection against environmental factors, strengthening your skin barrier.