The product goes on like a dream. It’s silky, refreshing, and invigorating. But then, something isn’t right. Your skin gets warm. Then it's dry and turning red!
Your skin is reacting to the product. In dismay you realize you must have sensitive skin. Yikes.
Don’t worry. You can still use products you love to care for it. We’ll show you how in this article.
First, here are things you should look out for in order to know if you have sensitive skin:
- Frequent Breakouts
- Easily sunburned
- Dry and flaking skin
- Redness
- Rashes
- Products feel like they are burning or stinging
- Itching
Prevalence is determined by:
- Gender
- Geography
- Skin type
- Climate
- Cultural influences
- Hormones
- Exposure to chemical and environmental factors
In general, women experience skin sensitivity more than men. Roughly 60-70% of women report having sensitive skin while 50-60% of men report having sensitive skin1.
So, be patient with yourself and your personal skin journey. You are most certainly not alone when your skin starts to react to different products. Having sensitive skin simply requires rebalancing your routine in order to get the smooth, plump skin you want.
To care for sensitive skin is to embrace a minimalist approach to skin care.
Here’s how.
Start by cutting back on the amount of products used. Often it’s not the skin type or type of products being used but rather the sheer amount of products being used that causes sensitivity and bad reactions.
Next, consider cutting down on the amount of cleansing and exfoliating you are doing. Overcleaning skin can cause irritation.
Long showers are a no-go.
Too much time in the water causes dry skin and leads to irritation, too. When using soap in the shower, go for soaps with little to no fragrance and focus only in areas with apocrine glands (smelly sweat producing glands). This includes the underarms and private areas.
We know trying a new product is exciting, but when you have sensitive skin, start small. First test a patch of skin with the product. If there is no reaction, introduce the product slowly. If there is still no reaction you can use the product more regularly.
When you have a reaction, it’s time to play detective.
Introduce products one by one to figure out which product is the culprit. Then change up your routine to use less of that product or eliminate it all together.
Using a small number of products is best, along with products that are multi-taskers. Our 'No Dirt’ Balancing Cleanser uses gentle ingredients to remove stubborn makeup, sunscreen and other toxins from your skin without causing irritation, keeping skin hydrated and protecting sensitive skin. It is formulated to be strong enough so it's effective on the body and gentle enough on fragile skin on the face.
The ‘Everywhere’ Antioxidant Oil is multi-functional, too. Nourishing oil protects, repairs and hydrates the lipid barrier all while not blocking pores, staving off sensitive skin reactions.