If you have skin that can be dry, inflamed or just plain sensitive, what’s the best skincare approach to use?
The good news is that while skincare for sensitive skin requires a little more thought, it’s pretty easy to take care of sensitive skin as long as you have the right products - and the right attitude.
Here are our top 7 simple steps for those living with skin dryness, redness or inflammation to follow.
Thanks to micellar water you no longer need to hunt around for a face wash for sensitive skin. Micellar water requires no rinsing, making life even simpler, and large bottles of the stuff can be yours for just a few pounds.
Apply micellar water with a cotton wool pad so that the miniscule micelles can work their magic. These are small, oily molecules with the power to lift grease, grime and makeup away from the skin.
Micellar water is free from soap and alcohol, and is thus a gentle cleanser suitable for all skin types.
You can use toner on sensitive or dry skin - just make sure it won’t strip the skin of its natural oils in the process.
A toner containing rose water can be a good choice, as it’s a soothing ingredient often used to calm down sunburn, acne, psoriasis, eczema or dry skin.
Finding the right toner for you can really be a matter of trial and error, but anything marked as suitable for sensitive skin should be a good bet.
Even if your skin looks or feels greasy, don’t be tempted to skip this vital step. A lack of moisture is likely to make your skin feel dry, tight and uncomfortable pretty quickly, and again it’s easy to find formulas suitable for sensitive skin.
If your skin is very dry, look for richer creams, while a lighter lotion may be the best option for oily skin.
Though you may be tempted to apply none in this case, a lack of moisture may actually stimulate the sebaceous glands into overproduction. Leading to even more oil on the surface on your face.
Apply a calming face mask once or twice per week to give your sensitive skin some of the extra care it needs.
The easiest formulas to use are those you simply apply before leaving for a while to work. You can then rinse your face clean with lukewarm water.
This sort of mask contains specific ingredients to nourish your skin, while removing deeper traces of makeup, dirt, oil and dust.
When showering or bathing and you have sensitive skin, do try to avoid having the water too hot. It’s not good for your skin - nor your hair, for that matter.
Too-hot water may strip essential moisture from skin, and in some it may also induce heat-related rashes.
Though it can be hard to get used to at first, you’ll soon adjust to the lower temperature, and enjoy the added bonus of feeling more awake from the moment you step out.
Anyone would be best advised to stay away from the sun’s UV rays during the peak hours of the day - that’s during the late morning and early afternoon. But this particularly applies to those with sensitive skin.
Sunburn is a no-no from a beauty and health point of view, so always use a good sunscreen formulated for sensitive skin. Make sure it will block out both UVA and UVB rays.
When the sun is at its strongest, such as during summer or when you’re visiting a hot country, abide by the old Australian rule of slip, slop, slap. This 1980s campaign against skin cancer educated the public Down Under about the need for slipping on a shirt, slopping on sunscreen and slapping on a hat.
Our final tip is to invest in a silk pillowcase. Pure mulberry silk is so much kinder to your skin than cotton, and even those with eczema, acne and psoriasis often report an improvement in their symptoms after trying one out.
A silk pillowcase is also more comfortable and luxurious to sleep on, making sure you have a stress-free beauty sleep every night of the week. The surface of the finest mulberry silk is so smooth that it results in far less skin irritation as you move during the night.
As well as less friction, silk doesn’t absorb all those pampering ingredients from your skincare products in the way that cotton can, meaning they’re free to work their magic as you enjoy a blissful slumber.Why not take a look at our wonderful range of mulberry silk pillowcases right now?
