Suppose you’ve purchased a viral makeup product and you’re excited to apply it, but as soon as you put it on, your skin starts to burn or itch. Why did this happen? It could be that your skin is sensitive. Your skin is getting inflamed due to the ingredients of the makeup product that are reacting with your sensitive skin.
People with sensitive skin can face more challenges than the ones with not. Managing it feels like a constant struggle but knowing an ideal skincare routine with premium skincare for sensitive skin might help.
In this blog, we will tell you how to build the perfect skincare routine for sensitive skin with the preferred ingredients and some additional tips that you may not want to miss.
What is Sensitive Skin?
Knowing that you are suffering from a sensitive skin condition is an initial step to managing it. It’s a common misconception among people that sensitive skin is a skin type but it’s not. You may have never heard this before, but it’s true.
Sensitive skin is a condition that arises due to several reasons, external and internal.
When the sensory nerves in the upper layers of your skin respond to a stimulus, ingredient, or some other factors, your skin starts possessing sensitive skin conditions.
It’s crucial to differentiate between skin allergies and sensitive skin as symptoms may be a lot similar. Visiting your dermatologist would be a smart move to get the right diagnosis followed by the sincere steps taken to control the symptoms.
What Triggers Sensitive Skin
This susceptible skin condition can be caused by a variety of factors including external and internal;
External factors
- Sun rays: Radiance from the sun is harmful to your skin and responsible for many skin concerns such as hyperpigmentation, wrinkles, and enlarged pores. Furthermore, it can cause oxidative stress that may cause your skin to behave sensitively.
- Harsh detergents: Detergents contain harmful enzymes like sodium lauryl sulphate that can contribute to your skin’s sensitivity by increasing dryness.
- Temperature changes: Sometimes your skin can’t adapt to the frequent temperature changes and your body releases a hormone called histamine – an itch molecule.
- Synthetic elements in beauty formulas: From fragrances to colourants in make-up products can contribute to your sensitive skin condition. Choose a make-up range with mild and sensitive skin-friendly ingredients.
Internal factors
- Stress: When you’re stressed out, the nerves relay pain signals that affect your neck and face making you feel heated in those areas.
- Spicy meals and alcohol: Spicy food and chillies can add to the skin’s sensitivity and alcohol also contributes to the same. You can limit them up to a good extent to save your skin from irritation.
- Hormones: Sometimes, it’s just your hormones and there is not much you can do about it. In women, major to minor fluctuations in hormones occur during different phases of their lifecycle that can affect their skin.
5-Step Skincare Routine for Your Sensitive Skin
Building a perfect skincare routine for your sensitive skin involves a slightly different approach incorporating gentle skincare products. Select products formulated specifically for sensitive skin and verified by a dermatologist.
Let’s build a five-step skincare routine for your skin’s sensitivity;
Step 1: Cleanse your skin
Skin cleansing is the most essential step as it turns your skin into a clean surface swapping off all the dirty particles and sebum. It makes your skin ready to absorb the upcoming skincare products. If you have put the make-up on, cleansing becomes even more necessary.
Choose a mild cleanser that is made with non-irritating ingredients. to ensure that your skin’s barrier remains intact and doesn’t cause further irritation.
Take one to two drops and apply it all over the face and neck. Gently move your fingers in circular motions to spread the cleanser evenly and rinse it off.
Step 2: Apply a hydrating toner
The second product in the process is using a toner which bridges a gap between cleaning and moisturising. It helps your skin to balance its pH and can give an extra layer of protection. Use a skin-soothing toner for relaxation.
You can use a cotton pad in the toner and swipe it evenly on your face and neck using your fingertips. The alternate method is to direct using your hands. take a few drops into your palm and gently apply thoroughly.
You must allow your toner to absorb into the skin before applying serum.
Step 3: Put on a serum
Next, you have to apply a serum suitable for sensitive skin. With this step, you can target other skincare concerns your skin might be facing such as dark spots, fine lines, etc.
The active ingredients in the serum can penetrate deep into your skin and resolve the problem from within the layers of the skin. They are lighter compared to creams, hence skin welcomes them more easily.
Take one to two drops of your serum and apply it gently on your skin. It’s best to use a dropper to dispense the serum and use your fingertips only.
Step 4: Hydrate with a moisturiser
From improving your skin’s barrier to intensely hydrating, moisturiser performs an integral role in your skincare routine. Moisturisers can contribute to slowing down the process of ageing in your skin and making it plump and soft.
Choose one with mild ingredients recommended by your doctor that benefits your skin. Many moisturisers with skin-soothing ingredients relax the irritation and combat itching and redness on your skin.
Take a tiny amount of moisturiser, a pea-sized would be fine, onto your palm. Then apply it on your skin and let it spread evenly.
Step 5: Finish with a broad-spectrum sunscreen
You can put your skincare routine for the day with sunscreen. Go for SPF 30 at least. There are many good sunscreen options formulated for your highly reactive skin and they can protect your skin from getting damaged by harmful sun rays.
Use a two-finger rule to apply sunscreen. Take out enough sunscreen onto your fingers to cover two fingers, the index and middle one. Now apply it on the exposed areas of your body.
Ingredients for Sensitive Skin
While it’s suggested to get your skincare products approved by your dermatologist, you must know some basic ingredients that are friendly to your skin and do not irritate. Let’s see what we have on the list;
- Hyaluronic Acid: This acid is gentle on the skin, provides hydration which eventually increases the moisture content of your skin, relieves inflammation, and acts on the signs of ageing. According to dermatologists, it aids soft-tissue growth.
- Ceramides: these are lipids and are highly important for the barrier of your skin. A damaged barrier can cause sensitivity and they build a part of the protective outer skin barrier.
- Aloe Vera: Popularly known for its skin-soothing properties, aloe vera can help in reducing the effects of sunburns and associated damages. They also add to your skin’s hydration resulting in a calm and smooth appearance.
- Squalene: Also a lipid, secreted by sebaceous glands, this ingredient is highly recommended for sensitive skin as shows primary benefits of calming and soothing sensitive skin symptoms, such as itching, burning, tingling, and redness.
Essential Tips for Sensitive Skin
While adhering to the skincare routine with the appropriate ingredients, it’s imperative to follow some tips that can contribute to healing your condition;
- Alongside knowing what ingredients to use for sensitive skin, there are some to avoid as well. Alcohol, AHAs, and fragrances must be shunned. They can act as irritants for your skin worsening its condition.
- Avoid rubbing your skin as it can trigger itching and redness causing more pain. instead, you must adopt the habit of gently patting your skin whether cleaning it or applying any skincare product.
- Abrasive exfoliants and chemical peels can be harsher on your skin than you think and lead to irritation and burning. Moreover, they can disrupt your skin’s natural barrier making it vulnerable to more reactions and compromised health. It’s best to go for milder alternatives.
- Performing a patch test before start using the product is an intelligent move and can save you from upcoming skin hazards. It prevents reactions and identifies allergens too.
Key Takeaways
- Understanding your sensitive skin along with its triggers is the first step.
- Follow a gentle skincare routine made for your sensitive skin with discipline, including cleansing, toning, applying a serum, moisturising, and using SPF.
- It’s equally important to use suitable ingredients for your skin only, otherwise your condition can worsen.
- Add extra care to your skincare routine to save yourself from potential reactions like avoiding fragrances, and alcohol, rubbing harshly, and testing new products.
Read more beauty and skin care articles at ClichéMag.com
Images provided by Deposit Photos, BingAI, Adobe Stock, Unsplash, Pexels, Pixabay & Creative Commons
