Tips on caring for sensitive skin

Looking after sensitive skin takes a great degree of time and care. Picking the right products, preparing your skin the right way, avoiding certain foods and skincare ingredients – you have to be in control of your skin at all times, before it gets in control of you.

Which is why we loved these everyday skincare tips from Health Central:

• Simplify your skincare routine. Use only one or two gentle cleansers and moisturizers (plus a sunscreen). If you need to add additional products, add them one at a time – if you don’t have any reaction, then you can add another product. The fewer [products you use, the less chance of your skin having a reaction.
• Look for products that are fragrance-free and don’t have artificial colours.
• Start with gentle cleansers and slowly work your way up if you don’t feel the cleanser is working.
• Be gentle when washing your face, scrubbing hard is only going to irritate your skin. Use a soft washcloth and use a new washcloth every day. Limit face washing to twice a day – once in the morning and once before you go to bed.
• Before using a new product, patch test on the back of your arm. If your skin becomes irritated, don’t use it on your face.
• After washing your face, let your skin dry completely before putting on any skin care products.
• Use a moisturizer based on your unique needs. For example, if you have acne, you don’t want a heavy or oil based moisturizer; if you have dry patches, a cream or heavier moisturizer is best.
• Drink plenty of water – drinking eight glasses of water each day helps keep your skin moisturized – from the inside out.
• Change your skin care routine with the seasons. Different weather patterns create different needs for your skin, for example, in the summer your skin may be more oily and in the winter you may worry about dry skin.

One of our favourite products for sensitive skin is La Biosthetique Masque Sensitif – Relaxing Mask for Sensitive Skin, a first aid mask for sensitive skin with intensive moisturising. The perfect combination of plant oils and extracts rebuilds the damaged skin barrier and strengthens the skin with essential fatty acids. Phytosterols calm the skin, inflammations are reduced and stressed skin is able to relax again, even when suffering from itchiness.

Red algae extract combined with plankton extract supply the skin with moisture and restructure the cells. They stimulate the skin’s own hyaluronic acid synthesis in all layers of the skin and strengthen the connective tissue. The skin looks fresher and more radiant and the pore size is reduced.

Main ingredients:

• Blackcurrant seed oil, balloon vine extract, sunflower oil concentrate: First aid for sensitive skin.
• Red algae (Furcellaria lumbricalis): Activation of the skin’s own hyaluronic acid synthesis.
• Plankton extract (saccharide): Pore refining and improvement of the skin condition.