What Makes Your Sensitive Skin Worse?

Sensitive skin can be no walk in the park, and we want to offer you some tips to help you from making symptoms worse.

Hot Showers

We all love a hot, steamy shower in the morning (especially in winter). Did you know that hot water can actually dry out the skin and also damage the skin's surface? This all leads to drier, itchier and more irritable skin - as if you needed more of that. Maybe that’s why your skin feel great after a cool dip in the ocean.

Tip: Keep the showers on the cooler side. It doesn't have to be cold, but if it's causing the mirror to fog up it's probably too hot. Cold showers (sometimes referred to as a Scottish shower) are also good for your hair as it helps seal your hair cuticle, making it less frizzy. It’s also good for circulation as the shock to the body requires you to pump blood around to regulate your body temperature. Google "Ice Man Wim Hof" to find out why cold water is now becoming super cool (yes, pun intended). It is like a gym session...it isn’t that comfortable at the start but it feels wonderful when it's over.

Over - Exfoliating

If you suffer from dry skin, eczema or other skin issues, exfoliating to remove dead skin cells may seem like the best thing to do, but it’s very easy to overdo it. Over exfoliating can cause you not only to remove the dead skin cells, but your new ones too. This then can cause your skin to become sore, red and even more irritated.

Tip: Try to keep your exfoliating to 1-2 times a week at most, and try not to use anything too harsh on your skin. Many exfoliating products can scratch the skin and cause more damage than good. Exfoliating has some major benefits so to make sure you’re not overdoing it, ensure that you’re using a gentle exfoliating product (like our Gentle Exfoliating Powder) or a soft, silicone cleansing pad with gentle bristles and your favourite cleanser can help do the trick.

Chemicals

We know that technically everything is a chemical, but they aren’t all equal. Parabens for example aren’t the same as Hops Extract to preserve products. Propylene and Ethylene Glycol aren’t the same as using Olive Oil to hydrate the skin. These ingredients may be for the same thing but it's up to you which ones you choose. That's why we always bang on about how important it is to read ingredient labels. Don't trust the green leaf motif or the logo with a picture of planet earth on the front of the bottle to mean it’s all honky dory.

Tip: Be extra careful with cleaning products. Remember that cleaning products aren’t required to list their ingredients so claims such as “all natural” or “gentle” are hard to verify. Dishwashing liquid, even those with natural claims on the front, almost always use SLS. Think rubber gloves will help? Makes sure you get the ones with without the powder inside as many people are allergic to that.

Removing Makeup

Usually your make up removal routine goes hand in hand with your bedtime routine. The majority of people remove their makeup not when they get home, but when they go to bed. Wearing makeup for a long time can irritate and clog the skin as its being covered with a layer of product all day long. Between foundation, powders and concealers, the skin puts up with a lot.

Tip: Instead of taking your makeup off before bed, try taking it off after you get home from work and slip into those ugly sweatpants you love so much. Or go a day on the weekend without any makeup at all. These small changes will allow your skin to have a few extra hours of makeup-free time and let it breath (a bit of fresh air can do wonders to the skin and the soul). You can also use this extra time to pamper your skin with a hydrating face oil (we have a few) and a nourishing cream like our Night Cream.

Source: MooGoo Malaysia