Finding the perfect skincare routine for sensitive skin can be a daunting task, and even difficult at times. For sensitive skin, it is crucial to follow a step by step routine while also integrating the proper ingredients and avoiding harsh ingredients.
Ultimately, the key is to keep your routine simple. We are going to provide you with insight on the best ingredients for sensitive skin, along with tips on how to improve your daytime and nighttime skin routines.
The Best Ingredients for Sensitive Skin
Using too many products on sensitive skin can do more damage than good. That is why simplifying your skincare routine is crucial. These two ingredients–hyaluronic acid and arnica–are the key to getting one step ahead on caring for your sensitive skin.
Hyaluronic Acid
Hyaluronic acid is a substance that your body produces in order to help your joints work smoothly, hydrate your body, and make your skin flexible.
“In skin care products, hyaluronic acid is used as a humectant, a substance that helps the skin hold on to water,” Frey says. “It helps hydrate the outer layers of skin, thereby improving the skin's appearance.” It's good for all skin types, even those with sensitive skin, because it's a naturally occurring skin ingredient.
Arnica
Arnica is a natural component that comes from the Arnica montana plant and has a variety of skin benefits, including wound healing, pain relief, insect bite relief, dandruff treatment, and irritation prevention.
Arnica is an effective ingredient because it helps soothe the skin by relieving inflammation. Most people make the mistake of scrubbing skincare products on their faces without knowing that they contain harsh acids, causing intense redness. Look for cleansers with arnica to alleviate redness and sensitivity. (Also, don’t scrub your face too hard!)
Night Skincare Routine for Sensitive Skin
Use Gentle Cleansers
Using a gentle cleanser is crucial for your nighttime routine. Avoid cleansers with pH too high or too low, as it can cause irritation and clogging of the pores. Cleanser with a neutral pH is very gentle on the skin, and will wash off all impurities while not reacting with the skin in any harsh way.
Skip Exfoliation
While exfoliating can be beneficial in your skincare routine, over-exfoliating can result in dry and flaky skin patches on your face. You should only exfoliate about once a week, to remove any dead skin and rejuvenate your fresh new skin. Exfoliating is a great way to allow necessary enzymes into your skin, however, over-saturating your skin with these enzymes can be really damaging and make your skin more sensitive. In addition, constantly taking the dead skin off of your face makes your skin more tender and prone to reactivity to certain products.
While we’re on the topic, consider opting for chemical exfoliants over physical exfoliants. Gentle chemical exfoliants are safe, over-the-counter additions to your skincare routine that offer consistent, safe exfoliation. Physical exfoliants are often too coarse and can be easily over-used.
Try a Lightweight Night Cream
Using moisturizer throughout the day is important. However, it is very important that you consistently use a moisturizing night cream. The production of oil on the skin rises in the middle of the day, and it decreases at night. As a result, when you lose that protective layer of natural oils, your skin loses more water. Use a moisturizer overnight to replace the water loss. Skin permeability is highest at night, meaning that creams have a higher potential of penetrating deeper into the skin and hydrating the skin.
Morning Skincare Routine for Sensitive Skin
Don’t Touch Your Face
Although oftentimes involuntary, touching of the facial area can lead to prolonged skin irritation and facial breakouts. With this in mind, professionals urge people to avoid touching their face throughout the day, and instead, concentrate on maintaining a simple skincare routine. This starts with a gentle moisturizer, and lukewarm water, which will be further discussed.
Try Using Only Water
Sometimes, the best facial cleanser is simply water iself. Skincare experts commonly advise patients to use tepid water as an initial base for skin cleansing, followed by a gentle moisturizer and serum at a later period in the day.
But your tap water might actually be causing more problems than your skincare products can solve. Tap water contains contaminants that are harsh to sensitive skin, including chlorine, microplastics, heavy metals, and a multitude of unregulated chemicals. These chemical can result in dry, flaky, and brittle skin. With that being said, to take the extra step, I recommend purchasing a water filter to ensure that these contaminants don’t make their way to your face. The PROdermis™ Water Filter by Filterbaby is a bathroom sink filter with a simple ultrafiltration system that rids tap water of any unwanted chemicals. The carbon fiber filter that reduces up to 99% of chlorine, and captures calcium and magnesium ions.
Always Moisturize
Moisturizing everyday is extremely important for all skin types, as it reduces all types of skin problems. Moisturizing on a daily basis might help to prevent excessive dryness or oiliness. Both extremes are damaging to the skin and can lead to acne and other skin problems. In addition, moisturizing everyday conceals skin discolorations. Using a moisturizer on a regular basis ensures that your skin has everything it needs to glow. Implement a hydrating and lightweight daily moisturizer into your morning routine to avoid skin damage.
Protect with Facial Sunscreen
Wearing sunscreen is not only crucial for your skin, but also for your health. The sun projects UV rays, and exposure to these rays increases your risk of skin cancer and early aging. Overtime, if you are lackadaisical with your sunscreen application, the effects of skin damage add up hastily. That is why it is so important to implement sunscreen application into your skincare routine. If you are prone to redness and have sensitive skin, using sunscreen alleviates your skin while also protecting you from rays. Try to look for sunscreens with zinc oxide and titanium dioxide.
And while we’re on the topic, you should be wearing sunscreen every day–regardless of the season, weather, or if you’re even going outside.