A Guide to Skincare for Sensitive Skin Types: Do’s and Don’ts
When it comes to our skin, it’s not a “one size fits all” approach. Some skin types are oily, some dry, and some are a combination of both. And any one of those skin types can come served up with a side of sensitivity.
Let’s take a closer look at sensitive skin and consider a few things to know to give it the best care possible.
Why Do You Have Sensitive Skin?
First of all, let’s talk about why you may have sensitive skin. You may have had sensitive skin since you were born, or it may have appeared as you grew up. The reasons can vary from health conditions to environmental factors.
When it comes to your health, your skin is often one of the first things you might notice when your system is out of balance. Sensitive skin in itself is not a disease, but it can be a symptom of other conditions. Take stress, for instance. It’s not uncommon to develop a rash or dry patches when you’re experiencing stressful times.
Other health related conditions that might cause your skin to be dry and sensitive could be things like rosacea, eczema, and allergies. Your doctor can identify other conditions that are unique to you.
Environmental factors can also play a role in dry skin. If the weather is cold or the sun is hot, you might see your skin getting dry or chapped. Exposure to certain chemicals, harsh soaps, over-washing, and long hot showers are just a few of the other triggers that can cause your skin to react with irritation. When your skin is sensitive to outside influences, it won’t be surprising when it shows you how it feels.
If you have sensitive skin, it will most commonly appear on your face, hands, feet, arms and lower legs. But there are things you can do to help soothe your skin, and tone down inflamed redness or itching.
Choosing Good Ingredients in Skincare Products
When you have sensitive skin it’s really going to make a difference in selecting products that will help, not hurt, your delicate skin.
Cleansers
Avoid using harsh soaps and cleansers on your hands, face, and in the shower. Gentle, fragrance free products are going to be your best bet for sensitive skin. Even with your laundry soaps, choose natural ingredients without perfumes and strong cleaning agents.
Our hand and body washes are great on all skin types. They’re made with just three main ingredients, organic sunflower, organic coconut oil, and organic jojoba oil - all of which have natural antibacterial properties and work together to moisturize your skin.
On your face, avoid astringents and over exfoliating. Wash gently by wiping your skin, rather than scrubbing.
Lotions
Sensitive skin is likely going to react to anything harsh or overly perfumed, so just as with cleansers, make sure the lotions you choose are going to soothe and moisturize your skin with gentle natural ingredients. Read the labels and avoid things like parabens and sulfates in any of your cleansers, creams or lotions.
Look for natural ingredients like shea butter, jojoba oil, and moisturizers like hyaluronic acid and ceramides.
Our lotions and cremes are made with carefully selected organic oils that can moisturize your skin safely, without harsh ingredients that might be irritating to sensitive skin types. Either delicately scented with essential oils or unscented, these lotions can gently moisturize sensitive skin. Alyson, the founder of Sage Stone Botanicals, has struggled with dry and sensitive skin so she’s put these product formulas to the test herself. Spoiler alert: They passed the test and are great for dry, sensitive skin.
Sunscreen
Protecting your skin from the sun is another important step in caring for your skin, but it may be even more important for people with sensitive skin. Wearing a hat or clothing that blocks UV rays is one way to do that, but using a natural sunscreen lotion on your skin is still necessary, especially when the sun is hot!
Chemical sunscreens using ingredients like avobenzone, octinoxate or oxybenzone, can be too harsh for sensitive skin and have been suspected of being harmful in environmental ways as well. Using a more natural product with ingredients like zinc oxide or titanium dioxide can be a better option for sensitive skin types.
Keeping things simple and natural are the best keys to choosing products for sensitive skin.
Fragrances
Not all fragrances are made the same. Some products have just enough scent to feel as if you’ve been kissed by a gentle wind blowing through a lavender field or floating in a meadow of lemon grass.
…But other times, you may run across a strong perfume that leaves you feeling like you’ve been drowned in a vat of synthetically soaked laundry towels. That’s not the best choice for sensitive skin!
Whatever fragrance you’re using, make sure it's giving you, and the people around you, an uplifting scent of pleasure. You don’t want to suffocate the senses of everyone around you because of the intense aroma coming from your skincare products. Choosing naturally scented products can enhance the enjoyment for everyone.
General Tips
When it comes to managing sensitive skin, there are the key things to remember.
DO:
Use gentle cleansers
Use natural moisturizers
Read labels and use natural ingredients
Pat skin, rather than rub
Use essential oils for fragrance or go with unscented products
Test new products on a small area of skin before using all over your face or body.
Protect your skin with hats and sunscreen
DON’T:
Take long hot showers
Use harsh face and body soaps or laundry detergents
Over exfoliate
Use alcohol based products
Use chemical sunscreens with ingredients like avobenzone, octinoxate or oxybenzone
(try zinc oxide or titanium dioxide instead)
Dealing with sensitive skin might take a little extra attention but by following a few basic guidelines you can minimize the triggers that cause red, inflamed, and itchy skin.
