Here is how to care for sensitive skin: Alcohol irritates sensitive skin, so avoid it. A simple 3-step skincare routine is better, too!
“How to care for sensitive skin” seems an odd topic on a personal development blog. But we have to take care of our outer appearance!
My skin has been reacting lately. The weather is cold. I am from a tropical country, so my skin is used to warm weather.
If you have sensitive skin like I do, you know you can’t use just any products on your skin. Some “healing” products make things worse!
Here is how to care for sensitive skin based on experience:
- Use alcohol-free and natural products suitable for sensitive skin.
- Less is more. Don’t put too many products on your face!
- Have some go-to products for when your skin reacts.
- Don’t forget to moisturize even if you have oily skin.
- Do the air-drying method or use clean tissue paper for wiping.
Let’s begin.
How to Care for Sensitive Skin: 5 Tips to Prevent Irritation
During the cold season, I always pay attention to my skin because it becomes scaly and bumpy, and it turns red and becomes itchy.
If the weather is normal, I still need to pay attention to it because it is sensitive to dirt. If I spend time around smoke-belching vehicles, my skin will react.
Hormonal changes also affect my skin. I get pimples before my period!
Makeup? A no-no! I don’t wear makeup because my skin reacts to it, but I figured it may be because I buy products incompatible with my skin type.
Elle has a list of the best makeup products for sensitive skin. I don’t buy makeup regularly, so I am not sure if the products are affordable.
I have no problem with it. I got used to showing my bare face to everyone, and I like it that way because I don’t want to be unrecognizable.
Know the Instagram vs. reality posts? *grimace* I always want to show people that what you see is what you get. Being told I look better with makeup will hurt me.
The products I use change, but an alcohol-free facial wash, an apple cider vinegar + water toner, and a water-based moisturizer are constant in my routine.
If I am lazy, I will use just those three products and then get through the day. I have tried the 10-step Korean skincare routine, and it did more harm than good.
For sensitive skin, you will see better results with fewer products. Scroll down to learn more about how to care for sensitive skin!
1. Use alcohol-free and natural products suitable for sensitive skin.
All of the products I use are either alcohol-free or don’t contain over 10% alcohol. Alcohol irritates the skin because it is a harsh chemical.
Anything harsh is not good for sensitive skin. It will make the skin dry, and the kind of dryness you will get is not literally dry, without water on the skin surface.
The dryness is on the dermis (or beyond) level, but it affects the epidermis (the outer layer of the skin). It will become red and itchy. Bumps might appear, too!
Verywell Health explains that the skin has 3 major layers: epidermis, dermis, and hypodermis. Epidermis is the layer we can touch, dermis is the layer under that, and the hypodermis is the layer under dermis.
If possible, use natural products, but make sure they are perfect for sensitive skin. Not all of them are good for sensitive skin.
My skin reacted to some aloe vera gels I used before!
2. Less is more. Don’t put too many products on your face!
I wash my face with facial wash just twice a day: before I go out for a walk and when I take a shower. It becomes thrice if I want to feel dry before bed.
During the day, if I am at home and want to remove some oil from my face, I wash my face with water. Just water.
That may sound unhygienic, but that is the secret behind my calm skin. I was acne-prone before. My pimples would pop out even with stable hormones.
According to Healthline, hormonal acne could be small pimples, blackheads, whiteheads, and the super-hard-to-treat cystic acne.
Usually, I only tone and moisturize after I wash with a facial wash. If my skin looks ugly, I will apply niacinamide and tretinoin, and others.
When you have sensitive skin, less is more.
I tried the 10-step Korean skincare routine back in college, and the basic 3-step skincare routine is better. Putting 10 products on the face felt heavy.
3. Have some go-to products for when your skin reacts.
How to care for sensitive skin? Have go-to products for skin reactions!
Some have go-to products when their skin reacts, and I had some back then when I was still acne-prone. Spot treatment is the word for that.
Spot treatment means that you will put the product only on the affected area. If you have cystic acne, you may use benzoyl peroxide to treat that.
Salicylic acid and benzoyl peroxide are popular ingredients for acne. Real Simple advises that you use salicylic acid if you want to clear your pores and benzoyl peroxide for skin issues with deep causes.
Currently, whenever my skin is not in the right condition, I don’t use any product at all. Sometimes, the best treatment is to not apply anything on the area.
You will wait for it to heal. Time heals all wounds after all. I just wash my face with water, and it is the most effective $0 product for skin problems.
4. Don’t forget to moisturize even if you have oily skin.
One of the reasons why I don’t use a facial wash a lot of times is that I want to keep my skin moisturized and dewy-looking.
I have oily skin, so my skin has moisture by default. I don’t need to apply a moisturizer if I wash my face with just water.
A facial wash makes my skin feel dry because it removes the oil on the surface. I like the feeling, but I don’t like the consequences.
Whenever my skin dries up, I get small bumps on my face, which are itchy.
5. Do the air-drying method or use clean tissue paper for wiping.
I don’t use a face towel after I wash my face because I don’t trust that the towels are clean. I don’t want to intentionally put dirt on my face.
I air dry most of the time. If I need it to dry quickly (maybe I am too sleepy to wait) because I will apply a skincare product, I will use a tissue.
Allure asked dermatologists about air drying, and the only drawback they see is the waiting time. It is indeed slower than using a towel or tissue.
Not even a facial tissue. I am fine with using the normal tissue people use in bathrooms. I have some stored in my bag to wipe out the oiliness when I am out.
“Experts” advise not to use just any tissue for the face because the texture is rough, and it might irritate the skin even more. But I haven’t encountered problems.
I have been using tissue rolls on my face since college.
Last Words
Why should you know how to care for sensitive skin? Sensitive skin is more prone to irritation, redness, and adverse reactions compared to other skin types.
It is high maintenance! Gentle skincare products need to be part of your skincare routine because harsh chemicals, fragrances, and dyes trigger reactions!
Now you know how to care for sensitive skin!
If you enjoyed reading how to care for sensitive skin, here is a video of me talking about my skincare routine, which might change:
