COMMON CAUSES OF SENSITIVE SKIN
Skin sensitivity is at an all time high as a result of the world we live in these days. Ours diets, the environment, using toxic products and much more are all to blame.
There's a lot of self explanatory reasons your skin may be feeling a bit more tender than usual, so I've put together a general guide to common causes of sensitive skins and a few tips for how to treat them!
1. Use gentle, natural nourishing products actually for YOUR skin type. If you don't know your skin type, it's really beneficial to have a skin therapist help you find out what skin type you are, it'll save you a lot of time and money in the long run. I used many products when I was younger I thought were great because my friends used them and they had good skin, so naturally I thought they would do the same for me... long story short they didn't. (One was soap... cringe.)
2. Spicy food. If you are someone (like myself) who loves a bit of spice on their food, it could be causing sensitivity and redness on your face/skin. The best way to test is to eliminate spicy food for one week and see if it makes a difference to your skins appearance at all.
3. Food allergies/ intolerances. It's VERY underestimated how much our diets control our skins appearance. As I've mentioned in previous blogs before, our skin is there to protect us and send us signals when something internally isn't balanced. Again the best way to find out exactly what is causing your skin to be red/ irritated/sensitive is process of elimination. Start with eliminating Dairy, or meat or grains one week, then switch to the next until you see a change in your skin.
(Small disclaimer I AM NOT a naturopath, this is just a general guide I was given by my naturopath and it proved very successful. If you have serious dietary issues please see a naturopath and get tested for intolerances by a professional.)
4. Hot Showers. I myself love a scolding hot shower, but hot showers increase the chance of your skin drying out, and can even worsen eczema and other skin concerns. Go for a warm- cool shower instead.
5.Over exfoliating your skin. Our skins thrive from the right amount of exfoliation, but can be made sensitive from over stimulating and stripping the skin. ensure you aren't exceeding 1-2 per week with your exfoliating to keep the cell turning over as they should but not stripping your skin.
6. Using products that aren't made for your face. As a skin therapist I've heard a thousand horror stories about people using products not made for human skin (including toilet cleaner to clear acne... cringe again) But even using things like soap, or body wash.. or the dreaded St. Ive's apricot scrub. Our faces are delicate little flowers and should be treated like one.
7. Medications. This one will be different for every one. But certain medications can thin the skin and make them more sensitised to ingredients and the environment. (Even some birth control) make sure you're reading the details of your prescriptions so you can be treating your skin properly.
8. Alcohols. Many cheap fragrances and skincare contains bad alcohols that can sensitise and strip the skin. Keep an eye out for ingredients like ethanol, isopropyl alcohol, alcohol denat, and methanol.
9. Over exposing your skin to the sun. SPF is a must even in winter to ensure your skin doesn't burn or become sensitive from the sun.
As I mentioned above, this is a general guide for someone that might be just like myself before I studied the skin and had a better understanding. Our goal at Hümbl is to be as transparent and straight forward as we can so ANYONE can treat their skin the way they need to.