How to take care of sensitive skin (The real way)

I’m probably guessing you clicked this page because you have the most stressful, unbearable, intolerable, unendurable and precious skin ever.

SENSITIVE SKIN

Are you tired of constantly washing your face to reduce redness or to waking up in the morning to see a huge gross, disgusting pimple sitting vibrantly on your beautiful face because of the previous nights’ snacking?

Trust me when I tell you that… I feel you!

Having sensitive skin isn’t something to be laughed at or to be neglected about. It is not easy when I say that the daily preps and routine you have to do to keep everyone around you from not seeing your bare face full of pimples, zits, and occasional breakouts.

 It’s not a joking matter, people!

You might be wondering why I can relate to all this. Well, it’s because I am a ‘sensi-skin’ myself!

 I’ve battled pimples, breakouts and irritating rashes for almost a quarter of my life. That is exactly why I wrote this blog post (out of my experience and also  what I am still facing and experiencing till date) to show you the real way, the easy steps to nurture the sensitive and sometimes frustrating skin you are born with. It will not be an easy journey though; the insults, mockery and taunts you’ll receive mostly from the “norma-skins” and “perfeckins’, (some may include your family and friends) but you would have to endure and see through those insults; a hope of having wonderful skin even if it’s sensitive.

Of course, the “normins” and “perfeckins” won’t understand, that’s why even when you go to the dermatologist in local pharmacies they merely prescribe a said-to-be authentic antibacterial/anti-inflammatory cream for you.

The truth still remains the same; they do not fully understand that at that point in time, your main and only insecurity is your sensitive skin and also that it is so because the others make you feel that way.

For no reason, no reason at all, should you feel insecure in the skin you’re in.

Although, it’s tough and requires endurance to take proper care of sensitive skin, always see the best possible advantage of the type of skin you’re in compared to the bare “normins”.

Having said that, here are the few simple things you’ve got to do to ensure your sensi-skin is in its best state. I will share with you the REAL way to take care of your sensitive skin in order for it to thank you back.

 These aren’t just mere tips but procedures, bear in mind.

 If you want a post on this topic containing only tips fresh from MARYSAYS, leave a comment.As always, I keep it simple.

But firstly;

What is sensitive skin?

What really is this whole idea of calling my skin sensitive about? What is sensitive skin?

 These are the questions likely for you to be asking yourself now.

When you say a person is sensitive, it basically means that a person is easily upset or offended. That’s also how that type of skin is. Sensitive skin is the type which is easily offended (per say) or affected badly by any product/micro-organism, weather condition or thing that touches it in the slightest. People that have this type of skin (like myself) are referred to as “ baby-skinned” and as the name suggests, should treat their skin with the utmost care at all times.

People who have this type of skin experience tons of breakouts, pimples, acne, zits, eczema, and rashes if not properly taken care of and as a result of the consumption of unhealthy foods.

 Sensitive skin appears dry/ flaky, red &sore, coarse/rough to touch, spotty/ashy looking and it peels & itches.

Causes of sensitive skin

There are lots of reasons people with sensitive skin HAVE more issues, such include;

v  Unhealthy lifestyle habits

v  Depression    

v  Stress

v  Irregular and inadequate sleep

v  Unhealthy diet

v  Frequent contact of skin with objects (e.g. rubbing your face with your hand)

v  Washing your face frequently

v  Using bad and unsuitable products or products with harsh chemicals on your skin

v  Sickness/ ailments

Effects of having sensitive skin

Like I said before, the effects of having really sensitive skin aren’t too nice. They include;

v  Frequent breakouts

v  Eczema

v  Heat rashes

v  Pimples

v  Acne

v  Zits

v  Discolorationv  Oily skin

v  Lack of self-confidence

All of these effects can be managed or better still avoided if you make some few lifestyle changes and make an oath to give your skin whatever it needs to bloom.

 Let’s make the oath together.

With one hand on your chest and the other held up, pledge.

I hereby pledge to my awesome skin that henceforth, I will follow a good skincare routine, eat well, sleep well, exercise every day and give it what it needs to flourish and ‘outshine’ others.

Amen.

Now, let’s take a look at those steps.

Step One.             Keep yourself hydrated

Water is the major component of all living things.

 Water is very essential in the existence of plants and animals. Water has many functions in our body but we will be only looking at the beauty aspect. Eating lots of healthy foods like green veggies and fruit shakes are not essentially bad but neglecting water in a single day would affect you more than you think.

Drinking lots of water helps in a process called detoxification. This means to cleanse the body system from any impurities, mostly from the inside-out.

Also, drinking lots of water and keeping yourself hydrated shows its positive effects on your skin as many problems sensitive skin can have are minimized.

·         Drink at least 2 liters of water a day.

Step Two.           Clean face, No problem!

Clean, cleanse, wash. They are all the same.

If you clean your face relentlessly every, single, day of your adolescence life, I promise you this when I tell you that you won’t experience so much trouble with your sensitive skin

Why?

 Because when your pores are free from dust, dirt and excess oil, the rate of having breakouts and other skin problems is low.

 Now, this doesn’t suggest you should wash your face everywhere you see a tap or running water. Over-washing your face has an entirely different effect on its own and it’s certainly not good for you. What you are obliged to do to ensure your pores are squeaky clean is to cleanse your face at least twice a day [morning and night].

 The theory of cleansing face to ensure clean pores can be likened to the sink you have in your kitchen. If it is clogged up with various food particles, objects and heavy liquids, water wouldn’t be able to pass through which renders the sink faulty and causes water to remain stagnant (your face is full of excess oil and dirt). The sink becomes semi-condemned and doesn’t function well. Plus, flies and all sorts of creepy crawling insects throw beach parties in it (appearance of unwanted guests; pimples, acne, zits, rashes to name a few). But if you would be a dear and just take 10 minutes twice in a day, to thoroughly pick out any particle that clogs your sink(cleanse your skin), it allows water to pass through and is now fixed(healthy-looking and fresher skin). Also, it has to be maintained daily (following daily skincare routines).

·         Gently cleanse your face with mild cleansers that have high PH levels and high alkali.

·         Don’t neglect your kitchen SINK and take better care of SKIN.

Step Three.    Exfoliating is the key!!!!

Scrub that dirt off, won’t ya?

I’m presuming you guys already know what exfoliation is and you’re already raising an eyebrow up and asking yourself…..What the heck does she mean by “exfoliating is the key”? Doesn’t she know it’s meant to be done like twice in a week, so how can it be key or necessary?

 Slow your roll!

 I know exfoliation isn’t a daily practice then how can it possibly be so necessary? The answer is simple. Imagine…………..

You cleanse twice a day, tone and moisturize also and you are 100% affirmed that your skincare routine is on point. Low and behold, 3 months in the routine you still experience numerous breakouts and battle with acne, so you changed products twice during the months. Still, no difference occurs. Why do you think that is? It’s simply because although you’re cleansing your face, toning it and of course moisturizing it by applying various products, you are excluding an extension of a cleanser (which is the exfoliator) to remove all the heavy portions and hectic stress you put on your face.

For the sake of those who don’t know what exfoliation is, it is the process of rubbing/scrubbing your skin with an abrasive substance in order to remove dead cells (according to Chambers dictionary). Exfoliation is so vital yet overlooked by so many sensi-skins and normins in their skincare routines. Exfoliation is a secondary form of cleansing as the scrubbing motion is used unlike in the cleansing process.

Like I said earlier if you apply various products to your face, you still have to remove any worn-out old dead skin cells to unveil the new fresh skin you’ve worked for.

·         Don’t forget to exfoliate. Even if it’s only once a week, make that one-time count. Really scrub out the shed skin cells, but gently not to tear your skin.

Step Four.         Don’t ditch your toner!

Toner is the essential of skincare routines. Never forget that.

If there is one thing I have learned in my skincare journey other than DIY masks mishaps and failed 20-day challenges, it is that you as a sensi-skin should never forget to put your toner on your face(mostly in the winter).

You can forget the sunscreen and wear a hat or ignore the moisturizer for a day because your face feels heavy, but please I beg you from the bottom of my heart to never ever forget to apply a toner.

The toner does so much more than only ‘tone’ your face as the name implies. It also has many other functions, some of which are the moisturizers’ and sunscreens’.

 Yes, I tell you, Yes!

The toner helps to;

o   Keeps the face looking firm, fresh and healthy

o   Lock in moisture so when moisturizers are applied they last long [you can use creamy toners too but the liquid is gold!]

o   Minimize blackheads on the nose and

o   Open the pores to receive moisture shortly after cleansing.

I bet you didn’t know the REAL quality, huh? Well, I’m happy I just told you. These functions vary in the quality of the type of toner you use. Toners that have tocopherol(Vitamin E), salicylic acid, essential oils, and sodium hydroxide are nice.

·         After you cleanse, apply (spray) your toner onto your face and allow it to dry.

Step Five.            Maintain a moment of moisture

Moisturizing is essential!

I don’t know how many times I have to say it to prove its necessity but besides the fact that if I write 15 lines saying that to get 45+ words, it is still very essential. As it is important to keep your body hydrated inside by drinking lots of water every day, it is also very necessary to give your skin the moisture it needs.

Side note: The dermis is made up of 70% water.

The epidermis is made up of 15% water.

That being said, there is more reason to moisturize your skin with water and quality moisturizers. Sensitive skin is prone to itch and seem irritated if it is too dry; mostly because of bodily processes e.g. excretion of sweat and environmental factors e.g. dust, can stick to the skin, clog the pores and the result is itching.

 Thus, it’s best you moisturize your skin (either with liquid, oily or creamy moisturizers) after your regular cleanse to avoid dryness and flaky-looking skin.

·         Buy moisturizers that contain benzyl benzoate, sodium benzoate, essential oils, citrus fruits extracts and linalool.

·         The ones that contain seed oil extracts aren’t advisable for people that have acne-prone skin but you may try it out.

Step Six.                 Sunblock, Suntan or Sunscreen?

Which of the 3 S’s?

 I have read so many blog posts about skincare routines and they all emphasize on using sunscreen protections but never make reference to the other two.

Why not a sunblock or a suntan? Aren’t they safe and healthy enough? Aren’t they also relevant to help protect our skin from sunbeams? Or are they less effective/ less known than sunscreen? The answers to all these countless yet significant questions both you and I keep on asking ourselves is a big fat solid NO! You might be thinking…..

“What?!!!!

“Do you mean No-good or No-bad plus you always talk about responding to almost every question with a Yes but why No this time?” relax, pal. Lemme answer some of these questions to make you fully understand.

Why not a sunblock or a suntan?

Well……..

A sunblock is a lotion that completely protects the skin from harmful effects of the sun’s rays and a suntan is a browning of the skin artificially done or caused by prolonged exposure to the sun. With these two definitions, it is obvious that the sunblock has a lead on advantage. Unfortunately, sunscreen has a greater lead than a sunblock because a sunscreen not only blocks but protects the skin from UV rays.

Aren’t they safe and healthy enough?

 No, they are.

Sunblocks are safe for the skin but most of them contain harsh chemical substances like paraffin while frequent suntans (mostly artificially) damage your skin tone and cause discoloration. Sunscreens are mild and soothing.

Are they less effective/less known than sunscreen?

Sunscreens, sunblocks and suntans are all known worldwide.; as a matter fact, most people(mainly in Miami) prefer to getting suntans before a beach party because THEY believe it’s the safest way to protect their skin while looking hot.

Sunscreens are very important to note when taking care of sensitive skin. If your skin is already irritable to mere dust and products, UVA/UVB rays aren’t an exception. There are many more questions about this sunscreen, block, and tan propaganda and I would be glad to answer them. Just leave them in the comments section.

Step Seven.    As neat as a new pin, as clean as a whistle

I suppose you noticed my literary skill over there, and as it says it, it means so.

 If you are a dirty flop who doesn’t wash laundry till a month passes or receives constant visitors from rodents and winged friends, I’m sorry but you have to change.

Health is a kinda guy that doesn’t knock on the doors of dirty piggy people who don’t care about their surroundings. He is an influential, tidy and sophisticated guy that happens to people who are also like him.

So don’t go around thinking that if you have an I-don’t-care attitude, he’ll offer himself to you.

 NO, NO, NO

Good hygiene is fundamental in maintaining health and wellness.

 Change your bed sheets and covers every week or twice a week if you can.

 People who have sensitive skin are sensitive to any little amount of dirt or object that comes in contact with them. I am a victim of that too.

I remember not too long ago a time that I was very busy with a school project and I completely forgot to change my pillowcase and bed covers for two weeks! ( which I normally do twice a week). I had so many rashes appearing on my chin, temple, nose and even on my neck. After that incident, I never forgot to change my bed linen every week, no matter how busy I was.

 MY SKIN BECAME MY FIRST PRIORITY.

·         The bottom line is to ensure you do your best to maintain personal hygiene by changing your bed linen weekly, washing clothes &undies after use, or even using new sets of handkerchiefs to wipe your face instead of washing old ones too much.

·         Cleanliness is godliness.

Step Eight.        Your hand is an enemy……..to your skin

Stop being a handy, be a smarty.

Look at your hand. Spread it wide. What do you see? Bone traces, veins, cartilage, painted nails……… but do you know deep down those things you see are several microorganisms and germs that you get from touching objects, people and yourself.

The funny thing is that human beings tend to touch almost up to 3700 times in a day!

Imagine if you were put in a stray jacket for a whole day, to perform your daily activities. It would be weird because it is. Humans have various organs that are designed to function.

 If a mom tells her 5 years old son not to touch an apple on the table until she arrives, the son would still touch it because that’s how humans are. Or maybe they gave a 5 days no-phone handling probation for all grade 10 students. Most will not make it even in a short span of time.

Why?

It is simply because we are humans.

 The point I’m driving at is that although we are humans and we tend to touch things we don’t even want but desire to touch, you as a human too who wants to be very healthy and have luscious yet sensitive skin should minimize the times you touch your face. 

This is because you don‘t know what you are putting on your face. Normal skin is sensitive to germs and infections talk less of sensitive skin.

Our skin (on our face) is very delicate.

If you are feeling tired in your office and already going into a chin-on-knuckles-support position, quickly rest your head back. Your chin would thank you.

·         No scratching, no touching, no problems.

·         Too much touching isn’t good for those who wish to keep it healthy.

 Conclusion

And that’s about it!!

Thanks a lot for reading this long and boring (yet informative) post. I’m not really good with puns as you saw in point 2(lol!). Anyways, I hope you learned a few things about taking care of your sensitive skin. I wanted to add two more to the list but I guessed the eight was more than enough and it would have been more boring (!!) if it were ten so…… I kept it simple. Remember to always give your skin the best treatments, products and care for it to flourish right before your eyes. I know it’s not easy to be a sensi-skin like you and I but it’s also not a curse. It’s actually a blessing if you really cherish every single bit of being a sensi-skin and see only the great side of having a unique skin type that pushes you to do your best to keep it looking flawless.

 Don’t forget to drop a comment down below if you have a tip of your own to care for sensitive skin. Ask as many questions you can, I’ll be sure to answer. You can also share your stories and experience of being a sensi-skin and if this post helped in your journey.

Thanks again.

Stay tuned and stay blessed.

DO’S

ü  Wash your hands before using a cleanser on your face.

ü  When you want to apply DIY masks on your face, use sterilized brushes or cotton pads instead of your bare hands.

ü  Wear hypoallergenic makeup. It’s safer for sensitive skin.

ü  Sugar is the best natural exfoliator. Try a sugar, lemon and honey exfoliator.

ü  A good toner in your fridge is ACV. Apple cider vinegar has all the antibacterial and anti-inflammatory properties you are looking for.

ü  If your cheek is irritating you, use a hankie not your hand. Resist the temptation.

 DON’TS

û  Don’t look at the mirror too many times in a day.

û  Never exchange water for fruit juice. Water pays more.

û  Don’t wear dirty eyeglasses. It may cause rashes on the sensitive part of your body; the eye.

û  Avoid putting too much makeup.

û  Don’t keep using a product your skin reacts to.

û  Never try a DIY mask with ingredients you are sensitive or allergic to just because they look safe and cool when your favorite DIY Youtuber mixes them. She is not you.