How To Create A Sensitive Skin Care Routine

When sensitive skin leaves your face or body feeling irritated by dry patches or rashes, it can be difficult to know what to do - especially when you aren’t sure what’s causing it!

But the likelihood is you’re experiencing a bad reaction to a particular product or are dealing with stressed skin. Don’t worry though, whatever the cause, most sensitive skin can be soothed with the right care. 

Here at Absolute Collagen, we’re all about helping you feel comfortable and happy in your skin. So, we’ve explored the key causes of sensitive skin and how you can create a soothing sensitive skin care routine, below.

What is sensitive skin?

Our skin texture and moisture levels are constantly changing, so it can be difficult to tell the difference between sensitive skin and a natural change in weather or environment. 

For example, when it comes to winter skin, it is quite common for our skin texture to become a bit rough and dry. But dry skin - or patches of dry skin - can occur with sensitive skin as well. So, how can we tell the difference? 

Well, sensitive skin is typically characterised by the sensations you experience. It’s quite common to feel burning or stinging with sensitive skin, and you may notice your skin is a bit more itchy than normal as well.

The sensations are usually accompanied by visual signs of sensitive skin too, such as redness and swelling. Rashes and hives could also appear, and those patches of dry skin we spoke about before may begin to crack or bleed. 

This may all sound quite scary, but once we know why your skin feels sensitive, we can start to explore how to treat sensitive skin!

Why does my skin feel sensitive?

Before we get into how to create your sensitive skin care routine, it’s important to look at why your skin might be feeling sensitive, so we can follow the right routine for you.

No matter the cause of sensitive skin, it can be stressful to deal with. However, stress can actually cause flare ups of sensitive skin, so try breathing techniques, meditation, or journalling to help keep stress levels as low as possible. 

In fact, if you do think stress is playing a part in sensitive skin, give the 4-7-8 breathing technique a go. First, get comfy and close your eyes. Then, breathe in through your nose and count to four. Hold your breath for seven seconds, before slowly releasing the breath over a count of eight. 

We also do a lot of talking about collagen here, so you may already know that our collagen levels deplete as we age. But did you know your skin also starts to thin with age too? And thinner skin is often more susceptible to irritation! 

Another common cause of sensitive skin is contact dermatitis. This happens when you use a product you didn’t know you were allergic to. The reaction can typically occur where you applied the product, but it may also appear in random places, most commonly on your hands or face. 

Some ingredients in skin care products can be particularly irritating, so let’s take a look at what ingredients you should try to avoid when creating your sensitive skin care routine.

Common irritants in skin care products

Since sensitive skin can be prone to dryness and dry patches, it’s best to avoid skin care products containing alcohol. That’s because, while alcohol is great for disinfecting and reducing oil in oily prone skin, it can be extremely dehydrating. 

Some moisturisers contain perfumes, which can also be really irritating for the skin. The same goes for heavily fragranced soaps and detergents. 

Parabens, commonly used to preserve skin care creams, can be irritating for skin too. This is because parabens mimic the hormone oestrogen, and this can cause sensitive skin to flare up. 

How to treat sensitive skin

So, now we know what can cause sensitive skin and what products we should be avoiding, let’s look at how we can treat it with the right skincare for sensitive skin.

1. Use a soothing cleanser

While a good exfoliator can help unclog pores and keep skin feeling smooth and fresh, these can actually be really damaging for sensitive skin, especially on the face. 

Instead, the best face wash for sensitive skin is a soothing cleanser. Ideally, you want one labelled as ‘hypoallergenic’ or ‘gentle’ to be sure they are a safe skin care product for sensitive skin. 

You should also look out for products containing soothing ingredients, such as aloe vera or chamomile. Both of these ingredients have anti-inflammatory properties, helping to soothe skin and gradually repair skin.

2. Take cooler showers and baths

Now, we know a long soak in a hot bubble bath tub can help take the stress out of the day. However, heat can irritate sensitive skin further. 

So, we recommend either taking shorter baths or only having showers. Make sure the heat isn’t too high as well, as a high temperature can dry out your skin, leading to further irritation.

3. Simplify your routine

We love skin serums like bakuchiol, but when you are dealing with sensitive skin, it’s better to cut back your routine to just the essentials. 

Makeup can also be irritating for sensitive skin, so if you do wear it, then make sure to use a soothing balm to remove it at the end of the day. Invest in a gentle cleanser to wash your face and a hydrating moisturiser, as well as a high SPF to complete your sensitive skin care routine.

4. Invest in the right products

The best moisturisers for sensitive skin include those containing hyaluronic acid, squalene, or an SPF, to name just a few. When looking to treat sensitive skin on your face, in particular, a moisturiser with SPF is ideal to both soothe and protect your skin at the same time. 

And you know where you can find all three of those? Well, we hate to toot our own horn, but our skincare range has all of them!

Not only that, but collagen can also help with skin evenness issues caused by sensitive skin. In fact, 100% of users in our clinical trial reported experiencing an improvement in the appearance of even skin after 12 weeks taking our daily collagen sachets!

While we love our skincare range, there are other ways to look after your skin too. If you want to discover how collagen can help sagging skin or why vitamin C is good for your skin, head over to the Absolute Collagen blog.