From your answers, it appears that your skintype is DRY, although your skin is SENSITIVE. What does this mean for you?
12 Rules for your DRY Skin, which is also SENSITIVE
1. Look for products with as few ingredients as possible. Less ingredients means less potential triggers. Avoid ingredients that you don’t need, ie. scents, colours
2. Choose skincare designed for sensitive skin. I think that one is kinda obvious.
3. Use the richest possible products. When you increase the moisture in your skin, you increase your skin’s resilience to triggers. (Oh, and your skin will look better too.
4. Never (EVER) use a Foaming Cleanser. Lovely, lathery cleansers which make your skin feel tight are actually stripping your skin. This means that instead of moisturising your nice, clean skin, your moisturiser has to undo the damage caused by your cleanser. What a waste.
5. Use a Cleansing Milk or Oil. Your skin will look so much dewier (& be less likely to flare up)
6. Avoid Hot Water when washing your face. It can trigger sensitivities
7. Avoid Cold Water when washing your face. Trust Goldilocks, you want to wash your face in warmish water, as cold water can also trigger sensitivities.
8. Ideally use a no-rinse cleanser. Water, unfortunately is not your friend.
9. Thou Shalt Not Over-exfoliate. Once or twice a week is enough & only use a gentle scrub.
10. Avoid aggressively towelling you face dry. Pat dry instead with a clean towel. Don’t even think about drying your clean face with the handtowel everyone in your family uses…. Probably best not to think about it…
11. It is always recommended that people with sensitive skin patch-test products before they use them. This means try one new product at a time. First dab a little in a hidden area, like behind your ear. If no reaction occurs, next day dab a little on your cheek. If all good then you can consider using it all over your face. Never try something new on an aggravated area. Raw skin is guaranteed to react.
12. When you buy products for the first time, try sample sizes or products with guarantees. People with sensitive skin tend to have endless cupboards full of products which were meant to work, or worked well for someone else. It’s depressing & a huge waste of money…
I hope these rules help you manage your skin better. I think they also open up many other questions, like: What are Sulphates anyway? What oils are good oils for Combination Skin? Which ingredients in Skincare should I avoid? To find out more about your skin & skincare, make sure you are subscribed to our newsletters & blogs