Daily advices
Cleansing is the first step in caring for skin, as washing your face can have important consequences on your skin’s balance and effectiveness as a protective barrier. Hygiene is often discounted, as if the choice of a face cleanser doesn’t deserve as much attention as moisturiser or serum.
Skin is an ecosystem on its own, a sort of dynamic exchange platform that contributes to vital functions and has its own internal biological clock. Day and night, skin doesn’t have exactly the same role, which affects the cleansing routine.
Skin prepares itself to play a protective role against the environment during the day. For it to be effective, you need to cleanse your face to remove all impurities that accumulated overnight, the moment when cellular activity it as its most intense. Skin will become more resistant and ready to receive cream and care for the day.
To eliminate all of the day’s impurities, skin activates its renewal, detoxification and regenerative functions. It becomes more permeable, and therefore fragile when faced with outside aggressive factors that can penetrate more easily. This is why it is so important to cleanse your face before going to bed.
If it feels tight or irritated after you’ve cleansed your face, then the product you’ve used doesn’t work for you.
Morning and night at the least for your face, and more often depending on your lifestyle and needs (sports, climate, activities…). All potential factors of irritation, such as saltwater, sunscreen, perspiration, makeup… should be removed as quickly as possible.
The first and most essential step in a skincare routine is cleansing your face. By doing so, you remove all potential pollutants from your skin that contribute to sensitising it. Cleansing your skin will give the moisturiser or care product you apply afterwards a greater chance to rehydrate and nourish the skin. Good skin hygiene requires you to find effective cleansing products for your sensitive skin and to respect the skin’s balance.
Barrier function is especially important to people with sensitivities, as the skin is able to stay sufficiently sealed to resist the penetration of irritants and prevent internal water from evaporating. With sensitive skin in particular, the barrier function is often deficient, so a cleanser specifically formulated for sensitive skin is highly recommended.
To visualise the skin’s barrier function, the epidermis is often compared to a wall of bricks. Skin cells represent the different bricks, and there needs to be enough lipids to form the cement that holds them together. The skin's microbiome and all the microorganisms that are naturally present on the skin help to keep the wall in a healthy state, with a pH level between 4 and 6.
Water alone cannot eliminate all the dirt that accumulates on the skin, especially any that are oily or greasy. This is why facial cleansers contain surfactants, which are cleansing agents that are able to remove dirt and residue. The type of cleanser you choose is extremely important for all skin types and even more so for sensitive or acne prone skin.
Keep in mind the following when looking at a new sensitive skincare product:
If you have sensitive skin and don’t use a gentle cleanser, your skin will react immediately. You have probably already experienced tingling, stinging, redness and feelings of tightness or burning sensations, all of which are common symptoms. A poorly chosen cleanser can aggravate your skin’s sensitivity and perpetuate the vicious cycle of inflammation.
All over the world, the COVID-19 pandemic has once again made cleanliness a central part of life, with the simplest act of hygiene needed to fight against contagion. Beyond washing hands, cleansing your face also deserves an overhaul, especially when masks have to be worn for long periods. The trouble is, often sensitive and dry skin won’t tolerate cleansers and require a gentler option, free of perfume and other irritants. Eliminating pollution particles and all residue that is susceptible to provoking a reaction is the key to a good sensitive skin cleanser. The biggest issue at stake here is the skin's barrier.
When individuals don’t have any other pathology, it is safe to suspect that hygiene habits are the challenge . In particular, daily washing might be using harsh soaps and cleansers and this inhibits our skin’s barrier functions, leaving it vulnerable and sensitive to environmental conditions.
How to choose a cleanser for sensitive skin:
Skin is an ecosystem of its own, which is a dynamic exchange platform that contributes to vital functions, including an internal biological clock. From day to night, skin’s role changes, which will affect the cleansing routine.
Morning
Skin prepares itself to play a protective role against the environment during the day. For it to be effective, you need to cleanse your face to remove all impurities that accumulated overnight, the moment when cellular activity is at its most intense. Skin will become more resistant and ready to receive cream and care for the day.
Night
To eliminate all of the day’s impurities, skin activates its renewal, detoxification and regenerative functions. It becomes more permeable, and therefore fragile when faced with outside aggressive factors that can penetrate more easily. This is why it is so important to cleanse your face before going to bed.
The two basic rules for sensitive skin:
1. Listen to your skin:
Does it feel tight or irritated after you’ve cleansed your face? Maybe the product you’ve used doesn’t work for you, or you have cleansed away the protective naturally occurring oils in your skin.
2. Find the right rhythm:
Cleansing your face in the morning and at night is imperative for skin hygiene. Depending on what your lifestyle includes (sports, hot or cold climate, and activities), you may need to adjust your routine slightly. All potential irritation factors such as saltwater, sunscreen, perspiration and makeup should be removed as quickly as possible.
The Sensibio H2O range of skincare has been expertly formulated with sensitive and troubled skin at the forefront. Working hard to soothe and hydrate your problematic skin, this range has every item you need to create an effective sensitive skin care routine.
