Skin sensitivity is one of the main reasons people decide to seek out natural-based skincare. When I was still a yoga teacher, this was a common concern that my students would share with me. In most cases, people that I encountered usually assumed that they were born with naturally sensitive and reactive skin. However, I beg to differ. It is more likely that people are suffering from sensitized skin.

What Is Sensitive Skin?

In a nutshell, sensitive skin is a skin type that some people are born with. It’s characterized by skin that’s easily irritated. For example, someone with sensitive skin may get itchy or even break out when one is exposed to specific situations, such as high temperatures. It may even result in swelling or a rash. Their skin may react to different environmental factors, which in turn makes their skin appear red and irritated.  The unfortunate thing is, these are issues that they consistently experience throughout their life.

"I tend to attribute the reason behind sensitized skin due to ‘cosmetic confusion’. We are advised to use cleansers, exfoliators, serums, toners, mists, emulsions, masks, and moisturizers all together to achieve the perfect, flawless skin that we see on social media."

This kind of skin sensitivity usually has direct correlations to other conditions such as allergies, asthma and rosacea. Sensitive skin is due to the genetic makeup of each individual, and sadly, you can’t fix it. A 2018 study suggests that people with sensitive skin have an innate imbalance of lipids in their barrier function. This seems to be caused by excessive apoptosis (which is the process of programmed cell death) and Transepidermal Water Loss (TEWL), leading to overly dehydrated skin.

However, not all hope is lost. If you’re someone with naturally sensitive skin, there are many ways you can address the symptoms and support your overall skin health. Since every person is different, there’s no one-shoe-fits-all approach. But a good rule of thumb is to develop a gentle skincare routine that can soothe and provide your skin with the extra protection it needs.

The Solution for Sensitive Skin.

Build a simple skincare routine by starting with a gentle, yet effective cleanser like our Aloe Milk Cleanser. It contains soothing ingredients like aloe vera and niacinamide to calm down any irritation and redness. Then apply a moisturizer that reinforces your overall skin barrier protection, such as Skin Stuff Face + Eye Cream.

What is Sensitized Skin?

Someone with sensitized skin may have similar symptoms to those with sensitive skin including redness, swelling, itchiness, and skin that reacts to just about anything. However, the difference between sensitive and sensitized skin lies in the cause. While having sensitive skin is due to genetics, sensitized skin is often self-induced. 

I tend to attribute the reason behind sensitized skin due to ‘cosmetic confusion’. We are advised to use cleansers, exfoliators, serums, toners, mists, emulsions, masks, and moisturizers all together to achieve the perfect, flawless skin that we see on social media.  This is precisely the problem!

By including so many products within the same skincare routine, especially products with many strong actives like acids or retinol, it’s no wonder our skin would become red, blotchy and reactive. Not to mention, the more products we use, the more likely we are to run into an ingredient or many ingredients, that our skin just doesn't agree with.

The Solution to Sensitized Skin.

I’ve always been a huge advocate for a simple, yet targeted, routine.  You do not need a lot of products to get the desired results.  The primary products you need are a cleanser, moisturizer and sun protection is everything you need in a skincare routine to get good skin days, every day.  Start with a gentle, yet effective cleanser like our Aloe Milk Cleanser. It contains soothing ingredients like aloe vera and niacinamide to calm down any irritation and redness. Apply a moisturizer that reinforces your overall skin barrier protection, such as Skin Stuff Face + Eye Cream.

Scaling back on many products and just using the basics will give your sensitized skin the break that it needs.