Bothered with sensitive skin?

Skin sensitivity to environmental factors, personal care products and cleaning products is quite common in women and men. Additionally, babies and children can develop skin sensitivity to certain products or rather the ingredient(s) therein.

Sensitive skin can also occur out of nowhere, by this I mean you have been using a particular product for years and then all of a sudden you skin does not seem to tolerate it anymore and reacts with redness, rashes or tiny bumps. That is my story, I never had problems with household cleaners and skin care products but now I have to be extremely careful with what products I use and always read the label. That is one of the reasons I have switched to non-toxic cleaners with safer ingredients and use skin care products that are more natural. Additionally I do make my own skin care products and soaps which I just love.

So what exactly is sensitive skin? My definition would be any product when applied to the skin that makes the skin irritated, such as redness, tiny bumps, topical dermatitis, excessive dryness, etc.

There are many products on the market today specifically for sensitive skin. These products have a reduced amount of chemicals, such as parabens, alcohols, fragrances, mineral oils and dioxanes which are usually known to be the culprit for skin sensitivity. The products although labeled for sensitive skin does not necessarily mean that it is safe for your skin. There are varying degrees of skin sensitivity too. Some may experience sensitivity to a whole lot of products while some are just sensitive to specific ingredients. It is important to read the label and determine and isolate the ingredient that is causing the problem.

When selecting your skin care products for your sensitive skin look for natural ingredients such as green tea, avocado, chamomile, lavender, neroli, rose, or sandalwood. Not only will these products be gentle on the skin, they offer anti-aging properties too. Better yet, why not consider making your own skin care products, the cost is minimal, the result is great, and you know exactly what you are putting on your skin.

Below are a couple of simple recipes for sensitive skin:

Gentle Toner
2 Tablespoons fresh herbs (avender, calendula, lemon balm)
2/3 cup boiling milk
Pour boiling milk over herbs, cover and let cool. Strain through a cheese cloth and store in sterilized bottle or jar in the refrigerator. A cooling and soothing toner.

Avocado Face Mask for Dry and Sensitive Skin
1 avocado
3-4 drops of almond oil
Preparation Peel and mash avocado and thoroughly mix in almond oil stirring till you get a consistent texture. Apply to face while massaging it gently. Let it rest for 30 minutes and rinse off with warm water. Follow with toner and moisturizer. Of course if you are allergic to nuts I would not use this recipe.