Sensitive skin is a skin type that's easily irritated. It can be triggered by environmental factors like harsh winds, intense heat, sun exposure and pollution, but it can also be triggered by skincare products, leading to tons of frustration as you discover what works - and what doesn't.
While we've previously introduced skin types and your complete OM skincare regimen, today we want to highlight sensitive skin - what it is, how to support it and the all-natural OM essentials we suggest for a clear, calm complexion.
What is Sensitive Skin?
Although sensitive skin can be triggered by the seemingly external issues listed above, it's often related to internal imbalances like genetics, hormones and your skin's lipid barrier. This barrier keeps water in and harmful triggers out, and people with sensitivity usually have a weaker, thinner barrier unable to do its job, allowing those triggers to irritate the skin. Luckily, there are many ways you can support healthy skin, despite its sensitivity!
How Can You Support Sensitive Skin?
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Minimal Products: When creating your skincare routine, keep the number of products you're using as minimal as possible. No thirty-product rituals here! Stick to a cleanser, toner, elixir, and moisturizer. Emphasis on moisturizer, as you'll want to ensure a healthy lipid barrier!
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Skip Overwashing: While you're at it, overwashing is one of the easiest ways to irritate sensitive skin. It can lead to dry, irritated skin, and can even weaken your lipid barrier. We recommend cleansing only at night, and rinsing with cold water in the morning before applying the rest of your ritual. It’s also best to masque only once or twice per week, as your skin needs.
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Clean Ingredients: Stick to simple formulas with clean ingredients! Luckily, we've got you covered there as we use only natural, organic ingredients designed to support healthy, radiant skin while reducing irritation and inflammation. Perfect for sensitive skin!
- Soothing ingredients: Speaking of irritation and inflammation, make sure to include hydrating, anti-inflammatory ingredients and soothing formulas in your skincare ritual to help support a sensitive complexion. Look for ingredients like blue tansy, rosehip oil, skullcap extract, marula oil, and hyaluronic acid, just to name a few.
Patch test: Finally, don't forget to patch test your skin. Before applying all over your face or body, test a small amount on the back of your wrist and wait 24 hours before applying all over.
The OM Essentials for Sensitive Skin
To help you get started with your sensitive skincare ritual, we've highlighted a few of our favourite OM essentials!
Blue Azul Soothing Cleansing Oil: Full of classic sensitive skin saviors like rosehip oil, blue tansy, and chamomile, our Blue Azul Cleansing Oil even features horse chestnut, which contains proanthocyanidin A2, a compound with strong wound healing, antioxidant, and anti-inflammatory properties. Consider this your first step to happy, supported sensitive skin.
Pure + Calm Infusion Perfecting Elixir + Rosehip + Black Cumin Perfecting Oil: Infused with antioxidants and anti-inflammatory ingredients like skullcap, licorice root, black cumin and rosehip - our perfecting duo instantly calms irritated skin, soothes redness and irritation, and leaves you with a bright, beautiful glow.
Superfruit AHA Brightening Masque: A weekly skin treat that ticks all the boxes offering gentle, effective exfoliation to soften and brighten your skin. Exfoliating is important for all skin types, even sensitive! What matters most is choosing a product with gentle chemical exfoliators (like AHAs), versus a physical exfoliant like sugar or salt.
We hope this guide helps you create your new sensitive skin ritual. If you have any questions reach out at info@omorganicscanada.com!