Meet Beth and Lauren

If you watch our live video content you will no doubt be familiar with Beth and Lauren, part of the JBC team. Both Beth and Lauren suffer with some sensitivity, but for very different reasons. Beth has naturally sensitive skin, having suffered with eczema for a number of years, she now has her eczema under control but still has concerns with her sensitive skin at times, particularly as the seasons change. Lauren has quite oily skin with some dry patches and is prone to breakouts, which can cause sensitivity around those areas when breakouts occur. 

The differences in Beth and Lauren’s skin concerns around sensitivity are a really great example of the difference between sensitive skin and skin that has become sensitive for a specific reason. A lot of us say we have sensitive skin. We may even look for products that say ‘suitable for sensitive skin’ but did you know only between 1 and 2% of us actually have truly sensitive skin? So Beth, who suffers with eczema, would be in that group. Maybe you have dermatitis or psoriasis - when your skin is truly sensitive you will normally have a skin condition that you have always had. The rest of us are more likely to be like Lauren - our skin is sensitive because of a certain skin concern or a breakout area. Maybe your skin has become dry in areas, this will result in redness or sensitivity. A change in weather, stress or hormonal changes can all cause our skin to become sensitive. The difference between Beth and Lauren’s skin sensitivity is that Beth has always had and will always have sensitive skin, Lauren’s sensitivity is temporary due to a specific concern. It just helps to know what kind of sensitive skin you have to be able to treat your skin in the right way.

The good news for either type of sensitive skin is that the Precleanse Balm is gentle and suitable for sensitive skins. And the Dermalogica Double Cleanse, Victoria explains, will benefit every skin type. You can choose the right second cleanse for your individual concerns.

JBC’s Beth is a big fan of the Double Cleanse, whereas Lauren explains she only ever uses one cleanse and often skips moisturising. So two very different skin care regimes. So what is Step Zero and why do we need it?

Dermalogica Precleanse Balm is a balm to oil cleanser that attracts oil, dirt, grime, makeup and dead cells and basically melts them away, leaving your skin cleaner and fresher. That sounds intense? Actually, it’s really gentle and nourishing!

You only need an almond sized amount of the product, which comes out like a balm. It feels like it should go on heavily to the skin but Lauren is surprised how light it is. That’s because it turns into an oil with the heat of your skin. You apply it to dry skin and work it into your skin dry. Oil attracts oil so you instantly start to see your makeup and the daily dirt and grime being melted away! Even Beth, a seasoned double cleanser is surprised how much dirt it lifts off her skin! The oil is really nourishing - you can feel the active ingredient of Apricot Kernel Oil on your skin as you work it through. It’s a really great and gentle way to remove those dead skin cells that you might not want to exfoliate with sensitive skin.

Before you rinse, take a little water and add it to the oil on your face. As you work it through you will see it start to become milky. This is the oil encapsulating all the dirt, grime, oil and makeup it has collected so you can then rinse off the precleanser and leave your skin cleaner and free of even the most stubborn makeup, which is great news for all makeup fans!

Although both Beth and Lauren have some sensitivity to their skin, the Precleanse Balm isn’t a harsh precleanser and so doesn’t leave the skin feeling tight or sore. If you have similar skin concerns to Lauren, with breakouts, using the ergonomically designed mitt that comes with the Dermalogica Precleanse Balm is a really good way to gently exfoliate as you cleanse. The mitt is softer than it looks and is fine for sensitive skin!

Dermalogica’s Victoria recommended that both Lauren and beth started with Dermalogica UltraCalming Cleanser. As Lauren and Beth applied the cleanser, Victoria noticed that Lauren had a tendency to apply the cleanser with a lot of pressure. It is a common mistake we can make when applying cleanser to breakout areas. But applying pressure, or vigorously cleansing, not only doesn’t get your skin cleaner any faster, it can actually have the opposite effect! You can cause your skin to produce more oil and increase blood flow to the skin which causes redness. Gentle cleansing with effective products, and double cleansing, is the best thing for your breakout areas.

By choosing the right products for your skin concerns, and by applying them in the right way, you can thoroughly cleanse sensitive skin without causing any extra redness or tightness. 

Dermalogica’s Multi-Active Toner is a spritz toner, specially formulated to help bring down redness and tone sensitive skin. As the cleansers we have used don’t leave any residue we don’t need a toner we apply with a cotton pad. Instead we can spritz and let the goodness soak in, before moisturising. 

Dermalogica’s Victoria wants to introduce Lauren to a moisturiser she will feel happy using daily, as Lauren had mentioned at the start she often skips the moisturising step. Dermalogica’s Active Moist is a lightweight but effective moisturiser and is a great choice if you aren’t used to the feeling of having moisturiser on your skin. Victoria also suggested adding a little of the Dermalogica Solar Defense Booster SPF50 into the moisturiser before applying. If your skin is sensitive you need to be wearing Sun Protection Factor - well even if it isn’t sensitive we all need sun protection factor! But sensitive skin is normally a sign that the lipid barrier is impaired - that’s the oily layer that sits on top of your skin and protects deeper layers of skin from the sun’s rays and other pollutants and irritants. So it’s even more important you are protecting your skin from the sun’s rays that can accelerate ageing and damage the collagen in your skin. 

JBC’s Beth is a self-confessed makeup lover. She also suffers from sensitive skin. Sometimes the two can be incompatible! It can also be difficult to clean skin fully of makeup when it is sensitive. We have already seen just how effective the Dermalogica Precleanse Balm is at helping your facial cleanser to fully clean your skin and melt away even stubborn makeup! But what about something to then prepare your skin before applying makeup?

Dermalogica HydraBlur Primer is the last step in skin care and the first step in makeup in one for sensitive skin! It is great at hydrating skin but also acts as a skin evener, lessening the redness and skin blemishes. For sensitive skin it acts as a bit of a barrier in between your skin and your foundation, continuing to hydrate and let that moisturiser skin in deep all day long!

So JBC’s Beth is no stranger to skincare and has her own double cleanse routine. So it was really interesting to hear her thoughts on the new Dermalogica Precleanse Balm. Beth was most taken by just how clean her skin felt! Sometimes with sensitive skin we can end up feeling like we can’t get our skin thoroughly clean without causing further damage, so we either scrub away and cause flare-ups or don’t clean enough and cause breakouts! Dermalogica Precleanse Balm is the step zero for sensitive skin facial cleansing that gives truly clean skin.

Find out more about what’s in Dermalogica Precleanse Balm and how it can help your unique skin concerns. Download our free guide here: