The Review Corner: How I Found Two Solutions For My Sensitive Skin

Are you a skincare minimalist?

You may have been warned about the consequences of using too many beauty products. And, if you have sensitive skin, it is likely that people have warned you against using beauty products… full stop!

At Jersey Beauty Company, we just want to be completely honest and say that we have never understood why those people suffering with sensitive skin would choose not to use beauty products.

Controlling your sensitive skin needs to be high priority. You cannot take back control of your beautiful complexion without a select few products that will manage redness and irritation.

It’s a fact: your skin is typically sensitive because it is lacking its natural protective barrier. So, in order to make your skin less sensitive, you should be applying a set of ingredients designed to strengthen your skin daily. It is true to say that some people that have sensitive skin are simply not using enough products! Skin becomes vulnerable when it is not protected, causing redness and irritation rapidly.

So what can we do about sensitive skin?

First, rejoice in these 3 top tips for dealing with sensitivity. At the bottom of this blog post you’ll find two key products that are designed to strength, repair and protect sensitivity, like you’ve never experienced before.

1. Know whether your skin is reactive or sensitive

Beauty lover, you might not have sensitive skin. If your skin is red and itchy, but you don’t have eczema, dermatitis or psoriasis – then chances are you are suffering because your skin has become reddened due to lifestyle or environment changes. This is what skin experts call “reactive skin.”

60% of people claim to have sensitive skin, when actually their skin is reactive. A true sensitive skin is the result of your genes. If your family have asthma or eczema, you may have inherited sensitive skin.

So why do so many people claim to have "SENSITIVE" skin? 

To some extent, all skin is sensitive. Skin was created with nerve endings to help our brain understand when something is too hot or cold. Likewise, when skin reddens it signals that something is amiss. Our wonderful complexion is usually crying out for extra barrier protection against different weather types, or perhaps skin is suffering because we are feeling emotionally stressed-out. Both of these things can cause reactive skin that feels itchy, dry, reddened and inflamed. It’s important to know that reactive skin is easier to treat than genetically sensitive skin. That’s great news! It means that pretty soon your skin will be free from redness, irritation and all the things holding it back from feeling soft.

Unfortunately, if you do have genetically sensitive skin, you will have to manage your redness throughout the different stages of your life. This will get easier with the right products, but – as we are a super honest company – we cannot promise that your skin will ever be completely healed from it’s sensitivity.

2. Understand your skin's structure

Your skin is the largest organ in your remarkable body. With 3 layers - epidermis, dermis and hypodermis – skin is super intelligent.

The bulk of your epidermis is made up of keratinocytes – this is what makes keratin (and causes milia, white, milky spots.) You loose these cells all the time.

You also have melanocytes, which control skin tone, merkel cells that contain nerve endings, and Langerhans cells, which support skin’s immunity.

New skin cells will always move to the surface where they die and slough away from your top skin layer. Typically, your skin’s outermost layer will have a protective hydro lipid film or acid mantle that balances skin’s PH and protects new skin cells against the environment.

That means, you need to focus on building this barrier in order to defend your new cells. If this process doesn’t happen, your skin will feel irritated.

3. Don't believe the hype

Sensitive skin sufferers usually think their skin needs a cream with no fragrance, thick, greasy… nothing in it really. For sensitive types, fragrance and essential oils are portrayed as a big “NO”, due to fear of allergy.

Fragrance in skincare is put together with what are classed as “fragrant compounds.” When you have got a product and you see “parfum” P A R F U M that means it contains a cocktail of these fragrance ingredients. A lot of which are classed as allergens. A statistic for eczema sufferers is about 16% of eczema sufferers are directly sensitized by some of these fragrance ingredients. So, if you have eczema or severe dry skin, definitely go for fragrance-free products as a first rule of thumb.

But the truth is, the majority of people who describe their skin as sensitive do not need fragrance free products. Fact: you could be using fragrance free products that do not put oils, lipids or amino acids back into your skin; therefore the products you are using are inhibiting your skin’s barrier from being strong and protective.

So, don’t believe the hype. Get products that will build back your skin’s barrier, set a goal in your mind to make your skin strong again and do so by finding products that contain lipids, nutrients, moisture, vitamins and amino acids. Oils are exceptionally great for sensitive skin.

Try Guinot's Creme Pur Confort

What we have learned, is that removing all the hype surrounding sensitive skin and using truly powerful products works to soothe and heal your skin’s broken barrier.

Don’t be afraid of being free from sensitivity. Don’t be afraid of trying new products and finding something that suits your complexion. Don’t be afraid of using professional skincare to heal your sensitive skin.

Guinot’s Crème Pur Confort protects skin against environmental irritants with UV filters and SPF 15. It reinforces skin from inside out, building back your protective lipid layer so that skin feels stronger to touch.

As for redness, Crème Pur Confort contains phospholipids, which act as a protective shield for your complexion and aim to soothe skin. Vitamin e and alpha bisabolol soothe discomfort and redness. Paired with dermaline, this limits the reactions that cause hypersensitive skin.

Simply put, when you buy this product you will be putting back what your sensitive skin has lost. Don’t learn sensitive skin lessons the hard way. You need to be pro-active and use a product that can lock in nutrients and goodness, right where your skin needs it.

Indulge in Guinot's Masque Essential Nutrition Confort

Contrary to popular belief, natural oils nourish your epidermis, keeping skin supple. That’s how Masque Essential Nutrition Confort conditions undernourished skin.

The energy of essential oils will immediately restore radiance and comfort to your skin. That means, when you use essential oils, your skin will look bright and feel strong.

Here’s another fact: you will never get a neat concentration of essential oils in a product. Neat essential oils and fragrance would make your sensitive skin burn with bright red anger! But the truth is, formulators will only ever put a watered down essential oil into a product, which will give you the nourishment, but not the sensitivity.

It’s a similar story with alcohol. Sure, while drinking alcohol isn’t great for sensitive skin, cetyl alcohol and stearyl alcohol are fatty and will really improve the integrity of your healthy skin. They are not irritating and can be highly beneficial. That’s what you will find in Masque Essential Nutrition Confort, good alcohols and rich, fatty acids that will make your sensitive skin strong and neutralized.

Bottom line: reinforce your natural lipid layer with Masque Essential Nutrition Confort to keep your skin’s structure tight and packed.

Tell us what you think

Now, we want to hear from you. Do you think your skin is sensitive? Share your thoughts and sensitive skin woes directly in the comments below.