If you want to avoid skin issues, you have to be extra careful when you case for sensitive skin. From choosing the right products to knowing how to introduce them in your skin care routine, there’s a lot you need to know in order to protect your skin.
Discover the worst sensitive skin care mistakes that can wreak havoc on your complexion. Stay away from these problems and you’ll have less trouble with your skin, so you can focus on looking your best all the time.
Trying Too Many New Products at Once
Some irritating ingredients create problems for certain types of sensitive skin, but work well for others. Once you have a skin care routine that works, you should be careful about introducing more than one new product at a time. You should wait from 5 days to a week in between new products, so you can identify which one caused the problem right away and stop using it.
Skipping the Patch Test
While you shouldn’t overload your skin with too many new products, one of the worst sensitive skin care mistakes is trying even one without performing a patch test first. Apply a small quantity of the new product on the side of your neck. If you don’t have any negative reactions for 24 hours, you can go ahead and use it on your face.
Cleansing Your Skin Excessively
Harsh cleansers are always a bad idea, but overwashing your skin with even the most gentle products can also turn into a problem for sensitive skin. Make sure that you’re using a sulfate-free cleanser, since sulfates will dry your skin. Wash your skin in the morning and before going to bed, and opt for products with a milky consistency, since the more they lather, the more drying they can be.
See also: Best Make for Sensitive Skin
Moisturizing Too Much
It can be tempting to go too far with the moisturizer if you have dry skin, but that can turn out to be one of worst sensitive skin care mistakes. Using too much moisturizer or applying it too often causes problems for the natural sebum production and your skin can get addicted to the product. Moisturize just twice daily, after cleansing your face.
Using the Wrong Facial Scrubs
Depending on how sensitive you skin is, you might benefit from staying away from all scrubs. However, the most irritating scrubs are the ones with large particles, especially home made ones with salt or brown sugar. Smaller exfoliating particles are less dangerous. Scrubs with glycerin and castor oil can be less harmful for your skin.
Trying Microdermabrasion
Any good spa professional will advise you against microdermabrasion if your skin is sensitive. Trying this treatment can be one of the worst sensitive skin care mistakes. The results can range from more redness to more irritation. Opt for gentle chemical peels instead, preferable with fruit enzymes.
Ignoring Dryness
Dry skin doesn’t just need moisturizer. When you’re dealing with sensitive skin that’s also dry, you should use oils to help your skin restore its natural barrier. Sweet almond oil, rosehip oil, jojoba oil and evening primrose oil are some of the best options for dry sensitive skin. If you prefer serums, make sure that you’re choosing one with linoleic acid.
Not “Listening” to Your Skin
Simply sticking to products designed for sensitive skin doesn’t always guarantee good results. One of the worst sensitive skin care mistakes is not paying attention to how your skin reacts to every product. Just because they’re not causing more irritation doesn’t mean that they’re the best option out there.
More: Ingredients to Avoid in Sensitive Skin Care
Clogging Your Pores with Sweat
Hot yoga, spin classes and other workouts that make you sweat a lot can also have a negative impact on sensitive skin. You might even need to avoid saunas, since the sweat and heat can lead to blotches and redness.
Using High Concentrations of Known Irritants
You might need to avoid ingredients like vitamin C or glycolic acid in your cosmetics completely, but it’s better to test them out in smaller concentrations. AHAs, along with essential oils made from citrus fruit can also cause trouble, but cutting them out without trying them in small concentrations can end up as one of the worst sensitive skin care mistakes.
