All products featured on Self are independently selected by our editors.
However, we may receive compensation from retailers and/or from purchases of products through these links.
Below are a few tried-and-true strategies for keeping your sensitive skin happystraight from dermatologists.
David Urbanke
Use as few products at a time as possible, with as few ingredients as possible.
Fewer products and fewer ingredients means fewer chances to react to something in your skin-care routine.
Avoid the temptation to over-wash or over-exfoliate your face.
In fact, your skin naturally makes lipids and proteins that form a protective barrier.
Over-washing can wash all of these important lipids and proteins down the drain, she says.
Washing just once a day with plain water or water and a gentle, fragrance-free cleanser is enough.
For most people,exfoliating just once or twice a weekwith a gentle chemical exfoliant is plenty.
Take the time to patch-test new products.
If you have no reaction in the morning, then it is safe to apply it to your face.
If my skin does not react after 24 hours, I feel comfortable applying it to my entire face.
Identify your triggersand read the ingredients list.
Basically, anything that smells good is [more likely to be] bad for your skin.
After a bad reaction, take several big steps back.
If that happens, its important to reallytreat your skin gently until it heals.
clinical assistant professor of dermatology (clinician educator), Keck School of Medicine of USC, tells SELF.
Introduce new products to your routine slowly.
Some of the most effective skin-care products we haveretinoids, namelyare also some of the most irritating.
These ingredients can still improve your skin with gentle exfoliation, but theyre not as irritating as retinoids.
Keep showers short and efficient.
Avoid using washcloths or loofahs as well, as these can also irritate the skin.
Right after you shower, you might apply an occlusive moisturizer to seal in the moisture from your shower.
