Here at Sensitive Skin Makeup, we talk a lot about how to avoid “poking the bear,” to speak, with sensitive skin. However, if you are on the hunt for cosmetics that don’t irritate your skin, you are going to be trying a whole bunch of products looking for that right one. So when you inevitably irritate your skin trying out a new cosmetic that wasn’t your dream product, what do you do?
You soothe it, of course!
However, if you don’t already have a tried and true way to soothe your skin, the last thing you want to do is to add some more chemicals or try another product that will make things worse. It is best to keep things as natural as possible.
Moisturize with Coconut Oil
You will find coconut oil included in a number of moisturizers (though often alongside chemicals, fragrances, and synthetic dyes) because it can penetrate the skin so deeply and lock in moisture that helps your skin heal. However, its fatty acids are both nourishing and soothing to the skin. In fact, pure, extra-virgin coconut oil is often a boon to those with psoriasis, eczema, and dermatitis.
Obviously, you want as untouched and untreated of coconut oil as possible so that you don’t risk irritating your skin. However, if you also have oily skin, you will want to go very light with this and always use after properly cleaning to prevent blocking up your pores.
Try Cleansing with Milk
There is a growing portion of people out there that don’t like to use food as natural remedies. I can’t blame you. After a certain point when you have mayonnaise in your hair and literal egg on your face, you have to stop and wonder what the hell you are doing. However, there is no arguing with the effect that milk can have on your skin. Even putting it in the bath can make your skin plump and so smooth. It has the same effect on your face, but with the added benefit of being so soothing.
Milk not only nourishes and lightly exfoliates, but it also has strong anti-inflammatory properties. All you need to do is dab raw milk on your face, let sit for five to fifteen minutes and gently wash away. Be sure to use it while cold, the chill will also help to ease away inflammation.
Try Honey
If you can’t get your hands on raw milk, which will be a challenge since you would actually need to have a connection with a farmer, you can also try honey instead. If you have ever sought natural advice for a sore throat, honey will be the number one recommendation because it is not only anti-inflammatory, but it is anti-bacterial as well.
This is another natural product that will also leave you with beautifully smooth skin.
Use Cold
Whenever you are cleaning your irritated skin, always use cold or lukewarm water. Hot water only irritates the skin further and dries it out. Fast healing comes from moisturized skin. Cool water and even ice packs cannot only sooth any swelling or itchiness, but they will feel amazing.
Use Aloe
Oh, yes. Aloe isn’t just for sunburns. Aloe can help soothe and quickly heal any sort of red and irritated skin. It is also a great natural way to provide pain relief as well. However, if you are buying bottles aloe vera gel, be very careful. A lot of those gels include alcohol so sunburns don’t get infected. However, alcohol and irritated skin don’t mix well.
The best advice is to grow your own aloe. It is a really easy house plant to keep alive and so very useful if you have skin issues. However, there are some natural aloe gels out there if you can’t keep a plant alive.
Things to Avoid While Healing
- Hot Water – Again, this strips your skin of natural oils and dries it out. Only use lukewarm water or below.
- Avoid Soaking – Even if cool water is soothing your skin, don’t soak for too long. Even just soaking your face is removing all those essential oils that make healthy skin. The best advice is to clean, use cool water or an icepack for about five minutes of relief, then moisturize.
- Avoid Dyes and Fragrances – This is good advice even if your skin hasn’t been triggered. Even if dyes and fragrances don’t trigger your sensitive skin, they will continue to irritate it.
- Avoid Scrubbing – This can be a hard thing not to do. After all, you want whatever is causing you to discomfort off as soon and thoroughly as possible, but never scrub your skin if it gets or is irritated. Even something as lightly abrasive as a washcloth is bad news. It will take the oil off your skin that it needs to healthy and it will make your skin even more red and raw. So put away the loofahs and don’t use anything harsher than a cotton pad.
- Avoid Alcohol – You can still have a drink if you have sensitive skin, but definitely, don’t use rubbing alcohol to clean your face. While it will kill any bacteria, it will also dry your skin and irritate your irritation above and beyond. Not to mention it will sting like a sonnuvabitch. Your skin doesn’t need the harsh cleaning of rubbing alcohol like a skinned knee, it needs soothing cleaning.
- Let it Breathe – One of the best things you can do for red and swollen skin is to let it rest and let it breathe. However, we are not always so fortunate to irritate our skin on a Friday without nothing else to do for the rest of the weekend. If you need to go out, use as few products as possible, and use them sparingly. If you absolutely have to put foundation on, do only one light layer to mute the redness and take it off as soon as possible.