How to Find Skincare Products for Sensitive Skin

Our skin can be, to put it lightly, a bit dramatic. Especially when you’re dealing with sensitive skin as a teen that’s new to skincare, you might feel lost in a world of unfamiliar ingredients, bold claims, and endless social media trends. Here’s how to simplify and find the ideal routine for your sensitive skin!

What Even Is Sensitive Skin?

While you’ve probably heard of the 5 main skin types, which are normal, dry, oily, combination, and sensitive, it can be hard to know what type you are. If you feel like your skin overreacts to every little thing, you may have sensitive skin. Many people with sensitive skin have bad reactions to ingredients that most people tolerate just fine. Even if other people with sensitive skin have had good experiences with certain products and ingredients, you might still have a bad reaction, so it can be hard to find products that will work for you. 

Signs That You Have Sensitive Skin

According to a study published by Frontiers In Medicine, about 50% of people deal with sensitive skin. That percentage may increase during puberty when the body is going through hormonal changes that affect the skin. If you have frequent irritation and redness, burning or stinging, dry/flaky patches, and commonly experience breakouts, it’s likely that you have sensitive skin. 

Just remember, you can still experience these symptoms here and there with other skin types. But if you have these issues more often than not, and things never seem to get better even when using products marketed for sensitive skin, it’s likely that this is what you’re dealing with. 

How To Satisfy Your Sensitive Skin

Keeping your skin drama free can seem daunting, especially if you are new to skincare. But instead of throwing a list of specific ingredients and products at you, let’s stick to a few basic principles that can help guide your overall skincare decisions.

Simple And Safe

We get it-it’s tempting to go along with the social media trends and buy a plethora of products to get those trendy 10 step routines. While no teen needs that many products, you have to be extra careful to not over due it. The more products you use, the more chances your skin has to react to the extensive amount of ingredients you have introduced. In another reputable medical study suggests that using less ingredients and more simple routines over time can actually lessen the reactiveness of the skin. This means that a simple routine will help your skin from getting irritated immediately, but will also work in the long run to help decrease the overall sensitivity. Dermatologists recommend that teens stick to a simple 3 step routine with a gentle cleanser, hydrating moisturizer, and spf sunscreen.

Helpful Skincare Keywords

Once you start looking for the products for your 3 step routine, there are some keywords you can look for that commonly work well with sensitive skin. Products marked as fragrance-free, non-comedogenic (won’t clog pores), hypoallergenic, and dermatologist tested usually have ingredients that are beneficial for calming the skin and are free from ingredients that will exacerbate sensitive skin issues. 

Getting To The Details

If you’re feeling brave and want to delve a little deeper into what specific ingredients to look for, here are some common irritants to avoid. Fragrance (or parfum) is a blanket term for mixtures of approximately 3000 distinct chemical compounds, many of which have been found to irritate sensitive skin. While it does smell nice, it’s not worth sacrificing your skin’s health. You’ll also want to stay away from alcohols, which dry the skin and further damage its barrier. Sulfates can also strip the skin’s barrier, and essential oils are often too harsh for your skin type as well.

Patch Test For Peace Of Mind

If you’re still feeling nervous about trying out skincare products, try a patch test first! This is done by using a small amount of product behind your ear or on the inside of your wrist. This skin is sensitive enough that it can mimic the reaction your face will have, but in a more hidden area. If there’s no redness, irritation, or flakiness after 24-48 hours, you’re good to go!

Happy Skin Vs Perfection

Now that you have more tools to begin your skincare journey, it’s important to remember that perfection isn’t the goal, but happy skin is! Unfortunately no one will ever be fully free from skin issues, but it is totally possible to achieve a natural glow with regulated skin and a strong barrier. If you do feel like you’ve tried everything you can and still can’t get to a good place, it might be time to see a dermatologist to help you get on track. Whatever path you choose to take on your skincare journey, remembering the basic principles of simple and safe will get you far!