Skin Care Routine - Dry and sensitive skin

Hello everyone! I’m back, and here to possibly inform you on the importance of skin care! Pampering your skin might be effort to some, but it’s super important to maintain healthy skin. I thought I’d share with you guys my updated skin routine as I believe it’s working really well for my skin. For those who don’t know I have eczema, and one prominent place I have eczema is my face (specifically on my cheeks). Since it’s winter here in Australia, my cheeks had worsen because of the cold temperature and the harsh wind, which really irritated my cheeks. However I have updated my skin care regime and I can see progress! I’ve been on this routine for a few days now and my cheeks are noticeably softer, although it will take more time for the redness to go away. So lets begin! 

Step 1: First thing first - Cleanse! 

Cleansing your face should be the first thing you in your routine. Cleansing removes impurities that come from pollution and other dirt and oils on your face that you’ve collected throughout your day. Cleansing will unblock your pores, preventing spots to appear! Careful not to over cleanse though! For the first 2 days, I cleansed my face in the after I woke up and before I went to bed, however I have now cut that down to cleansing before I go to bed. 

The cleanser I use is the Cetaphil Gentile Skin Cleanser For all Skin Types. I recently changed to this cleanser and I actually enjoy it! One pump is more than enough for my face. It’s super gentle on my face, and leaves my face feeling soft, but clean at the same time. 

Step 2: Tone! 

Toning after you cleanse is important because it’ll get rid of any remaining cleanser or dirt/oil you missed on your face. Also, it tightens your skin and closes your pores in preparation for moisturising. 

The toner I’ve started using is from the Aloe Calming Toner for sensitive skin from The Body Shop. It has a strange scent to it but that goes away after a few seconds, other than that it’s a good toner (nothing spectacular, might go on the hunt for another one)

Step 3: Moisturise!

My doctor could not stress to me enough on the importance of moisturising - especially in my case. Even if you have oily skin, you should still moisturise - just use a lighter lotion, or a gel based moisturiser. You should moisturise after you have used toner on your face - if you skip out on the toner, your moisturiser will clog up your pores. I recommend moisturising before you go to bed at night, and after you’ve taken a shower. 

Warm up the moisturiser in your hands and apply to your cheeks first because they are generally drier than your T-zone, and massage the moisturiser into your skin. Also don’t forget to moisturise your neck! 

The moisturiser I’ve been using for a while now is the Olay Moisturising Cream for sensitive skin. This is my go-to moisturiser now, I’ve used it for a long time and it quickly became my favourite face moisturiser.

Step 4: Night cream! (optional) 

I never use to use night cream, but after I started I noticed my skin becoming softer and more hydrated faster. This step is optional, and recommended for those who need extra hydration. I use this on top of my moisturiser at night. 

The night cream I use is the Aloe soothing Night Cream for sensitive skin from The Body Shop. I haven’t used a night cream before this one, so this night cream is the first one I’ve ever used - but so far I like it! My skin definitely became softer after only a few uses. The night cream has a similar scent to the toner, but you can’t smell it once you apply it to your face. I personally think this night cream is a little expensive here in Australia, but it's pretty good and thick in consistency.

Currently this is what my skin looks like with no make up at all. It's improved greatly, I tried to find a previous photo before I updated my routine but I can't find one (because I'd cover my face with CC cream) - basically my cheeks were red, itchy, irritated, with dry patches of red skin, it was horrible. As you can see my cheeks are still a little red and so is the area around my nose, so the important thing is that I have to be consistent and maintain this routine.

I’m not a trained beautician or anything, this is just from my experience. Other factors to consider when it comes to your skin is your diet, and the amount of water you consume daily. I hope everyone is having a lovely week, and found this post informative. I’ll see you guys in my next post! take care!