You may not believe this, but your skin is working constantly in protecting you against dust, dirt, germs, bacteria, and other elements so your skin won’t become irritated. This is because your skin has a barrier that keeps all of these harmful elements at bay. Unfortunately, without adequate care, this barrier can be broken thus leaving you with more sensitive skin. This is why, you will need to take steps to ensure that your skin’s natural barrier will remain all the time.
With that being said, how will you be able to repair your skin’s barrier? If you want to build up your skin’s natural barrier once more, it would be a good idea to follow these steps.
Stick with the basics
Most women love to layer several products on their skin to keep it smooth and young looking, and although the creams and serums that you are putting on do have their own benefits, too much can be a bad thing. What you need to do is to take a look at all the products that you are using and eliminate those that contain harsh ingredients like alcohol, witch hazel, and those that have ingredients that create lather. A better option would be to use natural products as much as possible, or at least reduce exposing your skin to these harsh products.
Pay attention to your pH
Detergents may help with keeping your clothes clean, but when you expose your skin to such products, and the chemicals that they contain, not only will it affect the pH levels of your skin, but it can also eliminate your skin’s barrier. Make sure that you pay attention to the pH levels of your skin because when it becomes unbalanced, your skin will be prone to irritation and other skin issues in the long run.
Don’t be rough with your skin
Another tip on how you will be able to retain your skin’s barrier is to go gentle on it. Avoid rubbing your skin too hard, or even exfoliating too hard as well, because you can damage the natural barrier on the surface of your skin. Massage your skin gently when using scrubs to remove the dead skin without stripping it of its natural protection.
Read the ingredients
What else can you do to repair your skin’s barrier? Well, reading the list of ingredients in the skin care products that you have is always a good idea especially when you want to protect your skin. Look for creams, serums, and lotions that have hyaluronic acid, peptides, niacinamide, and ceramides because they are known for their ability to retain moisture thus keeping your skin well protected.
Keep the water cool
Taking a hot bath before bed time is something that we tend to look forward to whenever we have a long day, as the hot temperature can make our muscles relax. However, the hot temperature is not doing our skin any good as it is stripping it of its natural barriers. A better option is to stick with warm water instead which can have the same effect as the hot water, only the former is easier on the skin barrier.
Avoid stress
This is easier said than done but it is important in repairing your skin’s barrier. The thing is, stress can wreak havoc to your body which can trigger inflammation, irritation, and the like. Find a way to de-stress such as reading a book, playing a game, or even hanging out with your friends. Not only will you be protecting your body against free radicals, but you are also helping repair your skin barrier too.
