For the sensitive type
SENSITIVE skin can be a very troubling thing to live with. If your skin is irritated, it can leave you feeling edgy and out of kilter.
After all, the skin is our largest organ. According to National Geographic, the average adult carries about 2.6kg and 22 square feet of it. And if it doesn’t feel right, that’s a whole lot of irritation going on. Many products for those with sensitive skin focus on the face, but it’s equally important to make sure that the products you use on your body are irritant free.
The incidence of eczema has tripled over the past 30 years, and increasing numbers of people are suffering from sporadic break-outs. According to the British Skin Foundation, “Skin disease is now the most common reason why people consult their GP for the first time.”
The causes are a little harder to pin down, but as the Foundation notes, “increasing use of soaps, shower gels and harsh cleaning products, especially in developed countries, could also help explain some of the increases being seen.”
Eczema can cause very dry skin, and many people with sensitive skin, who may not have eczema as such, equally suffer from this dry, tight, itchiness. Avoiding soap is essential. Cleansing oils for the face are perfect for dry skin sufferers, but you can also get cleansing oils for the body.
The problem is that as they are “specialist” products, they tend to be a bit more expensive — I’ve paid out for very expensive shampoos for psoriasis for years.
La Roche Posay’s Lipikar Cleansing Oil, €13.50, is a good place to start. Designed for eczema-prone skin, it has a very gentle cleansing effect that leaves skin feeling soft and soothed. Sans Ceuticals Goji Cleansing Oil, €35.84, is a luxury cleanser with a luxury price tag, but it’s lovely to use. Step out of the shower, smooth it onto damp skin, and then as you wash it off it turns milky. Plus you get all the skin-benefits of a top antioxidant such as the goji berry in a pH neutral oil. Nice.
Moo Goo Milky Wash, €14.95, is a good option if you after something light and gentle with a delicate scent, while Cetaphil Restoraderm Skin Restoring Body Wash, €19.99, is nonirritating and non-drying, and is free of fragrances, parabens and nut oils.
Emollients are essential for dry and eczema prone skin, and you should reapply as frequently as you can through the day. Finding something that works can take time, whether you’re opting for no-frills aqueous cream from the pharmacist to pure shea butter from L’Occitane.
La Roche Posay has released a balm that has been working wonders on my skin. Lipikar Balm, €12.50 gets rid of that itchy feeling you get with dry skin, and keeps skin soothed throughout the day. The best time to slather it on is overnight – your skin wakes up really soft, and super silky. Natural butter balms can be great for very dry skins, and Shealife is one of the best. It’s a 100% hemp butter balm, that conditions skin very effectively. Or else reach for the Allergenics Soothing Body Lotion, a non-perfumed, light and lanolin-free option, which is 100% natural. Just as you want it.
La Roche Posay has a long history of creating effective products for people with problem skin, and this range is no different. I’ve been using it for the last few days, and it’s really soothed my dry skin. The balm also helped the lumpy-bumpy, hard-to-treat dry skin on my little boy’s arms. It’s a good, if slightly expensive, double-option.
You won’t get a big lather with this one — you need a lot of chemicals for that — but it’s a good option for sensitive-skin types. Its makers say it has “the same irritation score as water”. Although it seems like an expensive outlay, the size of the wash is quite big, with 500ml bottles.
If you prefer baths over showers, then reach for this bath oil and add a few drops to your soak. Designed for itchy, irritated skin, as well as skin conditions such as eczema, it has a very soft, soothing effect. Oils can sometimes be difficult to mix into the water — if you’re having trouble with this, then mix it around in a little milk before adding it all to the bath.
Very sensitive skins can sometimes be slightly irritated by essential oils, and this one takes all the risk away with a blend of organic oils, including sunflower, borage, jojoba and rosehip. It’s very simple, without fancy packaging or fancy scents, and it’s great for irritated skin.
It’s easy to be careful with body products and then go and use a normal shampoo, but if you’ve sensitive skin, you need to watch what you put on your scalp, too, because it will end up going all over your skin, also. A’kin’s shampoo isn’t cheap, but you get a pH-neutral formula that’s gentle enough for babies to use.
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