Sensitive skin:
Be kind to your skin with natural remedies

You may have skin sensitivities:

• If you have reactions to skin care products or cosmetics, which take the form of pustules, stinging, redness, hives, tingling, tightness, burning, swelling, cystic acne or skin bumps.
• Even if you don't have an overt reaction, products make your skin feel uncomfortable.
• Sometimes skin that flushes or blushes easily is sensitive.
• If you have an immune system disfunction such as allergies, eczema, rosacea, or contact dermatitis.
• If you spend time in excessive cold, hot or dry conditions, or if your skin is excessively exposed to the sun.

Internally, a well balanced diet is always essential for good skin care. For sensitive skin, make sure you take a B complex, which can alleviate dryness and itching. Whole grains, fish, eggs, liver, yeast, seeds, nuts and eggs can benefit your sensitive skin. Wheat germ would be a great addition to your whole grain cereal, or take a wheat germ capsule supplement. Drink your 6-8 glasses of water a day.

Externally, be very careful what you use on your skin. Chemical additives and preservatives can especially react with sensitive skin. There are definitely cases of acne that are caused by allergic reaction rather than hormonal causes.

Acne Sensitive Skin

Botanicals that work well to coddle irritated or fragile skin:

• Calendula
• Comfrey
• Chamomile
• Chickweed
• Helichrysum
• Lavender
• Neroli
• Rose essential oil
• Rosehip seed oil
• St. John's Wort
• Myrrh
• Goldenseal

Oils that calm sensitivities:

• Apricot Kernel OIl
• Avocado Oil
• Coconut Oil
• Grape seed Oil
• Hemp Seed Oil
• Kukui Nut Oil
• Olive Oil
• Wheat Germ Oil

Learn more about the properties of natural organic herbs, carrier oils and essential oils, as well as a wonderful selection of organic products for skin care and containers for your own concoctions at:

Cleansing

Individual skin responds differently to different cleansing methods, and sensitivity issues may vary. The best advice is to stay away from strong or highly perfumed soap. A detergent-free cleanser is a much better choice to avoid unwanted reactions. Your motto should be "the purer, the better". The idea is to keep the alkalinity very low, with a very low PH cleanse. No scrubbing or stripping of oils!

Honey is a great natural cleanser for sensitive skin, since it is highly unlikely to cause allergic reactions. It's antiseptic, anti-bacterial, a humectant, contains alpha hydroxy acids (mild), AND it's an anti-irritant that can soothe as well as cleanse.Try honey all by itself, and if you need a bit more oil-cutting power, add a little lemon juice.

Exfoliation

Exfoliation is always important, but sensitive skin needs a gentle, calming, natural exfoliating treatment, no more than once a week.

Oatmeal Calming exfoliation:

• 2 T oatmeal, ground, or rice bran powder
• 1 T Honey
• 1 t Milk

Pulse the oatmeal in a coffee grinder or the blender until a finer powder. Mix with the milk and honey, and use this mixture to gently exfoliate already damp skin. Be gentle! Rinse, tone and moisturize.

You can also use the oatmeal preparation as a calming mask, just leave it on the face for 10-15 minutes and gently wash away. Oatmeal softens dry areas and relieves inflamed skin.

For oily sensitive skin, add 1 teaspoon lemon juice or apple cider vinegar to help cut through the oils.

Baking Soda exfoliation

For a gentle exfoliation, simply add baking soda to your honey or oil cleanse and massage gently all over your face. Grape seed oil or olive oil mixed with baking soda and rubbed over your skin, dissolves oils and accumulated dead skin gently and rinses away with warm water to leave skin soft, moist and calm.

Once or twice a week, exfoliation will help to remove stubborn pore clogging substances that your daily cleansing may miss. The goal of an exfoliant is to work on removing the combination of built-up oil and dead skin cells that make up the top, dead layer of skin. You do not want to strip natural moisture from the skin.

Exfoliation also stimulates the growth of healthy, normal skin. Keeping the pores free of debris will also allow them to shrink in appearance.

Toning

After cleansing, always use a toner to rebalance your skin and take away any traces of cleanser. For sensitive skin, a great toner will be mild and slightly acidic to rebalance the PH of your skin and combat reactions at the same time.

Calming toner

• 1/4 C Lavender Hydrosol*
• 1/4 C Witch Hazel
• 5 drops calendula essential oil
• 5 drops helichrysum

*Hydrosols and essential oils can be found at Mountain Rose Herbs.

Simple toner

• 1/4 C Witch Hazel
• 1/3 C purified water
• 5 drops rose essential oil
• 5 drops neroli essential oil

If you have oily sensitive skin, wipe 50/50 purified water and white vinegar all over your face. Follow by patting with a damp washcloth. The acetic acid will cut right through excess sebum and leave your face feeling soft and matte. If your face can tolerate the vinegar, try it full strength to really cut the oils. If this irritates your skin, stick to the Witch Hazel!

Moisturize

The best hydration is light and non-comedogenic. Avoid mineral oil! Pay attention to how your skin reacts to what you’re using: If your skin feels stingy and puffy, keep moisturizing simple.

The simplest moisturizer for light, non-irritating hydration is to just use 2-3 drops of a natural oil patted lightly all over the entire face. This will keep your skin calm, moist and dewy without clogging your pores. Try olive oil, grape seed oil, jojoba oil, kukui nut oil or avocado oil.

You can use the Natural Moisturizer Basic Recipe with a very light hand. A little goes a long way, so just use a pea-sized bit for your entire face.

Elixir for eye wrinkles

• 1/2 oz. avocado oil
• 1/2 oz. coconut oil
• 1 oz apricot kernel oil
• 5 drops carrot seed oil
• 5 drops neroli oil
• 5 drops helichrysum
• 5 drops chamomile
• 1 vitamin E capsule

Mix together the avocado and coconut oils. Add in all the essential oils and store in a colored bottle with a stopper. Smooth on no more than 1 drop per eye, nightly. This will keep the delicate area under your eyes smooth and hydrated.

Facial Steam

A good facial steam will help open and cleanse your pores so that sebum can run free and evacuate - you don't want anything to remain in your pores to clog them up! Try to do this once a week before your mask.

You can used dried herbs or essential oils. For herbs, measure 2-4 tablespoons, and for essential oils, measure 10-20 drops. Use botanicals listed above.

First, bring 2 quarts of water to a simmer. When steam rises, remove from stove and on a table, on top of a heatproof trivet. Sit with your face over the steam at a comfortable distance for about 10-15 minutes, not too close for sensitive skin! To trap the steam around your face, you can use a towel over your head. Splash your face with cold water and pat dry.

Masks for Sensitive Skin

To keep your skin oil-controlled and clear of blemishes, mask once or twice a week.

Calming Oatmeal Mask

• 1/2 C cooked oatmeal, cooled
• 1/2 C plain yogurt, cold

Mix the oatmeal and yogurt together and spread over cleansed face. Leave on for 10-15 minutes and wash off with a steamed washcloth.

Gentle Avocado Moisture Mask

• 1/2 avocado, mashed well
• 2 T honey

Mix the ingredients together, apply to skin and leave on for 10-15 minutes. Rinse off with a cool washcloth.

Milk & Honey Mask

• 1 t powdered nonfat milk
• 1 t honey
• 1 t purified water

Mix powdered milk with water, add honey and smooth over face. Leave on for 10-15 minutes and wash off using a warm washcloth.

With a little pampering and not a lot of product or handling, you can calm your sensitive skin and clear any blemishes caused by rashes or breakouts from too many chemicals. Baby your skin and get the best skin of your life!