10 Ways To Protect Your Sensitive Skin

by Jim DeSantis

If you are fair-haired, you likely are fair-skinned and this usually means you have sensitive skin. Sensitive skin brings with it a double-edged sword. On the one hand, it is attractive. On the other hand, it can cause no end of trouble for you. Here are 10 ways to keep your sensitive skin healthy and beautiful.

An effective sensitive skin care routine is really simple when we follow a few fundamental steps. Most important is to understand the definition of sensitive skin so you can understand if this condition applies to you. Then, we can cover the 10 best ways to protect yourself while taking advantage of the beauty this skin type offers.

The Definition of Sensitive Skin

This skin type makes you vulnerable to all kinds of environmental conditions. Your skin can become irritated when you come into contact with the world around you. This irritation can even be caused by skin care products themselves which is why the cure is sometimes worse than the problem itself. 

Many products contain compounds that may be good for people with average skin tone but a definite hazard to those with fair skin. That's why it's so important to take the time to read product labeling to determine if your fair skin will be helped or harmed. Look for statements such as "for sensitive skin" or "not for sensitive skin" or similar statements that tell you what to expect if you use the product. 

You may know through your own experience that, in general, most skin types do not respond well to products that contain chemical based formulations. Look for products that contain natural ingredients and that are designed for sensitive skin. Chemically based compounds in products do help some people but, for the person with sensitive skin, the threshold for damage is quite a bit lower than the average person. The damage comes much quicker and more severe for fair-skinned users of these products which is why it's so important to choose only products that are specifically formulated for sensitive skin.

Finally, people with sensitive skin are quite susceptible to acne. Good skin hygiene means keeping your skin pores clean and not clogged with oils or lotions you think are protecting your sensitive skin. Clogged pores are fertile ground for acne-causing bacteria to grow.

Now that you have a definition, here are the 10 things you should do to protect your sensitive skin:

1. Use only sensitive skin care products that have natural ingredients, not chemicals or oils in them that could clog pores and contribute to acne or skin irritation. 

2. Do not use skin care products that any kind of chemical-based additives such as perfumes or coloring.

3. Skin toners are not a good thing either. These contain compounds that will actually dry your skin and cause irritation.

4. Be careful of what you touch. No matter what you touch, be it laundry products, things at work, things at home, do not touch your face without first washing your hands with a sensitive skin soap product. Chemicals, grime, and bacteria are enemies to sensitive skin.

5. Another important tip for 'sensitive skin care' is to avoid excessive exposure to sun. Apply sun screen lotion before getting out in the sun.

6. It goes without saying that the Sun is not a good thing for folks with fair skin but I remind you anyway. In spite of negative news stories about the effectiveness of sun screen, use it anyway. At the very least, wear a hat and keep your arms and legs covered when venturing out in bright sunlight.

7. Hypoallergenic moisturizers that are labeled for sensitive skin are your friend. These usually contain only natural ingredients and no harmful additives.

8. Stay away from soap based or alcohol based skin cleansing products. Again, the word is: natural! You want skin cleansers with non- toxic ingredients and that are labeled for sensitive skin application. You will need to cleanse your face daily to clean off the grime and bacteria picked up out in the world.

9. Using a good exfoliation product once a week is recommended. It will help clean your face of dead skin cells so the body can replace them with new cells to keep your fair skin radiant. Be very gentle, though. Sensitive skin does not do well with vigorous scrubbing.

10. Remove makeup as soon as possible. As soon as you get home from work, use a hypoallergenic makeup-remover and get that stuff off your face. The longer you allow makeup to sit there, the greater the chance of clogged pores giving acne the fertile environment it needs.

About the Author: Don't allow acne to ruin your life! Visit the Simple Acne Cures Blog for more helpful acne home remedy tips and tricks. For reviews of the top three natural acne treatments, also visit Natural Acne Cures.

How Stress Influences Acne

by Lance Carr



Does your acne flair up after an emotional disturbance? When you become stressed at your job, are you more likely to suffer skin outbreaks? For many years dermatologists have argued over the connection connecting stress and acne.


Though it's true that genetics could play a part in your odds of developing acne, lots of dermatologists presently recognize this troubling condition can additionally be connected to additional factors like stress or an inadequate diet.


It is no surprise that stress can assert a harmful impact on your immune structure. Irrespective of what form of malady you suffer from, a good deal of stress can either worsen your condition or lengthen the amount of time it commonly takes your body to heal and get well.


At those times when people suffer stress or emotional turbulence, the body often reacts by producing an overabundant quantity of hormones. Male hormones notably have a great impact on the sebaceous gland. If the gland becomes overactive, the body subsequently manufactures an excess of sebum. Once the pores become blocked with sebum, acne is very likely to crop up.


Besides aggravating existing acne breakouts, stress can also produce an overall deterioration in the appearance of your skin. Apart from influencing sebum production, an unhealthy presence of stress may possibly cause the adrenal glands to produce cortisol. The cortisol then is released into the sebaceous gland and manufactures a greater quantity of oil in the skin.


Even if you are at this time taking a prescription or over the counter remedy for acne, managing your stress level is able to help to improve your general skin condition. The following techniques are useful for easing stress in order to contend with acne. Through following some of these suggestions, not only will your acne most likely improve but you can also attain better overall physical condition and wellness.


Exercise is possibly one of the best known techniques for lowering stress. In literally minutes, you can ease excess tension and concern. Unfortunately numerous people consider exercise as an objectionable task. By means of shifting your negative concepts linked to exercise, you'll be more likely to take part in healthy vigorous activity.


Too much caffeine can frequently give rise to a high degree of stress. By lowering your ingestion of sodas, coffee, tea, and other stimulants, you can quiet down your body and inhibit other common negative side effects such as headaches or high blood pressure.


Scrutinize your diet. Attempt to consume as many healthy and organic foods as possible. A diet containing the appropriate quantity of fruits and vegetables will exert the most affirmative impact on your wellbeing. Lots of people habitually eat extraordinary quantities of sugar and processed foods every day. This can show the way to stress and other behavioral difficulties, specially in younger people and teenagers. By shifting your eating behavior, you can improve your acne and scores of other general maladies.


Strive to get outdoors on a daily basis. Only a minimal amount of time outdoors each day will have a positive affect on your body. Sunlight brings about the fabrication of Vitamin D which provides for healthy skin. A quick walk three or four times a week is all that is needed.


Whether you decide to cure your acne with established or unconventional medicine treatments, by easing stress, you can multiply your chances of gaining healthy skin and a healthy-looking complexion.

About the Author: Lance is an expatriate Australian living in Taiwan. His grasp of the Chinese language ranges from poor to laughable and in most circumstances his actual use of the Chinese language results in laughter.
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Castor Oil: Natural Skin Care and Protection Without Equal

By Laura Thomas

At one time, castor oil was the natural home remedy of choice that young mothers would use for any digestive problem, such as sore tummies to sickness, diarrhea and constipation. Woe betide you if you failed to fill your diaper or nappy. Your reward was a spoonful of castor oil - yugh! It was enough to keep you off the potty!


Thankfully, these days are behind those of us old enough to remember them, and castor oil now has other uses, one of the more unlikely being skin care. It's unlikely it tastes any better when used as a skin care product as it did when used for its medicinal purposes, for but at least we are no longer forced to drink it. In fact, castor oil is a surprisingly effective skin care product, and is used to treat burns, cuts and abrasions, sunburn, acne and any condition caused by excessively oily skin in addition to using it to maintain a hydrated, smooth and healthy-looking skin.
Although the castor oil itself is an oily substance, it can be used to prevent your skin from the effects of the skin oil that causes acne. That is because it can penetrate deep into the skin along with the isostearate succinate it contains, and exert a highly antioxidant effect. Isostearate succinate is used as an ingredient in many commercial skin care preparations such as lipstick and lip balm, and helps to keep the skin smooth and hydrated.

Castor oil skin care products also contain ricinoleic acid, a strong anti-inflammatory that helps to reduce the skin eruptions of acne and eczema. The antioxidant properties of the oil protect your skin from the damage cause by free radicals generated by the action of strong sunlight on your skin, and also of pollutants such as traffic fumes and tobacco smoke. Free radicals can kill off your skin cells accelerating the appearance of aging, and without the strong antioxidant effects of natural skin care products, your skin would age prematurely and turn dry and leathery.

The oil helps your skin to feel silky and smooth because of its humectant properties: it absorbs moisture and passed that into to your skin. The oil itself does not leave your skin feeling sticky as many other oils do because it is easily washed off with soap water. Its moisturizing effect supports the antioxidants castor oil contains to help to prevent wrinkles developing, and also helps to maintain a good circulation of blood that keeps it supplied with the nutrients and the oxygen needed to maintain a healthy supply of new skin growth.

Although many find its effects on their skin surprising, there are very good medical and chemical reasons why castor oil should offer a high degree of skin care through its antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and moisturizing properties. It is a more effective natural moisturiser for your skin than the vast majority of synthetic moisturizing preparations on the market today, and is in fact one of the best natural substances that nature can provide to care for your skin.

Castor oil skin care preparations can help to maintain well-hydrated healthy skin, and if used in conjunction with a healthy diet should enable you to maintain your youthful looks for many years to come while others around you are becoming old and wrinkled.

About the Author: For further information on natural skin care products visit Laura's site at Castle Baths where you will also find out more on the properties of Castor Oil in protecting your skin.