The key to caring for sensitive skin, whether prone to break-outs, irritation, spots or dryness, is to treat it gently, using products which work with your skin rather than against it. It’s important to create a regime that will cleanse, nourish, hydrate and balance your skin, without blocking pores or triggering breakouts; this might mean using different products on different areas of skin, but it’s possible to keep it simple with a few multipurpose heroes.
We’ve gathered expert advice, top tips and a selection of simple, gentle, effective products to keep your oily or combination skin in the best condition possible.
The best strategy for creating a skincare routine is always to listen to your own unique skin and work with it to find products that will keep it as healthy and well-nourished as possible.
That could mean avoiding oils on the T-zone - the area from forehead to nose that tends towards spots and oiliness - as, for some, even the least comedogenic oils can result in a build-up of sebum, dead skin and bacteria, resulting in acne or blackheads.
But not everyone is so sensitive to oil-based formulations; it’s perfectly possible for some light, pore-friendly oils to work perfectly even on breakout-prone skin.
Pick products that will support your skin barrier function with nutrient-rich formulations; try Balmonds rosehip-rich Intensive Facial Oil in tandem with our Super 7 Serum, or our powerfully cleansing Tea Tree Facial Wash in combination with ultra-mild Daily Moisturiser.
While having both oily and dry skin on different areas of the face is relatively common, sometimes combination skin goes to extremes and acne and eczema coincide.
On the one hand, eczema-prone skin needs moisture and protection; it needs help building up its barrier because it tends not to produce enough sebum, the skin’s natural oil which plays such a vital part in the skin’s defence system.
Acne, on the other hand, is all about over-oily skin; breakout-prone skin needs to reduce and rebalance sebum production.
Although pharmaceutical treatments for eczema and acne (such as paraffin-based emollients or retinol) can end up aggravating the other condition because they’re essentially doing opposite things, if you pick the right skincare you can boost your skin’s resilience without triggering flare-ups.
Fortunately, going natural is a great choice for both eczema and acne. Choose gentle products formulated with low comedogenic oils and nutrient-rich natural extracts, free from irritants such as perfumes, SLS or harsh preservatives. Appropriate plant-based oils can provide combination skin with the essential fatty acids it needs to balance sebum production and maintain skin barrier function without clogging pores, so they're perfect for a combination of acne and eczema.
Low comedogenic oils such as hemp, safflower, borage, grapeseed and rosehip are key ingredients across the Balmonds range, so you can rest assured that our creams, oils and washes are suitable for looking after both acne and eczema-prone skin.
The Balmonds blog is a great resource for those with sensitive skin. Discover what products can be most useful for easily irritated skin, which ingredients to avoid, and how to build a skincare regime that works for you.
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Super 7 Serum
Super 7 is a light fragrance-free facial serum designed to restore balance and calm to reactive skin. The serum is formulated with seven exceptional skin-kind ingredients to act as a topical supplement for the skin, giving easily irritated skin a daily boost of goodness.
The Super7 Key Ingredients
