The majority of people who come to us are struggling to manage highly sensitive or allergy prone skin with a history of using products that at best do not work, but at worst, cause reactions and flare-up.

We have put together some basic advice and information as to why this is happening and some possible ideas that could help. We deliberately don’t say here “ideas that WILL help”, because we know all too well that there is no generic solution to struggling skin, as every case will be different. Finding your own personal solution and regime is the only answer, but we hope we can help you to do that.

Finding a moisturiser that actually does what it should

For those with highly sensitive skin, prone to eczema and other skin irritations, very often it is the skin barrier function that is under performing. This means that moisture escapes faster than it should and that external irritants can get into the skin more easily, leading to dry skin and skin rash irritations. For your moisturiser to stand a chance of really helping, it is must be super efficient at aiding and improving skin barrier function.

We recommend

For extremely dry skin, choose a natural ointment over a cream as this will be more effective at creating a barrier and will not contain water.

Try to choose an ointment that contains essential fatty acids which will help the body to increase it’s own natural barrier function.

Hemp oil is the perfect ingredient for this.

For daily maintenance, if an ointment is too thick, we recommend a natural cream, high in essential fatty acids to keep the skin moisturised and protected during the day.

You can use our Daily Moisturising Cream in the day and our Intensive Moisturising Ointment as an overnight intensive nourishing treatment.

Synthetic chemicals

Unfortunately, synthetic chemicals are all around us in many different forms; in our food and it’s packaging, in our household cleaning products, in our clothes, in our washing powders and in our cosmetics and skin creams (to name but a few). If you are struggling with skin flare-ups, it is really worth carefully considering what chemicals you are using, often without realizing and trying to eliminate as many as possible. So many people find that this makes a vast improvement to getting their skin under control. Be cautious of labels; things that are advertised as “natural” often contain harsh chemicals that can be skin irritants. For example, products labeled “perfume free” or “unscented” or “suitable for sensitive skin” often contain fragrance-masking chemicals, which can be just as irritating to the skin as perfume. Make sure you understand what is really in the products you are using if you are suffering with highly sensitive skin.

Gut health

Often under estimated, gut health is absolutely key to maintaining healthy skin and avoiding flare-ups. Make sure your diet contains as much fresh fruit and vegetables as possible, avoid highly processed food and high levels of sugar. Ensuring the right levels beneficial bacteria in the gut can make a huge difference to the skin. Speak to a nutritionist to get a personalized eating plan for healthy gut function.

If you would like more advice on what may suit your skin please get in touch with us at customersupport@balmonds.com

Check out our blog: Why Isn't My Moisturiser Working?