Moisturizer for Sensitive Skin

When determining what moisturizer to use on your sensitive skin, you should first establish what your skin type is. The three most common skin types are dry, oily, and combination skin.

If your face feels a little tight, particularly so when yawning or stretching your facial muscles- then your skin is on the dry side. Dry skin appear to be rough or flaky in texture. In more extreme cases, dry skin will 'flake' to reveal raw skin underneath. When handling these cases, fight the temptation to over exfoliate your skin. This may slough off some of the dead skin, but it will also irritate your skin further, leading to hardened and rough patches.

Oily skin is very simple to spot, but don't be fooled- just because you have oily skin does not mean that you do not require extra moisturization. It also does not mean that you should wash your face continuously throughout the day at the first evidence of a little shine. By doing this, you are stripping your skin of its natural oils and actually escalating oil production, which is the polar opposite result that you are seeking. Instead, wash your face twice daily, moisturize, perhaps apply an oil controlling topical ointment, and then blot excess oil throughout the day. Do not disturb your skin further- or you will end up with significantly more sensitive skin on your hands.

Combination skin is both oily and dry- typically oily around the T-zone. But in some cases, dry spots will appear in patches throughout the T-zone- normally around the nose area. This is escpecially common in the dry winter months.

Almost every single person has something about their skin that they dislike, whether it be acne and blemishes, excess oil, hyper pigmentation, sensitive skin, or a skin condition. But most of these conditions can be improved through the correct skin care- and moisture is really important.

If you have dry skin, you are going to want to utilize a heavy moisturizer. I would advise even using a heavy moisturizer during the day to protect your face from drying out due to sun exposure, wind, pollution, etc. A moisturizer with antioxidants may be a positive choice as well. And as I am sure you've heard, dry skin ages faster- so it would be foresighted to choose a moisturizer with restoring properties.

Oily skin requires a lighter moisturizer. Do not skip moisturizing in the morning in an attempt to thwart oil production- just wait a few minutes until your moisturizer has thoroughly sunk in before applying makeup. Opt for water based moisturizers, over oil based ones as they may lead to clogged pores and blemishes.

Combination skin really varies from person to person. If you need more moisture in some areas more than others, apply a heavier moisturizer at night to help restore moisture as you sleep and a light water-based moisturizer during the day. Also, while it is healthy to exfoliate, do not go overboard- you do not want to inflame any sensitive skin.

I hope this helped you understand how to properly care for and moisturize sensitive skin. And always, always choose a moisturizer with sunscreen. If I could just give you one piece of advice... wear sunscreen.