Your skin is the largest and most complex organ of the human body. A healthy balanced skin barrier protects us from external damages and environmental stressors, while also boosting our mood, helping us feel confident and beautiful every day. While some of us have a naturally weaker barrier (like dry, sensitive and thinner skin types), even stronger skin barriers can be damaged via improper care, the use of wrong products, and exposure to elements such as the UV rays of the sun, cold and wind.
If you have a damaged skin barrier, here are the seven best ways to repair, restore and reconstruct healthy skin:
1. Introduce Humectants
Constant dry/dehydrated skin is the most important reason for a damaged skin barrier. This can either be natural or due to use of products that strip away natural oils and moisture over time. Our #1 non-cosmetic internal fix? DRINK MORE WATER!
Top External Solution? Replace lost moisture with natural humectants. To build up barrier health and reintroduce moisture, here are some of the most effective ingredients to look for in your natural skin care products:
- Hyaluronic Acid
- Aloe Vera Gel
- Bladderwack
- Cold-pressed organic oils like Jojoba oil, Grapeseed oil, Sweet Almond Oil, Hempseed Oil, Sunflower oil, Sesame oil, etc.
2. Opt for a Minimalist Skin Care Routine
Try to use less products, preferably from the same product line..the more exposure your skin has to many different chemicals, some perhaps not compatible with each other in an overly complicated regimen. To avoid this, keep your skin care routine basic, nurturing and effective (learn why ‘less is more’).
Cleansing, hydrating, moisturising, and protection are the four basic steps of a minimal skin care routine.
Here’s a guide to a minimalist morning and night care regimen.
3. Don’t Over Exfoliate
With a compromised skin barrier, it’s essential to choose the right set of ingredients for exfoliation and control the usage frequency. Over-exfoliation, especially with harsh mechanical abrasives will only set back the regeneration power of the skin.
Ideally, we recommend using an enzyme-based exfoliator/mask such as our Papaya & Honey Exfoliation Mask & Scrub up to 2-3X times a week to deep cleanse, detox and keep pores clean, while also allowing cellular regeneration. If you have sensitive skin, try the milder SBR Papaya & Honey Facial Mask instead.
4. Identify the Cause
The skin’s moisture barrier can be damaged due to a number of reasons, such as: over exfoliation, over washing, pH imbalance, use of chemicals/wrong products, lack of sleep and other intrinsic factors. So narrowing down any of the possible causes makes your skin care regimen work more effectively. To find out the root cause and which products best suit your unique skin type, take our Dosha Quiz.
5. Use Only pH Balancing Products
While the pH of dry skin is typically alkaline, that of oily skin is acidic. Sulfates, parabens, alcohol and other chemical-based products strip skin of its natural oils and disturb the pH balance, leaving it dry and susceptible to damage. What you need to look for is the keyword ‘pH balanced’ in your products so that the formula can help restore the skin’s natural processes.
6. Wear Sunscreen
Wearing a mineral-based sunscreen with SPF 30+ is one of the easiest ways to protect your skin from severe damage. Our SunProtect SPF30+ is broad-spectrum, full-coverage protection from UVA, UVB and UVC rays and is packed with antioxidants and anti-inflammatory plant bioactives that protect the skin from free radical damage.
7. Reconstruct Damaged Moisture Barrier
Maintaining a strong barrier will limit incoming stressors and help your skin feel taut, smooth and young. Natural peptides like Argireline and Matrixyl and antioxidants like Vitamin A, Vitamin C, Vitamin E, Gotu Kola, Comfrey, Omega 6 fatty acids and several other wildgathered botanicals in our targeted serum treatments are powerful enough to naturally boost collagen and help maintain a strong moisture barrier.
Following a dedicated skin care regimen with Puraveda Organics usually starts repairing damaged skin in 2-4 weeks. Keep following our blog to learn more about targeted treatments for different skin issues.
