How to take care of sensitive skin

Whenever a new season approaches, our skin undergoes several changes. Indeed, all skin types are impacted by the climate, but sensitive skin is particularly so. Our head beautician, Élodie, offers us her best tips to relieve the skin and counter the effects caused by the seasons changing on sensitive skin. 

Skin Types vs. Skin States 

“Sensitive skin is not a skin type, but a skin state,” explains Élodie. This condition is characterized by, among other things, hyper-reactivity of the skin, a tendency to develop rashes, as well as a susceptibility to redness and rosacea.

Skin types include:

• Normal skin: skin balanced in water and lipids
• Oily skin: skin with excessive sebum production
• Dry skin: skin that does not produce enough oil to keep the skin nourished and thus protect it from the environment
• Combination skin: skin with an oily tendency on the middle part of the face and a normal to dry appearance on the rest of the face

Meanwhile, skin states include: 

• Sensitive skin
• Dehydrated skin: skin that does not have enough water in the top layer of the skin
• Mature skin: skin that shows signs of aging
• Acne-prone skin: skin with frequent acne breakouts

There can therefore be several skin states on the same skin.

Ideal Routine for Sensitive Skin

To soothe the skin, Élodie suggests two accessible routines, adopting products from the two brands that we use for facial and body treatments at Bota Bota.

Cosmetic care routine for sensitive skin, with Eminence:

• Evening cleanser (Chamomile Cleansing Milk or Stonecrop Cleansing Gel)
• Spray Mist (Moisturizing Mist with Stonecrop or Soothing Chamomile Toner)
• Serum to apply day and night before the cream (Arnica Serum or Kombucha Microbiome Balancing Essence)
• Day and/or night cream (Camomile Cream or Stonecrop Whipped Moisturizing Cream)
• Eye cream to apply day and night (Eye contour cream with wild plum)
• Facial exfoliant to do once a week (Dermafoliant)
• Face mask to be applied once or twice a week (Arnica mask for the soothing and anti-redness side, Stonecrop mask for its calming side: it is a succulent like Aloe Vera, or Kombucha mask which is without rinsing for its regenerating and repairing side)

Cosmetic care routine for sensitive skin, with Babor:

• Evening Cleanser (Hy-öl + Phyto Soothing Booster or Gentle Cleansing Cream)
• Tonic (Soothing tonic with Rose) to complete cleansing, remove limescale from the water and bring a refreshing side to the skin
• Ampoule (SOS Calming Ampoule): This is a concentrate of active ingredient. Apply in the evening, as a cure for at least 7 days and at the rate of one ampoule per day
• Serum (Calming Serum or Hydrating Serum)
• Day cream (Calming cream)
• Night Cream (Soothing Rich Cream)
• Eye contour to apply morning and evening (Moisturizing gel)
• Facial exfoliant to do once a week (gentle exfoliating cream)
• Face mask to apply once or twice a week (Moisturizing foam mask or Soothing mask)

“It’s important to cleanse your skin every night,” Élodie reminds us. “As for exfoliants, it’s recommended to go at it gently, once a week or every 10 days depending on the sensitivity of the skin.” According to her, applying a mask after exfoliating is absolutely necessary to provide complete care for the skin. It will be completely hydrated and nourished, more supple, radiant, and much more soothed.

Outside of the routine

What more can we do beyond the routine? “For reactive, sensitive and delicate skin, you need to use gentle products. Also, sun protection was not explicitly mentioned, but it’s one of the most important steps to help protect your skin.” We also talk about the benefits of using sunscreen in more detail here.