3 rules that people with reactive skin should follow

Sensitive, dry or oily is always the first question in skincare. If you have reactive skin these three tips will make your life easier.

Reactive skin or sensitive skin can be difficult to manage. You just never know when it's going to flare up. A flare-up can be anything from a little redness to burning hot cheeks, a massive breakout or an eczema type situation turning up. When you suffer from reactive skin you quickly learn that you need to be very careful and choosy about what products you put on your skin. Here are three things you can incorporate now into your skincare regimen to help ease the flare-ups.

Always patch test

This might seem obvious but not everybody does it. Always patch test a product before you use it. Dab a little behind your ear and leave it there for 24 hours. It's a safe enough way to see if the product irritates your skin at all or if it has an ingredient that you might be sensitive to. Often there are ingredients in products we are allergic to and we don't even know it. Patch testing gives you a chance to discover if you are reactive to an ingredient before you go putting it all over your precious face.

Avoid perfume in products

Perfume or fragrance is in so many products. Fragrances, in particular, can be very irritating to lots of people. Especially if you know you are quite sensitive in general or you often react to products there is a good chance you'll be affected by fragrances.

Get some Vitamin E

I love Vitamin E for a few reasons. It's an extremely nourishing ingredient. It helps strengthen your skin's natural barrier function and acts like an actual hug for your skin. If applied at night, Vitamin E will help your skin repair itself from the daily stresses it has been subjected to. If you put it on in the morning it hydrates your skin and works as an anti-oxidant to protect your skin from free radicals. I love to use a Vitamin E serum that can penetrate deep into your skin.

Have you discovered anything that your skin reacts to?