Strengthen Your Skin Barrier With These 5 Steps

Your skin has multiple layers that have their own unique function. Essentially, they help protect your body from any harsh elements. For one, the outer layer of your skin blocks environmental toxins, including dust, dirt, and bacteria, from entering your skin while also helping prevent water loss and dehydration.

By taking care of your skin, not only do you ensure it does its function, but you also get to encourage healthy, plump, and beautiful skin. This can go a long way in boosting your self-esteem and confidence.

With that, listed below are some steps you can take to help strengthen your skin barrier. 

Step 1: Purchase And Use The Right Skin Care Products

One of the things that can weaken your skin barrier is harsh ingredients on your skin care products. While they might feel thoroughly cleansing or refreshing to the skin, they might be doing more harm to your skin than you actually thought. With that in mind, consider assessing the products you’re using and switch to those that have gentler ingredients.

As you decide on your face scrub, you should look for the gentlest and non-harsh ingredients like the Indian healing clay to avoid over-scrubbing your face, which can strip out a healthy layer of your skin, leaving it defenseless and prone to bacteria. Moreover, you should also check the product’s pH levels, as a mismatched level can strip away your skin’s natural oils, making it dry and mature. Ideally, look for products that have a pH level close to your skin’s natural level.

Step 2: Keep Your Skincare Routine Basic 

As you build your skincare routine, it might be tempting to go overboard and use plenty of products to ensure that your skin can absorb all of its benefits and give you glowing and beautiful skin. However, this might not be the best solution as it can cause more irritation to your skin’s barrier, losing its effectiveness.  

As you apply more products to your skin, before it deeply penetrates your skin, it goes through your skin barrier, which can be tiring for your skin, especially if you’re adding multiple layers of product. To avoid over-working your skin barrier, keep your routine basic and apply what you only need. 

Step 3: Remove Makeup Thoroughly 

If you’re wearing makeup during the day, it’s extremely important that you wash it off of your face thoroughly before hitting the hay. This is especially since leaving your makeup on overnight can attract bacteria to your skin, which could trigger pimples and rashes.  

To clear your face from cosmetic products, you can use cleansing oil or balm. While makeup remover wipes can be helpful, they’re not the gentlest option for your skin. Most wipes contain harmful ingredients like alcohol, which can weaken your skin barrier. However, with a balm or oil, you can allow your fingers to wash through your face and let the ingredient wash your makeup off your face. 

Step 4: Use Tepid Water When Washing Your Face

Washing your face with warm or hot water can be relaxing. However, while the sensation can be rejuvenating, doing so may not be ideal for your skin, especially if you want to strengthen its barrier. The hot water can easily strip your face of its natural oils, which can cause skin dryness. On the other hand, while using cold water when washing your face has benefits, it has drawbacks too. Since cold water promotes tighter pores, bacteria, oil, and grime could get trapped.

On that note, opt for tepid water when washing your face. Tepid or lukewarm water can provide your skin with a neutral temperature that won’t shock your skin when you get in contact with them. 

Step 5: Wear Sunscreen 

While this may sound like a common skincare regimen, wearing sunscreen can do a lot of wonders for your skin. For one, the sun’s rays can harm your skin if you don’t apply any protection to it. Since the sun has UVA and UVB rays, it can cause your skin to dry out, age faster, and get darker quicker, weakening your skin’s barrier. 

By applying sunscreen regularly, you can avoid sun damage while also strengthening your skin barrier. 

Wrapping It Up

Your skin’s barrier plays an essential role in shielding your skin from harmful elements and other toxins. As you protect and strengthen it by using gentle skin care products, keeping your skincare routine simple, and wearing sunscreen, you allow your skin to be healthy inside and out. And while it might require you to change some skincare routine or switch products, the benefits it’ll bring to your body would be worth it.