Today we welcome a guest poster to All Things Chic. Suzie is a freelance writer who loves everything and anything to do with natural and organic beauty treatments as well travel.
Sensitive skin can be hugely frustrating. The slightest change in your diet or the weather can set off sore, reddened patches, itching & dryness. Make-up is a minefield, body care becomes boring – no bubble-baths, no fancy perfumed crèmes. Thankfully, the latest generation of skincare companies is stepping up to the plate. I’m seeing a good variety of sensitive skin products appearing on the shelves & online, & no longer feel restricted by what’s available at the health-food store. At long last, we can enjoy a proper pampering on Sunday evening (or whenever) without worrying that it’ll make us uncomfortable.
For the perfect pamper session for sensitive skin, you’ll need*:
- Facial cleanser – make sure it’s free from synthetic perfume, sodium laureth sulfate & parabens
- Body wash – also as natural as you can find
- Sensitive skin face mask (optional)
- 1 tablespoon of sweet almond oil
- 1 cup of dry oatmeal (porridge oats)
- 1 cup of magnesium salts (Epsom salts) – plain, no perfume
- Clean face cloth
- Shower puff (those balls of plastic net for washing with)
- Hair band
- 1 old clean sock or the foot cut off a pair of tights
- 1 elastic band
- Beeswax or soya candle, on a candle stand, on a flat surface in the bathroom, away from curtains or paper
- Box of matches
- Glass of cool filtered water
- Nice clean fluffy towel
- A bathtub
Run hot water into the bath until it’s about 40 cm deep. While the bath is running:
- Tie your hair back so your face is clear but your scalp isn’t stretched tight
- Light the candle, so that “struck match” smell can waft away before bath time!
- Add the oats in the sock/tights & secure the ankle with the rubber band
- Sprinkle 0.5 cups of magnesium salts over the water drop the oat-sock into the bath water
- put your facecloth in the water too
- open the window slightly (unless the weather is awful!) to let the steam out
Magnesium salts reduce itching & inflammation. Oats are soothe & moisturise dry skin conditions, including eczema. You put them in a sock so they don’t stick to you in the bath!
Add cold water until the bath feels comfortable for you. If your hand turns pink when you put it in the water, that’s too hot & you’ll be unable to relax.
Once you’ve settled into the bath, remember to keep taking sips of filtered water, as heat & steam can make you feel dehydrated or uncomfortable.
Squeeze the excess water from your facecloth, lie back & drape or hold the cloth over your face until the fabric loses its heat. Then wash your face. If you want to use a face-mask, do so now. When it’s time to rinse off the mask, hold the warm cloth over your face again until the mask is soft enough to sponge away without feeling rough or scratchy.
When your face is clean, dip your fingertips into the almond oil & gently massage your face in smooth, circles, using sweeping motions up the sides of your neck. This helps get your lymph flowing & removes the toxins that can worsen skin conditions. It also feels lovely! Place the warm cloth over your face again & relax for a minute or two, & then dab off all the excess oil with your towel.
When you’re ready, use your shower puff & body wash to massage in gentle circles from your feet up, & your hands in, making sure to pay attention to your neck & shoulders, where tension can build up. Rinse yourself off with clean water from the shower, pat yourself dry with the towel & smudge a little more almond oil onto any dry patches, like your knees & elbows.
*Oats are hypoallergenic & magnesium salts are fine for most people, including eczema sufferers, but do a patch test with anything you’re not sure about before using it in the bath.
About Jo-Lynne