The health of your skin barrier determines how radiant and youthful your skin looks. The skin barrier acts as a protective shield, preventing harmful substances from entering the skin while retaining moisture and essential nutrients. By strengthening the skin barrier, you can achieve a more radiant complexion and reduce the occurrence of various skin issues.
How do you detect a weakened skin barrier?
If your skin struggles to maintain moisture or feels irritated or itchy, you might be suffering from an impaired skin. A change in skin color could also be an indication that your skin has been compromised; it might appear redder or ashier than usual. The good news is that reworking a few steps in your daily skincare routine can help restore this integral part of the skin and boost its natural microbiome.
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Here are five tips from Minimalist that can help repair and build a resilient skin barrier:
1. Simplify Your Skincare Routine
The first step towards healthier skin is stripping down your daily routine and keeping it simple. This can be particularly helpful if your skin barrier has already been compromised, as you’d want to eliminate any triggers and go back to basics. Think cleanser, serum, and moisturizer – and try to put a pause on using retinoids or overloading on strong acids.
2. Double Up on Hydration with Serums
Hydration is key to a healthy skin barrier. The best way to boost hydration is to incorporate serums that are enriched with hyaluronic acid to lock in moisture and strengthen the skin’s natural defenses. The Hyaluronic + PGA 02% Serum from Minimalist is a hydrating booster with 4 different types of Hyaluronic acid to provide you with multi-level hydration throughout the day.
3. Use Ceramide Rich Moisturizers
Swap your daily moisturizer with a ceramide-rich option such as the Ceramides 0.3% Madecassoside from Minimalist if you have oily skin. While you can use Ceramide 0.3% with Bisabolol if you have dry skin. These everyday moisturizers are packed full of ceramides to restore the skin and prevent moisture loss, help soothe and repair skin damage.
4. Use Sun Protection
It goes without saying that excessive sun exposure is one of the main causes of weakened skin. Protect your skin from harmful UV rays by applying broad-spectrum sunscreen to protect the skin and minimize the damage caused by UV exposure.
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5. Limit Hot Showers
Hot water can strip the skin of its natural oils, fats, and proteins that keep the skin healthy. It can also cause unpleasant conditions such as redness and itchiness. Cooler or lukewarm showers will maintain the skin’s natural hydration and keep it looking radiant and healthy.
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