If your skin is unusually flaky, inflamed or oily, chances are your skin barrier a.k.a moisture barrier has been damaged. Due to the absence of the knowledge of what might be causing these skin issues, we often proceed blindly to use more products with the hope of tackling these symptoms.
There are several factors that can be responsible for sabotaging the great knight “moisture barrier” and knowing these factors can help you better at getting your knight back up.
Read on to learn more on what moisture barrier is all about, what damages it and how to fix it.
What is the Skin Barrier?
Your moisture barrier is the skin’s outermost layer. Just like the name implies, it helps to create a protective shield on your skin, preventing bad guys from getting through and keeping the good guys in. Hence, a smooth and shiny skin.
It also ensures your skin maintains an optimal PH balance. And lastly, it helps to keep your skin well moisturized and hydrated.
Signs your skin barrier has been damaged
An impaired moisture barrier makes your skin vulnerable to several skin concerns. Most of the time, a skin issue is often traced back to a damaged barrier and almost doesn’t get better with your “ten-step” routine until the main issue is addressed.
An impaired moisture barrier is often caused by too much sun exposure, over exfoliating or using physical scrubs on your face, taking hot showers , environmental factors like humidity, using harsh cleansers or using too many products in your routine. Knowing the actual cause of this impairment can give you a direction on what to fix in your routine as well as other preventive and protective measures to take to make your skin better and healthy.
The following are the common signs and symptoms
- Dry, tight and dull skin
- flaky or itchy skin
- Products stings after application
- Breakouts
- Sensitivity or irritation
- Redness
- Inflammation
- Increased sebum production
How to get your skin glowing again
Products that strengthen your moisture barrier are hydrating and collagen boosting products which includes, Ceramides, Peptides, Hyaluronic acid, Panthenol, Snail mucin, Beta glucan, Occlusives e.g Oils/Vaseline and sun protection.
If you already have too many products in your routine, you should reduce them to the basics that includes some of the ingredients above.
You can then slowly introduce other products that has exfoliants and other actives like retinoids, Vitamin C, etc into your routine once your barrier starts to strengthen.
The following are other helpful tips to regain an healthy skin barrier:
Use a gentle cleanser
When repairing your skin barrier, you should go back to the basics of skincare. The basics oftentimes include a cleanser, moisturizer and sunscreen.
When picking a cleanser however, it is highly recommended to use a gentle but effective cleanser. It should not contain actives like retinoids or acids as they can cause further irritation.
Instead, opt for cleansers like our Sioris Cleanse Me Softly Cleanser that has soothing and hydrating ingredients with a focus on balancing skin ph.
Use more hydrating products
Hydration can help to improve skin barrier function. You can add hydrating serums, essence or toners to your routine for added moisture. Ingredients like glycerin, hyaluronic acids and snail mucin are great for this purpose.
We recommend you add our Aromer Refresh Water Toner to your routine. It contains seven layers of hyaluronic acid and it absolutely gets the job of providing lasting hydration to your skin done.
Other products like the TIAM Hyaluronic Water Pumping Serum and TIAM Snail Mucin Essence are holy grails that should be incorporated in your routine if you are looking to combat dryness or to fix your skin barrier.
Invest in a Barrier repair cream
Barrier repair creams helps to restore your skin’s shine and they should be your go to. It is great to get creams that contains ceramides, peptides and soothing ingredients.
Our Sioris Deep in a Barrier Cream has both hydrating and soothing properties. Definitely a steal. It helps to restore dry, tired skin and calms sensitized skin.
Avoid taking hot showers
Hot showers can be really relaxing but it can also dry out the skin and rid it of its natural oils. This may damage your skin barrier especially if taken often. It is safer to use lukewarm water when cleansing your face or body.
Use Sunscreen Religiously
Constant and prolonged exposure to UVA and UVB rays from the sun can also damage your skin barrier. Using sunscreens the proper way and re-applying it every two to three hours can protect your skin from the damages caused by the sun.
Skinfood Berry Moisturizing Sun Cream with spf 50 is the perfect pick as it also provides lasting hydration alongside sun protection.
