One of my most popular skincare articles is my Sensitive Skin Secrets. However, my recommended products are from a brand that no longer exists. These are my updated sensitive skin shaklee regimen recommendations based on continued testing, working with clients, and further research.
Our skin changes seasonally and with age. From lifestyle factors like sun and water, to hormones that change as we get older, we may see that our skin reacts differently to products we’ve used for a long time. Whatever challenges you’re facing with your skin, there is no one-size-fits-all solution. Our skin’s needs are as unique as we are. And, though I am not a doctor nor giving medical advice, I do have personal experience helping clients and myself navigate these changes which often cause sensitive skin issues.
Whether you struggle with rosacea, eczema, generally dry skin, combination skin with breakouts, or other frustrations, I’ve got recommendations for you. I hope it helps you navigate your own skin better and make you feel more empowered. And if you’d like help, I do free consults – just e-mail me Stacy@RealEverything.com
My Sensitive Skin Story
As a teen I had horrible acne and was medicated with prescription products that they don’t even let on the market anymore and didn’t even work. Not a single doctor told me to work on internal healing to address external ways my body was telling me it needed help. I’ve since come a long way to being Healthy, Inside & Out.
the left is after a natural skintervention and lifestyle changes – I was excited to share this “after”
but the right is after implementing what I’ll share below
As I’ve gotten older I’ve needed to not just address aging, but also sensitive skin. I have rosacea and other more serious skin conditions that run in my family. I’ve learned through the years how to prevent flares and keep my sensitive skin calm.
Below you’ll see I had a flare after a day in the sun. The picture on the left is not sunburn, rather a flush from rosacea triggered by the sun. I was able to use the routine below and within 48 hours my skin was calm without any signs of a flare. No bumps or irritation formed with proper hydration and exfoliation.
The Science of Skin
Why hydration and exfoliation? Our skin’s epidermis is made up of five layers with stratum corneum, the moisture barrier, as the outermost layer. In and of itself it consists about 20 layers of specialized skin cells and keratin that are continuously renewing and exist to protect your insides. Eyelids are thinner, while layers such as your hands and heels are thicker.
learn more on my Science of Skin article HERE
Think of your skin like bricks and mortar. The bricks are mostly made up of keratin, a protein also found in hair and nails. The mortar is made out of lipids that float into the space between the bricks as protection. Together, it forms the skin’s protective barrier.
The stratum corneum is slightly acidic with a pH of ~ 4-5.5 (aka the acid mantle). This helps form an effective, waterproof barrier to the outside world, preventing epidermal water loss (drying out) and pathogens like bacteria and toxins in.
Things go awry when our skin is affected by environmental toxins, too much or too little sun or water, chemicals and ingredients that may not be ideal for our personal needs, wearing clothes or sleeping on pillows with materials that potentially irritate, wash away the natural protective oils without resetting accordingly.
There are lots of things we can do to support our skin’s needs, and I’m addressing some of them below. Please keep in mind that this is not comprehensive. You may do everything right and still need a dermatologist’s help, and that is not a personal failure! And, it’s good to come to a compassionate understanding of what your body, including your skin, needs.
When we know how to properly nourish, it can help us have better health, inside and out. For example, foods rich in Vitamin E have been clinically shown to reduce symptoms from dry skin conditions such as psoriasis and eczema (rosacea is also a dry skin condition).
Yes, many skincare items have Vitamin E, but you can also prioritize foods naturally high in Vitamin E:
- Oils, such as sunflower, safflower, avocado, palm, and soybean oil
- Nuts and seeds, such as sunflower seeds, almonds, peanuts, and butters of each
- Greens, such as beet greens, collard greens, spinach
- Pumpkin
- Red bell pepper
- Asparagus
- Mango
- Avocado
read more: Vitamin E is a Skin Superfood
Six things your skin needs
When it comes to prioritizing how to “take care” of your skin, we start with a four-step skin care routine that covers the specific needs each of us have. As part of that routine, we need to ensure we are including:
- Hydration
- Good gut health
- Safe sun exposure
- Exfoliation
- pH reset after washing
- Facial oils
Hydration: water is your friend
One of the easiest changes you can make: water! Both to stay hydrated to help dry skin and the temperature you use to wash. Hot water can be overly drying for those with a damaged skin barrier.
As a rule of thumb, it’s best to use lukewarm water on our skin (not much hotter than our body temperature). This allows us to get clean without over drying or stripping too many of your skin’s natural oils, which are essential to protecting you – inside & out. Seriously!
Our skin acts as a barrier to the outside world, but it is not impenetrable! Protecting the moisture barrier (a.ka. the lipid barrier a.k.a. the acid mantle) is THE MOST IMPORTANT step in skincare, it truly is the key to healthy skin.
Good gut health: because the gut-skin axis is a real thing
If you don’t already take a probiotic, I recommend starting with this one because it’s tasty, effective, and fun to take. This is the one I take as part of a personalized plan.
read more: Impact of gut microbiome on skin health: gut-skin axis observed through the lenses of therapeutics and skin diseases (PMC9311318)
SPF: safe sun exposure
I love a mineral-based sunscreen which contains Zinc and is anti-inflammatory, perfect for those of us with sensitive skin AND because you are exposed to sunlight daily, whether you think about it or not. The sun is actually really fantastic for our health, in limited quantities. With safe exposure it can help regulate our circadian rhythm as well as increase our body’s Vitamin D, an essential vitamin that impacts our overall wellness.
With sun exposure we need protection. A mineral-based sunscreen also protects you from aging blue light rays, so it’s a win-win-win. I recommend the Shaklee YOUTH Activating BB Cream or YOUTH Age Defense Mineral Moisturizer SPF 30. I’ll explain more below, but I combine it with a facial oil as my “protect” step. You want SPF to be the last step in your skincare because it will create a physical barrier to protect against harmful UV rays.
Exfoliation is for everyone!
Following up on exfoliation: It is really important no matter your skin type! If your makeup cakes, flakes, or doesn’t sit well or if you have dry, combo, or oily skinor if you have milia, rosacea… essentially EVERYONE needs to exfoliate. It removes the dead skin cells that clog pores, improves circulation, encourages cell turnover and allows for better absorption of skincare.
Help those new cells forming when you sleep, remove the dry, dead skin with either a physical exfoliant (I love the Pomifera Restore: Facial Exfoliant) or a chemical exfoliant, from plant acids to help gently slough away dull, dry, dead skin.
I personally wash with the Shaklee YOUTH Luminous Gel Oil Cleanser for the benefits of a lipid to hydrate first and remove makeup most effectively while also gently exfoliating with fermented algae. The Shaklee YOUTH Perfecting Skin Toner used in the evenings aids in gentle exfoliation with EWG Verified vitamin A. Then once or twice a week I use the Odacite Exfoliating Face Peel Mask. All 3 can be used for even sensitive skin, but I do recommend a patch test.
For your body try the Shaklee Reveal Body Exfoliant (especially great because it has good lipids as the base and smells divine).
Prep Skin to balancing the pH
As I mentioned earlier, your skin has an acidic level to “kill bad bacteria.” So when we cleanse it away, we need to put it back. Despite this being critical for skin health, it is the most commonly skipped step. *tsk tsk* Let me tell you why it’s my favorite! Prep balances acidity, allowing your skin flora to thrive, sweeps impurities away, helps better absorb your skincare, can even skin tone, reduce pore size, etc.
Think about it this way: Your skin is like a sponge. Cream on a brittle dry sponge won’t absorb. But if you wet the sponge, the cream will sink in. Similarly, large pores are commonly a dry skin issue, like dry earth with cracks. Reducing moisture exacerbates it, but proper levels let good in and keep bad out, with no cracks or divots.
Some of my favorite Prep step products that work well for sensitive skin are:
- Herbivore’s Rose Spray
- Osea Sea Minerals Hydrating Toner Spray
- Tir Tir Milk Skin Rice Toner
- Shaklee YOUTH Perfecting Skin Toner
While the first 3 listed are hydrating, restorative options – the last both balances pH and exfoliates. I find my sensitive skin likes it best just at night and the Milk Skin in the morning. I am a bit obsessed with prep step, seeing my skin responds really well to it, I also use a spray before hand both AM and PM.
Oils are your secret weapon, even for oily skin
I’m going to let you in on a little secret… facial oils are the secret to just about everything.
The good: as I mentioned above, our skin needs lipids. They’re a big ol’ drink for your skin. Our skin naturally produces oil (sebum), but as we age or have inflammation our oil and collagen production can decrease – which causes dry skin symptoms. Lack of oil in the skin can lead to dry patches/flaky skin, fine lines, wrinkles, and breakouts (yes, acne from being too dry).
The bad: the wrong type of oils on the wrong person can be occlusive. For example, coconut oil doesn’t add nutrient value to the skin and is pore clogging as it builds-up over time.
The right oils also help to tackle specific skin concerns (reduce your own oil production, fight breakouts, plump from lost hydration, brighten and reduce redness or irritation.
My three favorite facial oils right now are:
- Pomifera Rose: Anti-Aging Serum and Complete Moisturizer best for if you’re in a flare or are super sensitive
- Sunday Riley C.E.O. Glow Vitamin C & Turmeric Face Oil best for maintenance with skin glow benefits
- Odacité Acne Serum Concentrate Facial Oil for Pimples I add 1-2 drops to my moisturizer when I’m hormonal and dab on to blemishes when I notice them, this stuff is so incredible 9 times out of 10 it goes away without ever surfacing.
Lipids aren’t just for your face
An Omega 3 supplement (I love these Gellys) will help internally improve your skin barrier, too. And while you can put these oils anywhere – your face, cuticles, hands, heels, etc. I do love myself a balm for when skin needs healing. Try this True Botanicals – CALM Ginger Turmeric Cleansing Balm wherever you need anti-inflammatory results.
LIPIDS WORK!
How do we get this all in just a 4 steps routine?
Our skin needs a four-step process:
- wash (and exfoliate),
- prep (tone the pH), then
- treat specific needs, and
- protect the moisture barrier with SPF and lipids.
Are you currently doing all of those?
Most of us are not doing all four steps on face and body, you’re not alone! But, if your skin is experiencing issues it is almost always because the layers of your skin are disrupted. So focus on helping your epidermis shed with exfoliation, then rebalancing the pH of the acid mantle, and protecting with lipids. This applies to dryness on the body too.
What products you use is dependent on your skin’s specific needs. I’m happy to help curate a routine that’s right for you or a loved one. Here’s the routine that many clients have told me has helped their skin immensely.
Put it all together: Sensitive Skin Shaklee Regimen
AM
Wash: YOUTH Luminous Gel Oil Cleanser
Prep: Tir Tir Milk Skin Rice Toner
Treat: YOUTH Radiance C+E every other day YOUTH Moisture Activating Serum
Protect: Pomifera Rose or CEO GLOW facial oil added to either YOUTH Activating BB Cream or Age Defense Mineral Moisturizer for SPF
PM
Wash: same
Prep: YOUTH Perfecting Skin Toner
Treat: YOUTH Moisture Activating Serum
Protect: YOUTH Advanced Renewal Night Cream-Light +Pomifera Rose or CEO GLOW facial oil
And every few days I alternate use of the Pomifera Restore: Facial Exfoliant and this Exfoliating Face Peel Mask.
So what else do we love?
The brand I’m finding to have the most clinically-backed clean ingredients is Shaklee. If you haven’t heard of them, prepare to meet the coolest brand you’ve never heard of. Like New Balance, they’ve been around doing it right for a long time and are in their glow-up montage of the world discovering them.
read more: Meet Shaklee: the coolest brand you’ve never heard of
The product options you have in the YOUTH line from a single brand (I get it, I like an easy button solution, too) are:
- Luminous Gel Oil Cleanser
- Radiance C+E*
- Ageless Duo* (Sculpting Wand for Face & Neck with Smoothing Wand for Eyes)
- Activating BB Cream
- Age Defense Mineral Moisturizer SPF 30
- Luminous Gel Oil Cleanser
- Perfecting Skin Toner*
- Moisture Activating Serum
- Restoring Eye Treatment
- Advanced Renewal Night Cream-Light
*note: these have active ingredients which may be intense, slowly introduce just every other day
Let’s Keep in Touch
I’d love to help you figure out what’s right for you! I offer free consults, just e-mail Stacy@RealEverything.com.
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