Here at Lola Arnao Beauty — we know that the sensitive skin struggle is real. It’s why we founded our brand. After years of dealing with our own sensitive skin we decided to to make the kind of skincare we were looking for — clean, simple, luxurious and tailored to sensitive skin. Here are four of our top tips we learned along the way for keeping your sensitive skin on an even keel.

#1 - Go for simple, fragrance-free formulations in your skincare routine

One of the single best things you can do for sensitive skin is to cut fragrance from your skincare. But why? Fragrance is one of the ingredients that can make skin the most reactive and that’s a big part of why we decided to leave fragrance entirely out of all of our formulations. There are no regulations for what’s in a fragrance formula and beauty products don’t have to disclose that in the ingredient list so you don’t know exactly what’s in it or what’s causing the irritation. Synthetic fragrance can also contain hormone disruptors that we’d rather avoid.

What about natural fragrances, like essential oils? Unfortunately, in this case, natural doesn’t necessarily mean better. Essential oils are highly concentrated powerful ingredients and – while they can be effective and beautiful – they can also make skin more reactive. One last tip as you’re looking for products without fragrance. Look for the term fragrance-free NOT unscented. Unscented fragrances can use something called a ‘masking fragrance’ to hide the natural scent of the ingredients.

Just because you’re going fragrance free doesn’t mean you have to completely forgo beautiful smells. One of the things we love most about our solid lotion bar is that it smells deliciously (and naturally) like the ingredients it’s made from…including sweet cocoa butter!

#2 Go slow….and low!

We’ve all been tempted to start a brand new skincare routine by trying 15 new products – but this can be very confusing to your skin and if you do have a reaction it’s really hard to tell what caused it. Instead, stick to introducing only one new product at a time into your skin or body care routine so that you can tell how it really works and how your skin reacts. Along those same lines, learn to patch-test. If you’re planning on using a new product (even one made for sensitive skin) start by testing on your neck or wrist, where the skin is thinner and more reactive, first. Wait for at least 24 hours before using all over your face or body to help prevent reactions. Also, start slow and low with any new actives (like glycolic acid or an antioxidant serum) that you’re adding into your skincare routine. Start with a pea-sized amount once a week, then work your way up to twice a week and so on to give your skin a chance to adjust.

#3 Protect your skin from the elements

If you notice that your skin gets red or irritated after being out in the sun, wind or cold – you want to try to protect your skin as much as possible from the elementsUse sunblock and limit your time in the sun. While chemical sunblock can irritate sensitive skin — physical sunblock, like zinc oxide, can be a great choice.

Along those same lines, protect your skin from overly hot water. While a hot shower or bath may feel fantastic — your sensitive skin might not like it as much. Instead try lukewarm water in the shower, taking shorter showers and moisturizing immediately after with our solid lotion bar.

#4 Baby your skin barrier

What exactly is your skin barrier? Think of it as the outermost layer of your skin that forms a protective barrier against all of the external stressors from the environment. When our skin barrier is out of balance our skin can be vulnerable to damage. That means our skin can get dehydrated or become prone to acne or simply look dull.

One of the best ways to protect our skin barrier is to stop over-exfoliating! While the smooth skin and glow that comes after exfoliating in the short-term is addictive; in the long-term, exfoliating too much can compromise your skin barrier. If you are going to exfoliate and you have sensitive skin, use a gentle exfoliating formula that contains lactic acid not a physical scrub like a sugar, salt or apricot scrub. Just as importantly, don’t exfoliate on a daily basis. Leave this to once every week at most.

Another important way to protect and strengthen your skin barrier is to moisturize, moisturize, moisturize! Moisture creates an occlusive barrier between your skin and the elements. It also helps to keep your skin supple and healthy.

Ready for healthier, happier skin? Start here!

Our Deep Moisture Duo discovery set is the perfect way to get started with your new sensitive skincare body routine. Treat your sensitive skin with this limited edition duo of our solid lotion bar and solid body wash bar. Our 2 oz lotion bar is rich in oat oil, cocoa butter and deeply healing calendula oil and comes in a drawstring canvas pouch for easy bedside storage. Our 4 oz Avocado-Oat bath wash bar is rich in plant based moisturizers and will gently clean your skin without drying it. Both are completely fragrance-free and suitable for the most sensitive of skins!