For as long as I can remember I’ve had a red face. Maybe not all the time but one that reddens very easily. My skin is super sensitive. I blush at the drop of a dime, physical activity definitely equals very rosy cheeks, and after washing my face for the night? Its bright red. It’s the reason I don’t dye my hair light colors and the reason I almost always wear makeup. In the grand scheme of things, its not a huge deal but I do feel self conscious about it. I guess I just assumed that was what I was stuck with. That was my skin, whatcha gonna do about it?
Recently I was watching a medical show on television where someone was diagnosed with rosacea. I saw a lot of similarities between my skin and theirs. I don’t know that I have rosacea but it got me researching what I could do to maybe help my skin a bit.
A few weeks later, I feel like a new lady! I see such a huge difference in my skin. There were two products* in particular that I started using that made me want to write this post. I don’t know how many other people out there had sensitive, red, skin but I’ve gotta share!
Five products I use to combat facial redness!
- Coppertone water babies 50 SPF sunscreen. An obvious one – I am now wearing sunscreen on my face every single day. Since I’m pretty heavily tattooed, it was already part of my routine to wear sunscreen on basically every visible part of my body. Somehow, like a dummy, I didn’t consider how important wearing it on my face is. I picked up some baby sunscreen since it was a high SPF and I felt that it would be gentle on my skin.
- Vichy Purete Thermale facial cleanser. I had begun using this cleanser before starting my little hunt to reduce redness but immediately noticed how much more calm it left my skin compared to others. I love that I can use it to take off my eye make up as well. It’s one easy step that leaves my face feeling clean but not dried out or irritated.
- Tea tree oil. Tea tree oil is said to be good for a massive number of ailments. I used to use it on my cheek piercings to get rid of bumps. It worked really well and I’m wondering why I haven’t been using it on everything all these years.
- Thayers witch hazel. First of all, holy smokes, this smells amazing. Basically I bought witch hazel because I read multiple places that tea tree oil shouldn’t be used by itself on your skin since its so strong. I could have chosen any number of products to use it with but wow, witch hazel was definitely the right choice. Its known to be calming, help tighten pores, and smooth all without drying. Every night I wash my face with the cleanser mentioned above then squirt a little witch hazel on a cotton pad, add a few drops of tea tree oil and run that over my face and neck. My skin feels so amazing afterward. Most nights Jeff even joins me in this routine!
- Vichy aqualia thermal moisturizer. I was already using (and lovin!) this moisturizer but adding tea tree oil has made such a huge difference. I simply swipe some up with my finger and then add a drop or two of tea tree oil on the top before using it. Even without the tea tree oil, this is my new favorite moisturizer.
Do you have any skin care products you especially love because they’re calming? I’m pretty darn happy with my current routine but always open to hear your rave reviews!
xoxo
*Obviously I listed five products in this post. All of them contribute to the overall appearnace of my skin but the two I feel made the biggest difference are tea tree oil and witch hazel. I seriously cannot recommend adding them to your skin care routine enough!
