Mom Hacks: 5 Quick Tips for Dealing with Sensitive Skin
Growing up, skincare for me wasn’t really something I thought much about. Even into my late teen and early adult years, when I started to experiment with makeup and beauty products, I never gave my skin much thought. This is because I was blessed with naturally good skin. Aside from the occasional pimple here or there, I never had any bouts of acne or problematic skin issues. Super lucky – I know!
So you can imagine my shock when I turned 30 and all of a sudden developed a ton of issues with my face. I had gone off birth control while simultaneously doing hours of cardio a day as a spin instructor. That meant a ton of hormonal changes plus lots of sweat – basically a recipe for skin disaster.
During this time, I also started to focus more on my blog and subsequently got the opportunity to try so many different beauty products. It was so exciting to try out various serums, oils and masks but I never gave much regard to my skin type or how these products would affect it.
My skin started to get worse and, like over 70% of Canadian women, I realized that I have sensitive skin. This means I can’t just slab on any product without more research or consideration. Especially in pregnancy, sticking to a simplified skincare routine was the best practice for me.
Now as a new mom, a simplified but effective skincare routine is what works best. I mean, I don’t have time to sit in the bathroom and experiment with products all day long to keep my sensitive skin in check. So saying that, I have come up with a list of 5 things that I do to help my sensitive skin:
- Wash your face morning and night.
It really only takes a minute or two and gets rid of the grime and dirt from the day. Even if you don’t get a shower in, which let’s face it, if you have a baby at home, you likely didn’t, still take that time to wash the face! And if you were wearing makeup – make sure to take it off! I like these Olay Sensitive makeup remover wipes with Hungarian water essence. They are light, effective and don’t dry out my skin.
2. Choose the right cleanser.
This is sort of playing off step one, but if you don’t have the right cleanser, you are basically wasting your time. A good cleanser, for me, prevents so many added steps and using unnecessary products. I’ve been using Olay Sensitive Calming Liquid Cleanser, which is fragrance free. It’s formulated without soap, dyes and fragrance so it’s perfect for sensitive skin. It’s not only hydrating but also calming. It helps sooth out stressed skin – which is clearly my situation these days. I mean, no sleep = stressed skin, right? You can use it morning and night which is great because it strengthens the skin’s surface over time to protect against future flare-up’s!
3. Rock the mom bun.
A big issue I had with my skin was letting my dirty hair touch it – especially in my spin instructor days. Now as a new mom, the postpartum sweat is real. Plus the limited time to shower and spit up in the hair, it’s messy. Keeping my hair pulled up not only prevents my babe from pulling it out but also keeps the added grime off my face, which I find to be crucial for my sensitive skin. Plus, when your hair is up, no one can tell you haven’t washed it in a while…so go ahead and rock your mom bun.
4. Change your pillow case often.
Similarly to keeping your hair out of your face, washing and changing your pillow case will also help protect your sensitive skin. Again, lack of showers and greasy hair make for a not so clean pillow case. And if you sleep on your face like me (when you do get to sleep), well you’re just asking for breakouts.
5. Sunglasses are the new mascara.
Didn’t you hear? It’s all the rage. If you’re anything like me, you don’t have time for fancy makeup, especially mascara. But your eyes are likely showing how tired you are and things might look bleak. Forget the concealer, mascara or eyeliner – just cover up with a pair of sunnies! Luckily, we’re still in summer but I will probably be continuing this trend into fall and winter. No one can see how tired I am under my sunglasses, plus I’m letting my skin breath by going makeup free – a win/win for my sensitive skin!
So there you have it, 5 super easy hacks to keep your sensitive skin in check. As moms, we don’t need to overcomplicate things and time is our best friend! So save yourself a few minutes, wash that face, throw that hair up, put on your sunglasses and get on with your day while protecting your sensitive skin.