When I was younger, I never really thought about how I cleaned my face. Don’t get me wrong, I used products, but for most of my 20s, I was a ‘sleep in your makeup and cleaned with baby wipes’ kind of girl. That was unless someone bought me some products to use. But the theme was if it were free or cheap, I would use it. I mean, I looked pretty young for my age; I didn’t need to use fancy products, did I?

Except my skin was in poor condition through lack of TLC, and heading into my 30s cemented the fact that my skin wasn’t at its best. As well as being uber-sensitive, it was scorched, which made wearing foundation difficult.

This year, I turn 40. Have things changed? Dramatically actually. And if you were to ask me now what my skincare routine was like, it involves many products I use to help me keep my skin nourished and remove the damage caused by neglect in previous years.

My Dry and Sensitive Skin Cleansing Routine

One area I do focus on more is cleansing my skin. I always thought my skin needed to be scrubbed and exfoliated to within an inch of its life in days past. In fact, that couldn’t have been further from the truth. It needed specific products to help cleanse and nourish it to allow it to repair.

Why exactly is it so important to cleanse your face? Did you know the average person touches their face around 16 times an hour? So if you think about what you have felt and where you have been throughout the day, that is a lot of dirt and grime going onto your face every day. Your skin then holds that dirt unless you cleanse thoroughly, meaning you could have blocked pores, dull, greasy skin, breakouts and more.

When it comes to caring for your skin as you approach your 40s, you need to pay more attention to the skin on your face and find products that help you care for your skin and aren’t too harsh. These days, I cleanse morning and night. I have an exfoliating face scrub I use a few times a week if needed. But I use a Golden Age micellar water cleanser. As I have sensitive skin, I find that I stick with it when a product agrees with me. If you too suffer from sensitive skin, finding the right cleanser for sensitive skin is vital to allow you to care for your skin correctly and make sure it is adequately hydrated.

I avoid cleaning my face with baby wipes at all costs these days!

Reviving Dry and Sensitive Skin

I know I can’t undo the damage of the past. However, I can make sure I don’t make things worse as I head toward my 40s. The fact is my skin has changed a lot over recent years, and this is down to me taking more care of it and looking at how best to treat my dry and sensitive skin. I use a toner from the same range alongside a gentle exfoliating face scrub and micellar water cleaners.

I use a revitalising serum to brighten my skin and an age-appropriate moisturiser than contains an SPF. I tend to stick to a lightweight bb cream that soaks in well. Alongside this, I flit between nourishing night creams and avoid wearing makeup when possible as it enhances my dry areas.

One thing I never considered was the effect the water in my area has on my skin. I was always under the impression I lived in a soft water area, but further checks show my local area as having “slightly hard water”. Having learnt this, I researched and found that hard water can contribute to dry skin. To help with this, a water softener could be highly beneficial. Water softeners remove deposits that are left on the skin and hair from hard water, leaving you with silky hair and softer skin. I wonder if this is contributing to the issues I am facing?

Does drinking water help dry and sensitive skin? 

In my experience, yes, the more hydrated I am, the better my skin reacts and the more susceptible it is to other hydrating methods. I try to drink around 1.5 litres of water per day and avoid harsh chemicals on my skin or products that aren’t suitable.

My tips for boosting hydration in dry and sensitive skin are;

• Stay hydrated
• Avoid baby wipes
• Cleanse every morning and evening
• Use gentle, hypoallergenic products.
• Avoid abrasive and harsh exfoliating products.
• Invest in overnight hydrating facial creams for dry and sensitive skin
• Use age-specific products and pay attention to problem areas
• Use products that contain SPF.

My skin isn’t so dry these days, although I have problem areas, and I know now how better to care for my dry and sensitive skin.