SKIN PROBLEMS-HELP!

So, I know this is probaly asked alot, but their are so many creams and products out there, but my skin (mainly my face) is SO sensitive. Also, I get a sunburn really easily.

My face is really oily in the T-Zone, and a little on my cheeks, (I know this is combination skin, but I'm not really dry on my cheeks) but I am fair-skinned. I heard that only dark-skinned people have oily skin, is this true? What are some good (and reasonably priced) products or recipes for sensitive-skin?

I'm in the process of introducing a more natural skin care routine, also because I have somewhat sensitive and very oily skin and I am fair skinned as well, so I doubt that generalization is true.

I read that certain essential oils in products can help with balancing out the skin. For someone with combo skin some ingredients to look for is: Chamomile, Geranium, Lavender, and Rosewood just to name a few. Aloe vera is also a good ingredient as it is skin soothing and witch hazel helps control oil.

My advice is to go to a drugstore/department store that carries some natural skin care lines like Alba, Aubrey or Avalon Organics, etc. and look for ingredients that fit your skin type, like the ones I mentioned. Since your in the US, I can't really recommend a particular brand as I don't know what you will find there. I know that there are plenty of online natural health and beauty stores based out of the US.

As for getting sunburned easy, I feel your pain. I wear sunscreen everyday in makeup and in it's liquid/cream form. I'm terrified of getting burned. Best to just pick up an affordable sunscreen from the drugstore as well as maybe toss a sunscreen stick in your purse on days when you may need it.

I hope this helps.

If you have oily skin on cheeks and t zone, you have oily skin, not combination.

I'm a light-medium skinned caucasion - at 47 I still have oily skin. When I was a teen and twenties, my skin was like an oil well. The colour of one's skin or ethnicity has no bearing on whether one has oily skin or dry skin.

Make sure you wash your face with a gently cleanser - make sure you use a toner afterwards.

There are oil free sunscreens - look for one that is gel based with spf of 30. Neutrogena might be a good line to check out.

Yes, i agree about chamomile ! Very good friend for sensitive skin. I use the floral water to wash my face when it's not too dirty (when it is, i use oil cleansing with ricebran and grapeseed oils). Rose is good too, witchhazel is okay, it's not my personal favorite.

Aloe vera is a good ingredient for sensitive skins, i use a moisturizer that contains it (it's from Logona, organic german brand).

Read the labels, and try to pick the moisturizers with a minimalist list of ingredients, the more ingredients, the higher the chances something in it won't agree with your skin.

Sweet almond oil is a staple in my bathroom, for all over your body.

I wear sunscreen everyday too, i burn long before i tan, and so lighty ! I use La Roche Posay, overall i haven't had any issue regarding their products and my sensitive skin, i use their sunscreen line dutifully for a few years now, they work well on me.

I'm very much into the "less is more" mindset, especially when it comes to skincare. If your skin is super sensitive, you don't want to irritate it by slathering on so many different products. Also, more aggravating ingredients (like alcohol) could be making your oily skin worse by drying it out too much, which makes your skin overcompensate. I would just use a basic cleanser, a toner, and then a light moisturizer or even just a serum.

My skin is on the sensitive side, too, and I've found that "natural/organic" skincare actually makes it worse. I didn't understand until I read a comment from another poster and she said something along the lines of: "Poison Ivy is 'natural,' too, but you wouldn't want to rub that all over your face." So now I just look for simple ingredients wherever possible, but not necessarily all natural.

To give you an idea, here's my regimen for day and night.

Cleanse: Purpse Gentle Cleansing Wash

Tone: Mario Badescu Glycolic Acid Toner

Moisturize: H2O Face Oasis Hydrating Treatment  

Hope that helps! /emoticons/[email protected] 2x" width="20" height="20" />

I have oily skin, am medium toned Caucasian, and I guess you could say I have 'sensitive' skin. But I dislike the term, simply because it is not our skins that are the problem, but the products on the market which cause issues.

I would NOT recommend a toner of any type. Every time I have used one, my skin gets worse. Most have chemicals, alcohols, drying and irritating the skin even more, and leave those residues on your skin. I begin to break out from toners quite badly. I would also not recommend witch hazel as most have alcohol in them. That will just cause you skin to produce even more oil to overcompensate for the damage and drying the alcohol is doing. What is important is a good ph balanced cleanser which rinses CLEAN. One I use all the time and highly recommend is at isomers.ca. It's called their Australian Harvest Tea Tree Cleanser. It has glycolic acid in it, is ph balanced, and requires no toner afterwards. Another cleanser I recommend for oily or even combo skin is gaots milk soap with oatmeal in it. Spectacualr stuff for all skin types, actually. Huge difference in my skin when I use it.

The other thing is, mask regularly, with oatmeal. It absorbs oil without drying the skin, keeping your face super soft, and calming irritation and redness.

I also just recently tried some Juice Beauty products and have to say, they are beyond great. I notice less oil production, clearer skin overall, and no irritation whatsoever. Really good stuff.

If you want any more info regarding oatmeal masks, just PM me. I've been using them since I was about 13 years old. Around 30 years. They truly are great. And no, you do NOT use cooked oatmeal

Do you use quick oats or regular oatmeal?  

I make my masks from fine ground oatmeal, I suppose I can get oat flour but oatmeal thru a magic bullet works just as well. 

Have you tried this blog:  http://lipstick-and-pearls.blogspot.com ?

She is a scientist who writes about cosmetics, their ingredients and how they work.  She made a post about sensitive skin and how to make your own moistuisers and cleansers using oats.  It's called "Harness the powers of oats".

Beth