“ SPF

HOW TO SOOTHE IRRITATED SKIN: EXPERT TIPS TO CALM SKIN INFLAMMATION

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Dry, itchy, inflamed skin driving you crazy? You’re not alone. Skin irritation is both annoying to deal with and annoyingly common, but there’s a silver lining: it’s also relatively simple to manage compared to other skin concerns. In this article, we go into what causes skin irritation and provide step-by-step guidance on how to soothe irritated skin. Read on and get ready to enter your skin’s healing era. 

 

What Causes Skin Irritation?

To calm irritated skin, it’s important to understand the root cause of your skin irritation so you can select the right routine. Skin irritation can be triggered by environmental factors, hormonal changes, skincare ingredients, and lifestyle habits. It can be either temporary or chronic and can vary by skin type and lifestyle. 

Environmental Factors

Wind, pollution, sun exposure, and seasonal shifts can contribute to skin irritation. To help mitigate the negative effects of environmental stressors on your skin, use protective skincare and SPF. 

Hormonal Changes

Inflammation can be caused by hormone shifts related to puberty, pregnancy, or stress. If you suspect hormonal changes are driving your skin irritation, apply skincare consistently and choose gentle products to calm irritated skin.

Skincare Ingredients That Cause Irritation

Products with ingredients that are known skin irritants, such as fragrance and alcohol, could also be stressing out your skin. If your skin is irritated and your current skincare includes fragrance and alcohol as ingredients, switch to fragrance-free and alcohol-free options ASAP. Thayers’ gentle formulas are the perfect products to calm irritated skin. 

Lifestyle Habits That Can Irritate Skin

Over-exfoliation can damage the skin barrier, leaving skin red, irritated, and dry. Hot showers can have the same effect due to skin’s exposure to the high temperature of the water. 

By raising hormone levels, poor sleep can bring about inflammation. It can also weaken the skin barrier, making skin more prone to irritation and dryness. 

Diet triggers are another potential culprit of irritated skin. When individuals eat foods they are allergic to, they may experience itchy skin as a symptom. 

7 Steps to Soothe Red, Irritated Skin

Now that you know about what could be causing your skin irritation, it’s time to learn about treatment and prevention. We’ve created this gentle, recovery-focused routine to calm irritated skin, featuring the soothing and hydrating ingredients you’ll need to help heal.
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1. Use a Gentle, Hydrating Cleanser

The best cleanser for irritated skin is a gentle, hydrating formula that removes oil, dirt, and sweat without stripping your skin. Cleansers with aloe, snow mushroom, and hyaluronic acid are excellent hydrators you can find in Thayers cleansers. Avoid cleansers with sulfate and fragrance, which can dry out skin and worsen irritation.

 

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2. Apply a Gentle Toner Safe for Irritated Skin

Although the toners of the past have gotten a bad rap for being harsh, many of the toners of today are gentler formulations. Look for an alcohol-free, calming toner to soothe irritated skin after cleansing, and, if you want hydration as well, seek out formulas with witch hazel, rose water, or aloe vera — all ingredients found in Thayers toners.
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3. Use an Acne Spot Treatment to Soothe Blemishes

Yes, you can treat acne as you soothe irritated skin. The key is using gentle options that won’t worsen irritation, such as Thayers Rapid Acne Spot Treatment, featuring low-strength salicylic acid, or sulfur-based formulas. To avoid further drying out your skin, apply acne spot treatment lightly and only to affected areas.

 

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4. Use a Hydrating Serum to Soothe Redness

Serums with niacinamide and hyaluronic acid can calm irritated skin. If you deal with acne too, try Thayers Double Acne Serum, which not only clears acne but also heals skin by improving redness and hydrating. Do not use too many actives as they can worsen irritation. 

 

Smiling woman with dewy skin applying face cream, healthy skincare.

5. Apply a Moisturizer for Irritated Skin

Seek out a fragrance-free option with gentle hydrating ingredients, such as snow mushroom, hyaluronic acid, and shea butter, to moisturize dry, itchy skin. When you find a moisturizer for irritated skin that you like, use it consistently to restore your skin’s moisture barrier.

 

Happy woman applying sunscreen, sun protection skincare.

6. Protect Your Skin With SPF

A broad-spectrum sunscreen with an SPF 30+ will help protect your skin from UV damage that can exacerbate inflammation and darken acne scars. If possible, select a mineral-based formula over a chemical-based one; the former tends to be less irritating on skin. Reapply sunscreen regularly, especially if you’ll be out in the sun all day, to prevent further inflammation and blemish scarring brought on by UV exposure.
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7. Use a Toner Mist for Hydration on the Go

Refresh and rehydrate your skin throughout the day with a calming toner mist you can easily carry with you. Thayers offers several toners as mists; those with gentle ingredients like rose water or aloe will calm irritated skin and give it the boost of hydration it craves. 

Irritated Skin FAQs

  • To soothe irritated skin around the eyes, apply a gentle, fragrance-free cream with soothing ingredients like aloe vera or hyaluronic acid, which also hydrate skin. You can also use a cold compress to reduce redness. Skip harsh eye makeup removers, which can dry out or further irritate the skin around your eyes.
  • Stress, when experienced persistently, can cause skin irritation. Stress triggers the release of cortisol, and in normal amounts, cortisol can suppress inflammation. However, high levels of cortisol for prolonged periods — something chronically stressed-out people tend to have — has the opposite effect: it can promote inflammation, weaken the immune system, and contribute to overall poorer health.
  • Witch hazel, hyaluronic acid, niacinamide, aloe vera, and cucumber are some skincare ingredients that calm irritated skin through soothing, restoring, and hydrating. Witch hazel has anti-inflammatory properties, whereas hyaluronic acid, a humectant, helps hydrate dry, irritated skin. Niacinamide soothes skin by reducing inflammation, and both aloe vera and cucumber soothe and hydrate skin.
  • The fastest way to heal irritated skin on face is by immediately removing ingredients that trigger skin irritation, such as alcohol, sulfates, and fragrance. Avoid over-exfoliation, which can damage your skin barrier, causing redness and sensitivity, and use a routine that hydrates your skin, repairs your skin barrier, and includes SPF. If possible, skip makeup or actives for a few days.
  • The best thing to put on dry irritated skin is a gentle hydrating toner followed by a fragrance-free moisturizer. Both will help restore the skin barrier and relieve irritation. Thayers Hydrating Milky Toner removes impurities as it strengthens the skin barrier. Alcohol-free and pH-balanced, it contains snow mushroom and hyaluronic acid, two well-known, highly effective humectants.
  • To hydrate irritated skin overnight, wash your face with a gentle cleanser, apply a hydrating serum, and then use a moisturizing cream. A gentle cleanser won’t dry out your irritated skin, a hydrating serum will draw moisture to your skin’s surface, and a moisturizing cream will lock moisture in. These skincare products work together to calm inflamed skin.
  • Generally, it is not recommended that you exfoliate red, irritated skin, as doing so can cause further irritation. You should calm irritated skin before introducing an exfoliant, and even then, you should be using a gentle formula and introducing it to your routine slowly. Apply it just once a week until your skin develops a tolerance to it.

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