Gretchen's Sensitive Skincare Routine
Gretchen is asked often about what products she uses on her extremely sensitive and reactive skin. Here is the exact breakdown and how she got here...
Gretchen wasn’t always a sensitive skin type. In fact, she went much of her life blissfully applying anything and everything to her face and skin. Heard about a new product? She would try it. No thought or apprehension was necessary. Her skin seemed happy enough to go with the flow.
This all changed in 2013 shortly after she had Ross, her third child. She noticed melasma on her face and saw the dermatologist. Like many with this condition, she was prescribed a product that was brightening. She came to find out that the product contained hydroquinone to help treat the dark spots. She used as directed and after a few weeks, she woke up one morning to an alarming reaction. Her eyes were swollen shut and her face was hot and inflamed. Oh no.
After much research and follow up she found out that over the course of the past weeks using the brightening product, she had completely stripped her skin’s barrier. Once this happens, it can take quite a while to get it back and healthy. For the next six weeks she applied pure coconut oil only to her skin.
Gretchen learned an interesting analogy. Think of everyone having a cup representing their body. This cup gets filled with water. Some people might have a huge cup that never gets full, while others might have a shot glass that becomes full quickly and overflows. Once it overflows, that is when your body reacts. Gretchen’s cup was overflowing and not in the best way.
It took her a long time to trust any products after the intense reaction she had. Now, she can tell almost immediately when she tries something new if she is having a reaction. Her face becomes internally hot, itchy and instinctively she knows that she needs to get whatever she has put on her skin off. Retinols, Vitamin C or E, brightening agents, eye creams and concealers around the eyes are no-gos. She avoids all of those completely.
When it comes to Gotta Try It, Gretchen is extremely careful and measured about what she tries. She leaves most of the skincare product adventure to Allison and Laura. Case in point, she currently has a dry and irritated spot over one of her eyes and is trying to figure out what has caused that. When she does branch out and is not reactive, it’s a big win! We shout out what is working for all the other shot glass sized sensitivos out there. You are not alone! Here’s the routine…