The basics of minimalist skin care for more balanced and less sensitive skin

Minimalist skin care has nothing to do with laziness, but with not overloading the skin with superfluous ingredients and thereby making it sensitive or sluggish. The ideal skin care should support the skin where its own protective mechanisms are not sufficient. The following tips will help you to better understand the needs of your skin and give it the right care. I promise you that you will easily make up the eight minutes you spent reading this guide over the next few days because you can certainly reduce your care routine. So, let's start right away.

Photos by Laura Mitulla and Huha Inc.

Are 100 ingredients and more a day healthy on your skin?

The increase in sensitive skin has been a trend in industrialized countries for years and while not all causes are fully known, over-care seems to be the main trigger. Do you also belong to the people who use all kinds of night and day creams, serums, isolated active ingredients and make-up? Over 100 different substances can quickly get onto your skin every day.

However, minimalist skin care is not only useful for people with sensitive skin, every skin benefits from minimalist skin care that is supportive but not overwhelming. The result is balanced, robust and healthy skin. It is better protected against stimuli and environmental influences and therefore ages more slowly.

Sensitive skin is often a cause of over-care

To understand the effects of over-care on the skin, let's start with the makeup of the skin . To show you the function of our skin protection layers, I like to use the rain jacket. The material is water-repellent, but before you venture into the rainstorm, you should also waterproof the jacket. The second layer extends the protection, because twice is better.

Your skin has a very similar structure: The first protection is provided by the protective acid mantle that covers your skin. The sweat-fat mixture that is perfectly tailored to you shields your skin from all the nasty germs and bacteria that you encounter throughout the day.

• But beware, like the impregnation in the rain, this layer can simply be washed away by washing several times a day.

The actual protective wall is located in the top layer of skin – the skin barrier . You can imagine it as a kind of wall against foreign influences such as toxins, soaps, bacteria, etc. It consists of horny cells that are lined up like bricks. A mixture of the skin's own fats (lipids) and other substances hold them together. But this barrier can become porous and the stratum corneum can swell. Aggressive cleaning or excessive application of lotion literally throws the whole system out of joint . What are the consequences?

• Water that has been stored in the deeper layers of the skin and makes your skin look so plump and youthful evaporates through the openings.
• At the same time, nasty bacteria can now creep in and blackheads can sprout.

The result of excessive care: the skin becomes sensitive, dry and impure. In addition, over-care is often the cause of perioral dermatitis . Hello, sensitive skin!

Minimalist skin care for balanced skin

The good news: it doesn't have to stay that way. Your skin can recover and come back into a balanced state. And you can help her with that. What you have to do for it? Unfortunately, it's going to be difficult now, because we have to practice doing nothing. Here are my top five tips for minimalistic skincare that meets your skin's needs.

1. Wash face with water only in the morning

Washing gels and cleansing milk not only wash dirt from your skin, but also remove the skin's own fats from your protective barrier. Many conventional products contain surfactants that are too harsh, and natural cosmetic products often contain alcohol, which is absolutely not beneficial for the skin. Lukewarm water is perfectly adequate for morning cleansing for all skin types.

If you want to delve deeper into the topic, my detailed article on facial cleansing in the morning is of interest to you.

In the evening, cleansing should be mild while still removing any residue from makeup, sunscreen, and environmental influences. But what does mild mean? I recommend the oil cleansing because it has a moisturizing effect and does not attack the skin barrier. For me personally, it was the game changer on my journey to balanced skin. You will be amazed at how well mascara & co. can be removed with it.

Rule of thumb when cleaning your face: Use products that are so gentle that you don't feel like you have to apply lotion afterwards.

2. Oil-free night care

While you're blissfully daydreaming about pink unicorns, your skin is doing all the work for you. In fact, it regenerates particularly quickly while you sleep and – unlike during the day – doesn’t need any protection from environmental influences or dirty hands on your face.

There are two philosophies for night care that could not be more different: some swear that the skin should be wrapped up particularly richly. The others preach fat-free night care. This can be explained as follows: Rich care seals your skin lightly (vegetable oils) to strongly (silicones, Vaseline, waxes) and thus prevents the evaporation of water from the deeper layers of the skin. The result is great: plump skin in the morning! Unfortunately, happiness is short-lived because the effect is not lasting. With a long-term strong seal, your skin forgets how to compensate itself. It becomes noticeably drier and therefore more sensitive.

The fat-free night care, on the other hand, builds on the skin's natural ability to regenerate and cares for it without sealing it off. Feel free to try it out for a few nights: After the oil cleansing, only use a light moisturizing serum like our FIVE face serum and let your skin regenerate carefree overnight.

3. Give your skin a fresh start

What applies to every skin type for the night is also recommended for sensitive skin during the day. Maybe you once had a mimosa, those little indoor plants that reflexively roll up their leaves when touched. Sensitive skin is similarly sociable, no matter how good you mean it. It's dry, you cream. She becomes unclean, you wash. It starts all over again. A frustrating vicious circle begins, until sometimes even water is too much.

But don't worry, in contrast to mimosa, your skin can also be different. All you have to do is give her one thing to start with: rest. Instead of a cosmetic armada, it simply needs time to regenerate. Therefore, do without cosmetics for at least three days . No washing gels, creams, lotions etc. Only wash with lukewarm water. Don't rub too hard, don't cream. You should also avoid make-up if possible. I know it can be difficult, especially at work. But as soon as your skin regains its balance, it will reward you with an even complexion.

You can find detailed instructions for the zero therapy in my article the drastic cure – the emergency plan for your stressed skin . 

Even after zero therapy, less is more. Let your skin do its job in peace. Reduce your care and switch to products with few but high-quality ingredients. Our own natural cosmetics products arose from my need for balanced skin. All products contain a maximum of five selected ingredients that help your skin to find its balance again.

4. Do not apply too thickly

As you can see, sensitive skin is no coincidence. It is usually the result of over-care. But not only too many ingredients irritate the skin. You can also mean too well with the crowd. If you apply too much cream or oil, it will cause the horny layer to swell. Bacteria can penetrate more easily, multiply and puncture the barrier. Therefore, dose the care very sparingly and do not use the products more than twice a day.

5. Take it easy

Some impairments for our skin result from factors that we cannot - or do not want to - change at the moment. Sensitive skin is at least partly genetic. Things that make life difficult (stress) or worth living (Coupleyyy) also leave their mark on sensitive skin. You can hardly influence a lot of this and if you try, it often causes additional stress. Therefore: Take it easy and start with small steps. To start, pick a tip that you want to try. And when you notice how good it is for your skin, a second one is usually added as a matter of course.

Conclusion: For minimalist skin care in five steps

I hope that you have found some ideas for a minimalist skin care routine. It not only protects your skin, but also your wallet and the environment.

1. In the morning, only lukewarm water comes on your face to cleanse.
2. In the evening, your skin will look forward to an oil cleansing and oil-free night care.
3. Give your skin a reset if it's totally out of whack.
4. Use products with few ingredients and apply them sparingly.
5. Step-by-step: Nothing happens overnight. Every change takes time.

A high-five to minimalist skincare!
Your Anna