Skin Barrier 101

Protecting your skin barrier is essential to keeping irritants or germs off of your skin and preventing water loss, leading to dryness. Unfortunately, it’s super easy to disrupt the skin barrier. Things such as using too many products, UV rays, or a harsh cleanser are just a few factors that can disrupt the skin barrier. To help you properly protect it, we go over everything you need to know to never lose your glow!

What is your skin barrier?

First thing’s first, what is your skin barrier? Also known as the epidermis, the skin barrier is the outermost layer of your skin, meaning it protects the skin from bacteria as well as other environmental stressors. Another purpose of the skin barrier is to prevent moisture loss from your daily routine.

Is it damaged?

Knowing if your skin barrier is damaged can be tricky. Long story short, when your skin barrier is damaged, it leads to cracks and gaps in your skin. There are a variety of ways that can cause your skin barrier to be damaged including: genetics, age, rough skincare habits (overwashing or overcleansing), environmental pollutants, and exposure to UV. Here are some signs that your skin barrier is damaged:

• Skin redness: If your skin barrier is damaged, it causes an increase in skin redness. The cracks within the skin have allowed allergens to come in and irritate the skin, causing it to be inflamed.
• Acne: If the skin barrier is broken, it allows bacteria to enter, therefore allowing acne to be created. Overwashing your face can scrub away natural oils, leading to breakouts.
• Dry skin: The main cause for dry skin is due to the lack of moisture. Since the skin barrier is broken, it allows the water within your skin to evaporate which leaves skin dry and can create a rough texture.

Our favorite treatments!

There are a variety of products that are specifically made to restore and protect your skin barrier and below are some of our favorites!

• Gentle Cleanser: Choosing a cleanser that won’t strip the skin is crucial in protecting the barrier. The Nue Co. Barrier Culture Cleanser is designed to repair the skin barrier, while leaving the skin looking plump and protected against everyday environmental stressors!

Another favorite cleanser of ours is the Doctor Rogers Restore Face Wash. This glycerin-based face wash is composed of eight hypoallergenic ingredients and is great for all skin types. It removes all traces of makeup and impurities without irritating the skin!

• Balancing Face Mask: Give your skin barrier some extra love with the Tata Harper Superkind Radiance Mask. This gel-like face mask exfoliates using AHAs to revive dull and dry skin without irritation. The formula is hypoallergenic, derm tested, and vegan. It’s also free from: gluten, wheat, soy, and nut derivatives, fragrances, essential oils, and 85+ common allergens and irritants!

• Restoring Moisturizer: Deeply hydrate and renew the skin with The Nue Co. Barrier Culture Cleanser Moisturizer. The formula includes a blend of prebiotic, probiotic and post-biotics with clinically proven, patented technology allowing the skin to recognize the probiotic as ‘live’. As a result, skin is plump, hydrated and protected against everyday external stressors!

Another great option is the Tata Harper Fortifying Moisturizer. The texture is ultra-silky and soothes, comforts, and heals stressed skin. Apply 1 to 2 pumps daily to revitalize the complexion!

What NOT To Do

Here are some things to look out for that may be causing damage to your skin barrier:

• Over-exfoliating: Using too many chemical exfoliants often could potentially damage the live, healthy cells on your skin. Scrubbing too hard with physical exfoliants can also create microtears on your skin. We recommend exfoliating no more than twice a week.
• Over-cleansing: By over-cleansing, you strip your skin of its natural oils, which will leave your skin feeling tight and dry. We recommend using a gentle cleanser no more than twice a day.
• Skipping SPF: SPF is intended to protect your skin against UVA and UVB rays that can compromise your skin barrier. Skipping this essential step will damage cells, lipids, collagen, and DNA which will accelerate the aging process. Make sure you’re applying SPF every single day!

We hope this helped in navigating how to properly care for your skin barrier! From using a balancing face mask to a super gentle cleanser, we encourage you to shop our favorites to keep your skin beautiful and healthy!