How do you recognize an overstressed skin barrier (and what can you do about it)?

Your skin is a large, intelligent organ. A barrier between you and the world. That's why it's important to keep it strong and resilient in part through proper skin care.

Total skin overload

The current trend is that the skin is getting an alarming amount of sh*t thrown at it in the form of harmful skincare, overly aggressive skin treatments, too many products of mediocre quality, and especially a lot of unnatural products.

'Did you know that everything you put on your skin is absorbed into your bloodstream in less than 30 seconds? The Eastern principle that your skin care should be edible is therefore not so crazy.'

Too much stimulation of the skin is harmful

If you overload the skin with too many products, too many stimuli and too little rest, unnatural ingredients, synthetic substances, hormone disruptors, aggressive skin therapies with all kinds of new technological inventions and devices that look kek, it is almost inevitable that your skin will become unbalanced as a result and your skin barrier will be damaged.

"My neighbor told me her skin story the other day: she now suffers from worsening rosacea and it seems like it started when she went to a skin therapist for skin improvement and laser wrinkle removal. Her skin then became hypersensitive, she suffered from prickling whenever she applied anything to her skin. Where her skin should have improved - at least that was the goal of skin therapy - she now has skin that can't stand anything. I hear stories like this all the time around me."

Andrea van Reeken-Slee, founder and skin expert of Mothr Earth Proof®

More and more often, we at MOTHR EARTH PROOF® get questions from women who are suddenly suffering from sensitive, red or burning skin. They say, "My skin doesn't tolerate anything anymore" or "I use just about everything for healthy skin, and yet it feels out of balance."

Do you recognize this? Then chances are you're struggling with an overloaded skin barrier. In this article, I explain why, what signs indicate that your skin is overstressed, and what you can do to restore it - in a gentle, natural way.

What exactly is an overstressed skin barrier?

The skin barrier is your natural shield. It protects you from outside influences such as pollution, UV, bacteria and dehydration. Think of hair as a roof tile system of skin cells and lipids. But that structure gets damaged by overuse of skincare, especially with aggressive or unnatural substances and regular harsh aggressive treatments at skin institutes. Such damaged skin is also called a disrupted skin barrier.

Symptoms of a damaged or sensitive skin barrier

Are you unsure if your skin is out of balance? These are common signs:

• Your skin feels tight or dry despite lubrication

• Sudden redness or itching

• A burning sensation when applying products

• Flaking, spots or bumps

• Your skin suddenly reacts to all sorts of things you could tolerate before

• Your skin feels thinner and more fragile

These symptoms indicate oversensitive skin, caused by an too intensive beauty treatment, an unnatural skincare routine, too many skincare products or the use of skin-unfriendly, barrier-disrupting substances.

How does your skin barrier get damaged?

In practice, I also see women not using too little, but rather use too much skincare. It sounds contradictory, but excessive cleansing, exfoliating or applying layers upon layers of often unnatural actives makes the skin tired and restless.

In addition, many conventional products contain synthetic additives such as fragrances, silicones, parabens, alcohol and endocrine disruptors. These sometimes give temporary effect, but in the long run undermine your skin health. This creates an overstimulated skin.

The solution: skinimalism for 50+ skin

For women 50+, a resilient skin barrier is especially important. The decline of estrogen reduces the natural production of ceramides, fatty acids and collagen. This makes the skin naturally drier, thinner and more sensitive to external influences.

The solution? Skinimalism. Back to a simple but effective routine. Not 12 steps, but 4. No cocktail of synthetics, but a gentle approach with powerful, natural ingredients that really do something for your skin.

Our 4-step routine to restore your skin barrier

At MOTHR EARTH PROOF®, we believe that skin improvement goes hand in hand with skin compatibility. Our 4-step routine is specifically designed to calm, restore and strengthen.

Step 1 - Gentle exfoliation with shea butter (Regeneration Peeling).

You don't want to further irritate overburdened skin. Our gentle exfoliation works on the basis of unrefined shea butter and mild acids from fruit extracts. No granules, no alcohol, but nourishment + gentle removal of dead skin cells. This way you stimulate natural regeneration without stressing your skin.

Step 2 - Moisturize with a botanical serum

Our serum is a soothing moisture bomb: with chamomile blossom water, aloe vera, hyaluronic acid, symphytum (comfrey) and grape seed oil. It helps your skin retain moisture, instantly soothes and restores moisture balance.

Step 3 - Elixir Vitamin Bomb

This facial oil is rich in natural vitamins A, E, B and antioxidants. It soothes, nourishes and supports your skin in recovery. The powerful blend of sea buckthorn, jojoba and rosehip acts as a natural vitamin cocktail, restoring skin's resilience and glow.

Step 4 - Repair with Ectoin®. amino acid

Ectoin® Bitop is a natural amino acid that protects cells from stress, dehydration and damage. It helps restore the skin barrier and improves resistance. Perfect for skin that "no longer tolerates anything." Ectoin® is even better absorbed than peptides that are now very trndy. Ectoin® is an amino acid and peptides are made up of amino acids but are much larger than an amino acid, so the absorption of Ectoin® is better than peptides. Our products contain an effective percentage of this super amino acid.

Why natural ingredients are so important

Nature provides everything your skin needs: from soothing herbs to restorative oils. Unlike many conventional skincare products, our formulas work work with the skinrather than against it. Natural ingredients melt into the skin, so to speak, connect with it and the skin responds with recognition and acceptance, which becomes visible in your skin reaction: improved skin.

Natural ingredients create skin acceptance instead of skin stress

Skin acceptance becomes visible because the skin relaxes and doesn't need a counter-reaction to stay balanced. An example is too much alcohol on the skin. The skin then reacts with extra sebum production and your skin becomes oilier as a result, whereas it is meant to get rid of the oil and make the skin drier. Natural ingredients trigger a reaction of relaxation, the skin is no longer stressed by your skin care.

What we avoid are: silicones, synthetic perfume, synthetic vitamins, unnecessary fillers, harmful synthetics, hormone disruptors. What we do use are plant extracts, cold-pressed oils, natural plant substances, floral waters, extracts, herbs that penetrate deeply and activate your skin's self-healing ability. Everything in our skincare is of plant origin.

Give your skin peace (and love)

A disrupted skin barrier is not something you solve with yet another layer. It requires rest, attention and an approach that respects your skin. That is our mission atMOTHR EARTH PROOF®: achieving skin results in a gentle way.

Let your skin come back to itself. Rely on less, but of better quality and for natural.

We connect you to the power of nature through our skincare!

Also read our article on the Skincare set for 50+ women and discover how your skin can come back into balance with our pure and effective approach.