I’ve always had sensitive-ish skin. I’m nowhere near as delicate as Charlotte but I have had my fair share of allergic reactions over the years. I suffered from contact dermatitis on my legs as a child and frequently have chapped, broken skin on my hands through the winter months. During my GSCEs I remember my history teacher asking how long exactly did I think the eczema outbreak on my hands (that was preventing me from doing my homework) would last? I thought it was a better excuse than blaming the non-existent dog for eating my coursework.

During my two rounds of IVF I was advised to cut down on the amount of chemicals I was exposed to. An excuse to do less housework? I’m in! When it came to beauty products I ditched the acids and retinol and stopped painting my nails. Thank the lord it’s advised to wear thick socks when you’re in theatre, although considering the invasiveness of the procedure I’m surprised how concerned I was about my unvarnished feet 😉
On Charlotte’s recommendation I had been using Ollson Shampoo for several months beforehand and already used coconut oil for a plethora of beauty needs. I started using Sanex products as they include zero parabens and stopped spraying the Chanel.

Even with a stripped back beauty routine, a few months ago the skin around my eyes and ears became itchy and inflamed. I’ve never been a fan of using steroid creams around the eyes but in pregnancy it’s a definite no-no. A trip to the doctor’s surgery ended with a recommendation for E45 but the pharmacist refused to give it to me for the delicate eye area. After a bit of negotation I did come home with a tube but it didn’t make an impact.

A couple of weeks later a Tropics consultant recommended Tamumu Balm. This is in no way a sponsored post and I have a mixed experience with this ‘wonder’ vegan product. Formulated from ingredients including organic tamunu oil, macadamia oil and shea butter, the redness gradually began to subside after around four days of using. I was raving about the product which can be used on stretch marks, eczema, scars, burns and acne. Sadly a week or two later though the inflammation is back. Thank god for sunglasses as I look like I’ve done a few rounds with Mike Tyson. Given the success of it in the early days, I still consider it the best bb cream for acne and it’s definitely a product I intend to use after pregnancy. To be honest with all these extra hormones, I’m not sure any product would help at the moment but if you’ve got sensitive skin then it could be worth giving it a try as it has a whole load of uses.

James’ Grandma highly recommends Propolis, a natural resinous mixture honey bees produce by mixing saliva and beeswax with exudate gathered from botanical sources.  Apparently it has anti-inflammatory and antimicrobial properties. It’s not been testing for use during pregnancy so I haven’t given it a whirl but she absolutely swears by it.

I’m conscious I’ve spoken about reducing the amount of chemicals and then I’m about to chat about a product that more than likely includes a few. My scalp has definitely got worse over the last few months and I’m not keen on using an anti-dandruff medicated shampoo. I was pointed in the direction of The Body Shop Ginger Shampoo and have to say after two applications I’ve seen such a difference in the dryness and flakiness of my scalp. How glam to talk about dandruff on a Monday morning. Again one to give a whirl if you’d prefer to steer clear of any of the more harsher products.

Any other products you’d recommend for sensitive and delicate skin? Does anyone else have sore skin around their peeepers? What do you use on it?