Updated: February 2, 2020
By: Guest Writer, Christine Clais, The French Facialist
According to the Fitzpatrick scale used by skin experts, most natural redheads belong to a skin type I or II. This classification system organizes skin types into six categories according to their coloration: the lower the number, the fairer the skin, and the fairer the skin, the more delicate it is.
People with Skin Type I are usually very fair and have blonde or red hair, freckles, and blue eyes. They usually sunburn very easily without ever getting a tan.
Individuals with Skin Type II are usually fair, have blonde or red hair and blue, hazel, or green eyes. They usually burn when exposed to the sun and tan with difficulty.
Whether you’re Skin Type I or II, or even a darker skin tone, the following skincare tips will put you on the path to healthier, younger-looking, and fabulously radiant redhead skin:
1. Use the right cleanser
A good way to know if your facial cleanser is right for you is to observe your skin after cleansing. It should not feel tight or uncomfortable, nor should it look irritated. Using a cleanser that is too aggressive for your skin will lead to the stripping of the skin’s protective sebum, and eventually will affect its precious lipids that are, together with cells of the epidermis (the outer layer of the skin), essential to the barrier function of our skin. A light cleansing milk is usually a safe choice for redheads.
2. Moisturize daily
Regular application of a good quality moisturizer will give your skin adequate protection against dehydration and damage. The best-suited moisturizers for natural redheads usually have a combination of emollients (used to reduce rough and flaky skin) and humectants (to increase the water content in the skin). So, read those labels and select a cream with both categories of ingredients:
– emollients such as dimethicone, cyclomethicone, avocado oil, jojoba, cocoa butter, shea butter, stearyl alcohol, cetyl alcohol or mineral oil
– humectants such as glycerin, glucose, fructose, sucrose, honey, NMF or hyaluronic acid
3. Exfoliate gently
Although the benefits of skin exfoliation are undeniable, redheads should use gentle formulations designed to suit their fine and sometimes highly sensitive skin. Opt for enzyme-based exfoliants (look for ingredients such as papain or bromelain), as these are usually of the mildest type. This type of mild chemical exfoliant works by dissolving the bonds between the dead skin cells of the outer layer of skin, safely revealing younger-looking and smoother skin. But remember the rule with skin: more is not always better; exfoliating once or twice weekly is usually plenty!
4. Use a sunscreen
As a redhead’s skin is more is susceptible to burning, photo-aging (aging due to sun exposure) and skin cancers (including melanoma, the deadliest type of skin cancer), make sure to choose a 30+ sunscreen with the term “broad spectrum” displayed on the packaging. This will ensure that you get optimum sun protection against the damaging effects of both UVA and UVB rays.
5. Eat a lot of nutritional, plant-based foods
Eating a plant-based diet is essential to ensure proper functioning and repair of the skin, as it provides our body with thousands of anti-oxidants that act as a natural defense against environmental damage and premature aging. The United States Department of Agriculture recommends that we eat 7 to 13 servings of fruits and vegetables every day (a serve equaling a cup full). A good way to meet these daily requirements is to drink some of your fruits and vegetables. So get into those juices and smoothies!
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