When your skin reacts to everything
Reactive skin usually gets worse from too many products, not too few. Start with cleanse and hydrate, then add slowly.
Reactive skin usually gets worse from too many products, not too few. This guide walks through the signals, a simple two-step start, and how to add products without setting your skin off again.
Sounds familiar?
If several of these feel true, your routine may be doing too much:
Face feels hot or pink after washing
New products sting on contact
Skin feels tight and dry by afternoon
Breaks out or flares when you layer too much
Your routine
Start with cleanse and hydrate. Keep everything else on hold until this pair feels calm for a full week.
Cleanse gently
Lukewarm water. One mild cleanser. Pat dry.
Moisturise lightly
Thin layer while skin is still slightly damp.
Wait a week
Hold new products until this pair feels calm.
Less, then slower
Three rules that keep reactive skin from flaring up again.
Start with two products
A gentle cleanser and one lightweight moisturiser. Give that pair a full week before you add anything else.
One job per product
Each formula should cleanse, hydrate, or protect. If you cannot explain why something is in your routine, take it out.
Add slowly
When skin feels settled, introduce one new product at a time, a few days apart, so you can tell what helps.
“I stripped down to three Clearveli products and my skin feels less reactive.”
James H. · sensitive-skin routine
Common questions
How long before I add a serum or active?
My skin burns when I wash. What should I change?
Where do I find ingredient lists?
Next step
Build a calmer routine
Browse the catalog or take the quiz: three questions for product picks and timing.