For as long as I can remember I have had dry skin. I don’t mean a little bit dry; I mean painfully dry, and no skincare products seemed to make a difference.
It’s something I have come to accept, and now being way past adolescence, it has settled a little - as so many things do. However, it’s still frequently uncomfortable, especially in the winter with the cold weather and central heating, or in the spring when the pollen is in full swing.
While I use plenty of oils and creams to sooth it when it’s at its worst, as well as daily moisturising as good practice, this spring I had the good fortune of speaking to Jennifer Young about it. It happened to be at a time when the dryness had become so bad on my arms that one friend thought I had burnt myself.
Jennifer Young’s products are designed with cancer patients in mind. They are extremely gentle, made from natural ingredients and many of the products contain no added fragrance to limit the chances of a reaction. However, they are designed not only to be nurturing, but also to be effective in the face of the skincare side effects of cancer treatments, like chemotherapy. One of those side effects is extremely itchy, dry skin.
Jennifer recommended I try a combination of her aptly named Itchy Skin Oil to soothe the immediate irritation, alongside a routine of her Defiant Beauty Cleanse and Moisturise balm and her Defiant Beauty Smooth Skin Balm to moisturise.
When you have a lifetime’s experience with a particular skincare issue, you become a little bit sceptical about the chances of finding a solution, but I stand corrected.
If you have had dry and itchy skin, you will know that it can be extremely overwhelming and distracting at times. Instant relief is like gold dust, while long-lasting solutions are like finding the gold at the end of the rainbow.
The Cleanse and Moisturise Balm was a joy to use and immediately made my skin feel cared for. After drying off, I applied the Itchy Skin Oil for the first couple of days and then moved onto the Smooth Skin Balm thereafter. There was an immediate short-term impact on the condition of my skin, and within three days the dryness had cleared up and was no longer itchy. It has been a month now and my skin has looked better and felt more comfortable without exception. It no longer looks like I have chronic dandruff all over dark clothing either, which has a wider impact on how I feel about myself.
The biggest challenge I have with the products is remembering that I don’t need to use a lot to get results. The balms are best warmed in your hand before application so that they spread further. As someone who’s skin typically drinks oils and creams like a cactus in the desert, this is something I had to get used to - partially because it’s completely unnecessary to use more and partly because I want the products to last!
While they are not fragranced, there is a gentle spa smell thanks to the natural scent of the ingredients in these products, which, in itself, is soothing.
In short, while I am not the target market for these products, they have been a game changer for me, and a self-care habit I fully intend on continuing with!
Many Safe Hands for Cancer spas from Spabreaks.com use Jennifer Young products and treatments to support clients with cancer. You can see which spas provide spa treatments tailored to anyone who has experienced cancer by following the link below.
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