Your skin barrier is your silent protector, constantly shielding you from pollution, environmental stressors, harmful bacteria and dehydration. Think of it as a brick wall where your skin cells are the bricks and the lipids between them are the mortar. When the mortar is damaged or insufficient, water escapes and irritants seep in, leading to dryness, irritation, breakouts, sensitivities and other skin challenges.
The good news? With mindful care and products like our Sensitive Bee beeswax balm, you can protect, feed and strengthen your skin barrier naturally. Ready to uncover the habits that might be harming it? Let’s dive in!
Top 5 Everyday Habits That Damage your Skin Barrier
1. Over-cleansing or Using Harsh Products
Cleansing is essential but often done incorrectly. Over-scrubbing, using hot water, abrasive towels or harsh mainstream cleansing products can strip your skin barrier, leaving it tight and irritated.
How to Fix It
- Opt for gentle cleansers like our natura; cleansing balms, made with raw honey and beeswax to melt away makeup and impurities while nourishing the skin, without stripping the barrier.
- Use cool or lukewarm water, go gently and cleanse no more than twice a day.
- Pat dry with a clean, soft towel, leaving the skin slightly damp to lock in moisture with your next steps.
Top Tip: apply your cleansing balm before a hot bath or shower to protect your face from the heat whilst enjoying a nourishing treatment.
2. Skipping Consistent Protection
Daily exposure to UV rays, pollution and stress weakens the skin’s defences. Not wearing SPF or skimping on protective skincare allows damage to build up and your barrier starts to crumble.
How to Fix It
- Incorporate protective ingredients like humectants, emollients and occlusives into your routine. Try our raw honey face care starter kits for a full regime containing all three of these categories of ingredients.
- Use a beeswax barrier balm such as our Nurse Bee balm or fragrance-free Sensitive Bee balm to provide a breathable protective, antioxidant shield on your skin.
- Apply SPF 50 as the final step in your skincare routine.
Top Tip: for extra protection, try "slugging" with our beeswax balms overnight to wake up with calm, plumped, repaired and glowing skin. Simply apply a thin layer as the last step in your evening routine and leave to work it's magic overnight.
3. Neglecting Hydration
Without sufficient hydration, your skin barrier can’t repair itself effectively, leaving it prone to irritation and dullness. Your skin needs water hydration (mists, serums) and oil moisturisation (oils, balms) for a strong barrier and thriving microbiome.
How to Fix It
- Use hydrating mists such as our face spritz with humectant glycerine to boost moisture levels before sealing in with creams, oils and/or balms.
- Stay hydrated from the inside by drinking plenty of water throughout the day.
Top Tip: mist your face between each layer of skincare for extra hydration and seal in with a thin layer of your beeswax barrier balm to prevent trans epidermal water loss, keeping the skin plump and fresh.
4. Using Harsh Ingredients & Over-exfoliating
Overusing or misusing retinoids, acids, or "anti-ageing" actives can weaken your barrier and cause irritation. Instead, focus on gentle, nourishing ingredients that feed and strengthen your skin barrier without compromising it.
How to Fix It
- Swap harsh actives for natural options like bakuchiol, rosehip oil and gentle exfoliating PHAs found in raw honey.
- Simplify your routine with our hydrating and protective products made from natural ingredients that are anti-inflammatory and naturally strengthening and detoxing for the skin.
Top Tip: calm and repair a compromised skin barrier above by following a 'bee' minimal skincare routine: gentle honey cleansing product, mist or leave skin damp, follow with our Sensitive Bee beeswax and honey balm.
5. Neglecting your Gut-Skin Connection
A healthy gut microbiome supports balanced, resilient skin. Stress, lack of nature connection, as well as a poor diet, can negatively impact your gut health and in turn your skin health.
How to Fix it
- Eat a varied, gut-friendly diet.
- Spend time outdoors, garden, immerse your hands in the soil and interact with others (including your pets!) to boost your skin’s friendly bacteria and up its barrier resilience
Top Tip: cuddling your pet doesn't just boost your mood and lower stress (thus helping your skin flourish) but it can also introduce beneficial bacteria to support a healthier gut, lower inflammation and promote clearer, calmer, healthier skin.
Why Raw Honey and Beeswax Are Game-Changers
Raw honey attracts and retains moisture, soothes irritation and supports skin healing and regeneration.
Beeswax creates a breathable shield, locking in hydration while protecting your skin barrier against environmental stress.
Then, for it's skin repair and regeneration benefits and collagen supporting properties, we add in bee propolis to our beeswax barrier balms. Together these three natural ingredients from the hive deliver powerful, natural, antioxidant and naturally nutrient dense support and repair for your skin barrier.
Discover our range of raw honey and beeswax skin barrier protectors for a simple, effective way to protect, nourish and restore your skin barrier naturally.
Why the real secret to 'younger' looking skin lies in a healthy skin barrier....
We live in a society where we are pressured to 'look young' forever and surrounded by marketing that tells us that we should not let ourselves look older and that in order to do this we need to 'erase' wrinkles and 'correct' the perfectly natural signs of ageing.
But, what if we told you, you can actually achieve fresher, plumper, smoother skin by supporting and repairing your skin barrier, whatever your age? Watch Bec explain in this short video below.....
@honey.bee.beauty Here’s the truth: you don’t need to “erase” or “correct” wrinkles for your skin to look fresher and more radiant. I’m 43, and people often tell me my skin looks like it’s ageing backwards. But in reality, the natural signs of ageing - fine lines, sagging, thinning - are all still happening, and that’s completely okay. They’re a sign that I’m still here, still learning, still living. What’s changed isn’t fewer age wrinkles. It’s that my skin looks calmer, plumper, and more vibrant than it did years ago. Why? Because I stopped attacking it with harsh, so-called “anti-ageing” products that left me irritated, dry and inflamed. Instead, I switched to gentle, nourishing, honey-based skincare that supports my skin’s barrier, balances sensitivities and feeds it with real goodness. And that’s the secret: it’s not about fighting the natural process of ageing. It’s about avoiding premature ageing caused by irritation, dehydration, over-exfoliation and harsh chemicals. When you focus on hydration, nourishment and barrier protection, you reduce redness, dryness, breakouts, uneven tone, and dullness - all the things that actually make skin look older before its time. 💛 If you want a simple place to start: - Use a naturally hydrating mist or apply balm onto damp skin - Seal it in with a honey, beeswax & propolis all-in-one balm - Always finish with a natural SPF Because glowing skin at any age isn’t about erasing the years; it’s about letting your skin thrive. ✨ #NoFilter #HoneySkincare #NaturalSkincare #BeeBasedBeauty #CleanBeautyRoutine ♬ original sound - HoneyBeeBeautiful
Ready to Let Nature Work it's Magic?
Ready to foster calmed, strong, balanced and healthy skin by supporting your skin's barrier? Explore our barrier friendly skincare and, as always, please do not hesitate to get in touch if you have any questions or if we can help in any way.
Much love,
Cath, Bec and the bees x
Leave a comment