Foaming soap and shower gel with sulphates
SLS and SLES make a rich lather, and that is exactly why they wash away the lipid layer along with the dirt. Every such wash is a micro-injury to the barrier.
A coarse scrub more than once or twice a week
Mechanical exfoliation feels like a deep clean but creates micro-damage in the stratum corneum. The barrier cannot keep up, and grows thinner and more reactive.
Alcohol toners “to shrink pores”
Alcohol delivers a feeling of cleanliness and tightness, but that is a dried-out barrier, not healthy skin. In time the skin answers with more sebum, and the circle closes.
A barrier does not rebuild in a day. But you can start by removing what gets in the way.
