This article was, in its initial incarnation in my head, going to be a diary of a month’s worth of skin changes using the Rhythmic Conditioner, Sensitive as I tested it with a combination of multiple long haul flights, abrupt season changes and days shooting in skin-challenging layers of makeup.

Not having used the Rhythmic Conditioner for a whole 28 day skin cycle for more years than I care to remember, this seemed like a brilliant idea as I shared it with the lovelies at Dr Hauschka. Therefore, I did feel a bit silly when there was literally nothing to report, other than the simple equation of:

1. Using an ampoule of Rhythmic Conditioner, Sensitive nightly after cleansing, with nothing else on skin, and a layer of Soothing Mask (which I am currently using as a moisturiser) after toning during the day ~ skin calms and settles immediately, 80 – 90% of ongoing irritation disappears;

2. Stop using it ~ skin freaks out again within a day, previous irritation & skin bumps reappear.

This improvement happened immediately, within 2 sleeps of beginning my revamped routine. How had I forgotten the wonders of this product?

So, pretty much end of story.

I will add a few notes to this – despite not having used the Night Conditioners for a while, I have never, since first discovering Dr Hauschka over 10 years ago, put anything containing oil or moisturising ingredients on my face at night. This is a basic tenet, that the skin needs to complete its natural cycle as you sleep and these things will disrupt it, age it prematurely and cause dependency. A switch from your current night time moisturiser/oil to this may take anything from a few days up to a full 28 day cycle for the skin to fully come back to its natural equilibrium.

After the first month of ampoules, I switched to the Intensive Treatment 03 for Hypersensitive Skin, morning and evening, which continued things in the same vein of soothed and calm skin; and for my long haul flights, I used one ampoule of Rhythmic Conditioner after cleansing at the beginning of the flight, followed by a decent layer of Soothing Mask. That’s it. Which was surprising, as before this my flights featured multiple applications of heavy moisturiser in an attempt to stave off dehydration.

And finally – if you live in a fairly sunny, outdoorsy climate, the Hauschka Estheticians sometimes recommend starting the nightly use of Regenerating Serum as early as mid 20’s if you have very susceptible skin. To keep the experiment somewhat contolled, I used nothing but the Rhythmic Conditioner for the first month and Intensive Treatment 03 thereafter, with Hydrating Mask during the day, and all with resounding success – but I did find, arriving back in California at the tail end of fall, my skin got much dryer than it had been. They had initially recommended I add to the regime a couple of drops of Regenerating Serum morning and night, which I now hurriedly ordered. Result? Happy skin. And less irritated than it has been for a very long time.

So, moral of the story? There is a way to scale back hypersensitivity and it’s really, really worth investing in smart natural products. Oh, and remember to drink 2-3 litres of water a day (note to self..)