Skin care is an art and a science, but don’t be intimidated: this is something we can all learn. The trick to care for your skin is to know your skin because understanding means you can find the right products/skin care routine that work best for you and get rid of the potential issues without causing more problems.
There are seven basic skin types:
- Normal
- Oily
- Dry/dehydrated
- Combination
- Acne-prone
- Sensitive
- Mature
Learn how to identify and care for yours below.
Your skin type can be determined by genetics, environmental factors, and eating habits. For example, if there is some shine on your nose and forehead, your skin is most likely normal as some shine and oil is very vital for healthy skin. It is best to consult a professional when it comes to your skin.
Normal Skin
How to Tell: You don’t experience many breakouts. Your skin doesn’t tend to react negatively to new products or weather changes. You don’t feel like you need to constantly moisturize or blot oil from your face all day long. Your skin is firm, with minimal fine lines and wrinkles.
Skin Care Tips: Lucky you! With normal skin, you experience almost no sensitivity, dryness or oiliness. Your skin can tolerate most ingredients, meaning you can play hard with beauty products and have tons of fun experimenting with cleansers, moisturizers and masks until you find exactly what works best for you.
Oily Skin
How to Tell: Oily skin is very normal and common amongst many people. What some do not know about oily skin is that it occurs when there is a build up of sebum. Sebum is vital for healthy skin but, too much of it can lead to oily skin, clogged pores, and acne. If there is shine on your cheeks in addition to your forehead and nose, you most likely have oily skin. Your skin always seems to be glowing. You’re likely no stranger to blotting sheets or mattifying powders. You might find that makeup and skin care products don’t always stay put like you’d want them to.
Skin Care Tips: With oily skin, shine control is a top concern. Although there are benefits to having oily skin (ie less wrinkles), you should avoid ingredients like mineral oil, petrolatum and alcohol. Products that are “non-comedogenic” work great for oily skin as these won’t clog up your pores. Oil-free moisturizers are your BFF (yes, you still need to moisturize!), as are chemical exfoliants and clay masks. Be sure not to over-wash or exfoliate too much, as drying out your pores can cause them to produce even more oil.
Dry Skin
How to Tell: Dry skin is also very common and often not serious and temporary as there are many ways to treat it. Dry skin can be caused by many uncontrollable as well as controllable factors such as hot or cold weather, low moisture in the air, and soaking in hot water. Signs and symptoms of dry skin depend on your age, your health, where you live and time spent outdoors. If your skin feels tight and is flaky, you most likely have dry skin.
Skin Care Tips: To care for dry skin, you’ll want to moisturize tons by applying a rich moisturizer several times each day. Try to keep the air in your home warm and moist to help heal. Maybe you could get a humidifier while sleeping. Avoid using harsh soaps or products containing citrus oils or lots of fragrance.
If your skin is dehydrated, on the other hand, be sure to look for water-based products, as oil-based products can actually make your skin condition worse. Most important, be sure you’re drinking enough water each day! Of course depends on the size of your body but minimum 2.5L per day. Furthermore, it will also depend if you exercise a lot or not, or if you live in a hot country as our body will sweat more, hence we should compensate for more water intake.
Combination
How to Tell: Combination skin is simply having oily skin in some areas of your face and dry, flaky skin in other areas such as the cheek zone. Typically, there’s a mix of oily and dry areas on different parts of your face, with the t-zone (forehead, nose, & chin) being slightly overly oily and shiny.
Skin Care Tips: You’ll want to stay away from the same ingredients as oily and dry skin, such as alcohol-based products. The name of the game with combination skin is balance. Isolate problem areas with spot treatments and use toners or balancing cream to even out the skin.
Acne-Prone Skin
How to Tell: If you get frequent breakouts (or ones that just never seem to go away), you likely have acne-prone skin. This means that your pores tend to be clogged easily, making you more susceptible to whiteheads, blackheads or pustules than other skin types. You can have oily or dry skin and be prone to acne.
Important Note: Blemishes on your skin might not necessarily be acne. In fact, a common skin concern called rosacea is often known as “adult acne” because it can cause acne-like symptoms. Other symptoms of this condition include flushing, prominent blood vessels, thickened skin & stinging or burning. (If this sounds more like your skin, skip down to the “Sensitive” section instead.)
Skin Care Tips: Use cleansers specifically formulated to treat acne, as well as exfoliants & moisturizers that will help minimize breakouts. Gently cleanse your face to avoid trauma to existing breakouts, & use topical gel to treat and lighten acne scarring. Look for acne-fighting ingredient like salicylic acid, clay, benzoyl peroxide or retinol.
Sensitive Skin
How to Tell: Sensitive skin might be caused by genetics, allergies or environmental factors. Signs of this skin type include:
- Skin that flushes easily
- Frequent rashes and bumps
- Stinging or burning after using a skin care product
- Negative reaction to fragrance
- Patches of dry, flaky, irritated skin
Skin Care Tips: You need to be careful when choosing cosmetics, as you’re more prone to irritation, redness, stinging, burning or acne breakouts. Avoid fragrances and irritants like alcohol or antibacterial ingredients. Look for products with fewer additives, and seek out those with calming, healing or anti-inflammatory properties.
Mature Skin
How to Tell: While not everyone’s skin ages at the same pace, the signs are fairly universal. You might notice a wrinkle here and there or more dryness than in your younger years. For more mature skin, you may notice sagging, dark spots, dullness and dehydration.
Skin Care Tips: Mature skin requires enhanced skin care to tackle past and future damage. There’s no wrong time to create an anti-aging routine with restorative treatments, which can boost collagen, as well as protect against environmental aggressors and cell turnover.
How La Beauty Boutique can help
We are professionals when it comes to skin care for over 2 decades. We offer different types of facials catered to YOUR skin type! Book a FREE consultation online on our website, and we will analyze your skin & advice on what facial is best for you & what will be the best at home skin care routine that is best for YOUR skin type.
