This may sound simple and obvious but there are lots and lots of women who buy the wrong skincare products for their own personal skin type, and then wonder why they have skin problems.
I know this from personal experience; I happen to have combination skin type and for years I thought the oily side was more prevalent than my dry patches.
It turned out in the end that I couldn’t have been more wrong! A dermatologist finally set me straight and I now use two creams to control the dryness better (I go into a bit more detail about this further down this article).
As if by magic, I found that all my problems with my foundation caking suddenly disappeared because my skin was properly hydrated.
What skin type do I have?
So I recommend that you should really assess your own skin by following these steps:
- Firstly, make sure that your face is totally clean and dry.
- Wait an hour or so for your skin to return to its natural state.
- Then take a tissue and press it against different areas of your face.
- Then check the tissue for oily spots.
By examining the tissue, you’ll be able to work out what skin type you are. Below are your possible skin types:
Oily skin
If the tissue stuck to your face and after you’ve removed it you can see oily patches on it when you hold it up in the light, then you’ve got oily skin.
If your skin type is oily then you’ll have a greasy, oily shine all over your face. When you’ve got excessive oil production it causes your pores to clog. This in turn leads to blackheads, pimples (if you’re prone to them) and break outs.
You can try making a natural astringent to use on your oily skin.
You can also try reducing the amount of greasy foods you eat and switching to healthier options such as salad, protein and fruit instead.
If your skin breaks out frequently, I advise you to consult a dermatologist and make sure any makeup product you use is water-based (try mineral makeups, for example).
Dry skin
If the tissue didn’t stick to your skin and you can’t see any oily patches on it when you hold it to the light, then you’ve got dry skin.
If you’ve got dry skin, you’ll have dry patches and flakes all over your face but especially on your nose and forehead. Your face will feel tight and stretched and you’ll feel as though your face is “pulling”.
If you do have dry skin, you can try drinking more than the recommended 8 glasses of water per day. Increasing your water intake will hydrate your face and should help to keep any dryness under control.
Also, you can start to make more use of deeply nourishing masks; these should become part of your weekly routine.
Combination skin
If the tissue stuck to certain areas of your face and you can see oil patches on it after pressing on those areas, but it didn’t stick to other areas and you can’t see any patches of oil after pressing it on those areas, then you’ve got combination skin.
If you’ve got combination skin, then this usually means you’ve got either a dry face with an oily T-zone or an oily face with a dry T-zone. (The T-zone is the area across your forehead and down your nose which forms the letter T)
This is actually the most common skin type. If your skin is this type then you should use combination skin products or you can try using two different creams on each area; a richer cream on the dry patches and a lighter cream on the oily spots.
This is what I do myself – the top of my nose is very dry but the sides are oily so I apply two creams. I use Oil of Olaz classic beauty fluid on my oily skin and Oil of Olaz Complete Care on my dry skin. I find this to be a good skin care routine which works very well for me personally.
Normal skin
If the tissue stuck but you can’t see any oily patches on it when you hold it up to the light, then you’ve got normal skin. This is the most balanced skin type and also the rarest one. There are not many women who have this kind of skin, despite its name. What it means to have the normal skin type is you don’t have any oily spots or dry patches. Normal skins don’t break out or have pimples. The skin is of normal texture.
Other factors in skin types
Other factors can certainly come into play with regards to your skin type, for example, hormones, the weather, and so on.
So for example, even though your normal skin type is “dry” for most of the year, it could definitely change for short periods of time. The human body is very complex. The truth is that you’ll notice the change very easily though and you’ll be able to modify your skin care information routine accordingly.
And remember, other than the three types of skin above you could have sensitive skin too. This could cause product reactions such as redness, inflammations, and so on. If this is the case for you, you should definitely consult a dermatologist and look for soothing products (or all natural products).
Personally, I’ve got very sensitive skin which means I just can’t wear a lot of the leading brands. I spent a long time as a teenager feeling very discouraged by the kind of skin care information I received. Each time that I tried a different cream, my skin would become irritated and red.
And yes, even some “natural” products had the same result. Remember, like I said earlier, the human body is very complex. I was nearly 30 when I discovered that Oil of Olaz worked for me. That’s just my example of course and your situation could be very different. You’ll more than likely have to try many skincare products before finding the perfect one for you personally.
To help you to avoid having to spend lots of money to find out though, here’s a little “know your own skin” tip: Get samples to try at home. Use the samples found in fashion magazines (the sample usually come in little pouches which are attached to the advertisement pages). This is what I did when I was looking for the right product for me. And thank God. If not, I would’ve spent an absolute fortune as it took lots of tries to find the right one!
See also:
- 5 all natural homemade beauty care products
- 6 DIY facial scrubs for brighter, fresher skin
- 8 must-have beauty products to minimize pores
- Basic tips for acne treatment
- Coconut oil for skin
- Epsom salt for acne
- How to make a natural astringent for oily skin
- How to prevent acne scars
- Natural treatment of hormonal acne
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