What Type of Skin Do I Have?

We’re all striving to have the perfect relationship with our skin, but unfortunately, many of us would rather break-up. Sometimes our investments in our skin care don’t always pay off, and we’re stuck wondering why. Having a better understanding of your skin type can help you make better decisions on both facial treatments and home-care products.

Creating a balanced skin type takes work and dedication. There are many factors that cause shifts in our overall skin health:

1. Changing weather
2. Hormone levels
3. Stress
4. Diet
5. Lifestyle

As you can see, it’s not as easy as selecting the perfect skin care products to magically cure your skin imperfections.

Without packing on too much info, we’re going to list the basic characteristics of the four main skin types to help you to better understand your skin.

1. Normal

Don’t be fooled by the name –it’s actually not the average skin type. This is the skin that is well-balanced and problem-free (and envied by all who don’t have it).

2. Dry

This skin type is the most complex, as there are 2 categories of dry:

a. Dry skin that lacks the oils that naturally lubricate the skin, and
b. Dehydrated skin that lacks water.

Our skin cells need certain levels of both water and oil to combat dryness. It’s possible to have lots of oil and lack water or to lack both oil and water. The oily/dehydrated combo (someone with oily skin but has visible flakes) is the most commonly mistreated. Try a hydrator to bring water back into your skin without packing on product that adds extra oils.

3. Oily skin

The most common side effects of oily skin are:

a. Visible “shine” on the skin
b. Frequent breakouts, and in some cases
c. Larger pores

Those with oily skin often skip moisturizing, figuring that they don’t need the extra product. But by skipping this step, you’re leaving your skin to do all the work, which isn’t always a good thing. Moisturizing brings balance to your skin, as well as the right oils.

4. Combination

This is the most common skin type. This skin type is characterized as being:

a. Oily in the T-zone (forehead and nose) area, and
b. Dry, possibly flakey, on the cheeks, jawline and even hairline.

With combination skin types, it’s about creating balance to all areas of the face –which requires a few extra steps in your skincare routine. There isn’t one product to handle it all, so you’ll have to target the areas of your skin to give it what it everything it needs.

Remember: Our skin type are highly influenced by our genetics, so be patient with your skin!