Before you put anything on your face, or body, it is vital that you know your skin type, characteristics and of course, how to look after it properly. As an avid Beauty Blog reader, I am yet to come across a page where it explains how to discover your skin type. Now, I personally think this is a HUGE thing. Your skin type determines the type of products you can use on your skin, from Make-up to moisturiser- everything. Skin Analysis is a basic necessity for any beauty therapist/makeup artist in training/practice. So I'm going to tell you how to go about finding yours! :)
Skin is classified into 4 main types: -Normal
- Dry
- Oily
- Combination.
Skin types are congenital. i.e. they do not/cannot be changed.
I will now explain each skin type and their typical characteristics. This will help you evaluate your own skin.
DRY SKIN (not to be confused with 'dehydrated')
Essentially, dry skin means that the skin lacks sebum. Sebum is the natural oil produced by our skin in order to lubricate it. Lack of sebum production also contributes to moisture loss within the skin.
Characteristics:
=> skin looks and feels tight
=> looks flaky and patchy
=> feels paper-ish and coarse to the touch
=> pores are very small and tight-especially after washing.
=>pre-mature aging and broken capillaries
=> very dull/pale appearance.What do I Do?
I would suggest regularly exfoliating your face, maybe about 2-3 times a week.
Dermalogica - Daily Microfoliant is a good one to try, and is suitable for everyday use,
St. Ives - Anti Blemish Exfoliant is also excellent, this one is from Boots and much more affordable.
I would also recommend using a hydrating face mask once a week.
My top picks are the Dermalogica - Intensive Hydrating Masque, and the Lancome - Hydrating Masque also.
OILY SKIN
As you've probably guessed, oily skin is the opposite to dry skin; it produces too much sebum. This is very common at puberty, as the 'male' hormone testosterone (yes gals, you have a bit of testosterone too!) is being produced, it causes a significant increase in the production of sebum.
Characteristics:
=> your skin actually looks and feels oily, especially around the t-zone
=> usually have a sallow complexion
=> large pores
=> uneven skin texture
=> blemishes appear very often, i.e. blackheads, spots etc.
What Do I Do?
I would recommend using witch hazel on your face at least 3 times a week, this will soak up the excess oil on the surface of the skin and is what's known as an astringent which with close up your pores also.
I would also recommend that you exfoliate your face - particularly your t-zone - 2-3 times a week and this will reduce blackhead formation in this area. My top picks would be Dermalogica - skin prep scrub or a more affordable one would be the one I already referred to above St. Ives - Anti Blemish exfoliator which is available in Boots.
I would also recommend a face mask once a week; ones that I would rate highly are the Dermalogica - Plankton Masque, and Una Brennan - Super Facialist clay masque. With each of these you leave them on for about 20 minutes and then wash off with warm water and a face cloth.
COMBINATION SKIN
As it's name suggests, this skin type is a bit of a mixture. Typically, the t-zone is oily skin and the rest of the face is normal/dry. (I will get to what 'normal' skin is in a minute) This is the most common skin type, as it is very rare that a person only has one type of skin.
Characteristics
=> skin looks and feels oily in the t-zone
=> t-zone is typically shiny compared to rest of the face.
=> pores are almost invisable on the cheeks and neck, and are far more dilated and visable around the T-zone.
What Do I Do?
For combination skin, I would recommend the above mentioned steps for the dry parts of your skin, and then the above mentioned steps for oily skin, i.e. using the witch hazel and plankton masque along the t-zone and then the hydrating masque on the rest of the skin if its dry. Typically people tend to have at least 2 skin types on their faces, so this is most likely the one for you.
NORMAL SKIN
This is what's known as 'perfect' skin and is very rare! 'Normal' skin typically produces just the right amount of sebum so that the skin isn't too dry or too oily. It is perfectly balanced. This skin type usually appears in children, before puberty and the increase in the production of sebum.
Characteristics
=> skin is soft and supple
=> warm to the touch
=> even texture
=> rare/no blemishes/spots/blackheads etc.
=> no visible pores
SKIN CONDITIONS. These are NOT skin types.
Dehydrated skin
Dehydrated skin lacks moisture NOT sebum.
Dehydration can effect any skin type- even oily. It just means that your skin lacks moisture, not the natural oil sebum. This can occur by using products on your skin that are too harsh or are wrong for your skin type.
It is very common in oily skin types that suffer with Acne, as the salicylic acid which is often used to treat the acne, can actually dry out the skin and strip it completely of its moisture, i.e. you still have oily skin, it is just temperarily dehydrated.
Sensitive Skin
Sensitive skin usually (not always) accompanies dry skin, due to it's lack of sebum production, this leaves the skin unprotected from harsh conditions. Hypersensitivity is more likely to occur here, this basically means that your skin is very very sensitive. Usually occurs on the cheeks and/or the t-zone. Your skin will flush very easily, (go red) and you more than likely will have broken/dilated capillaries around the sensitive areas.
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