Know your Skin Type: What Type Of Skin Do I Have?

Be Proactive When it Comes to Your Skin.
So you want to know your skin type? I think its an awesome idea! Ladies if you know your skin type that can really help you out for the rest of your skin’s life! It is never too early to start taking care of your skin in fact start taking care of your skin now because it is easier to be preventative then trying to fix a problem. Knowing your skin type can really help you out with finding the best products and the best ways to take care of it.

Acne Made me Feel Self-Conscious in High School.
Growing up, I had acne like many teens do and for me I was very self-conscious about it. I mean those puss filled white heads staring at everyone was not that attractive. Hiding behind my hair didn’t make things any better either since the oils from my hair just made it worse.

I had gone to see a dermatologist a few times, paid a ridiculous copay, the doctor would see me for 5 minutes throw the latest product at me to find out it didn’t work. I would go to the store and buy whatever I thought looked like the best choice. Many of the acne skin cleansers I bought dried my skin out like no tomorrow!! I always felt like my acne got worse not better.

As I would find out down the road when I went to school to be an esthetician, I was right! A lot of the cleansers in the stores are loaded with perfumes which dry your skin out and strip your skin of its natural oils therefore your skin thinks it needs to produce more oil and overproducing it causes, you got it….acne!

Maybe you can relate, maybe you have a similar story or maybe you just want to find out your skin type!!!!!

You Can Benefit So Much By Knowing Your Skin Type.
If I were to know exactly my skin type as a teen, the products to use and how to take care of it, I would have saved myself a lot of time, money and pimples!

There are 5 Basic Skin Types.

The 5 skin types are all based on the amount of sebum (oil) your skin produces. Normal, oily, dry, combination and sensitive are the 5 skin types.

1. Normal Skin Type.
The first skin type I will talk about is normal skin. What a dream right??? Having normal skin would be amazing. Some people are blessed with normal skin and if you have that, take care of it and cherish it because we are all jealous of you!

Normal skin produces a sufficient amount of moisture and sebum. Sebum is the oil production and moisture represents the hydration your skin holds. It is realistic for normal skin to have a few breakouts here or there. I mean you are human after all! Normal skin produces small to medium sized pores throughout the t-zone.

You still need to take care of normal skin to keep it at its best. Remember skincare is all about being preventative.

Suggestions for Normal Skin Type Products.

1. Cleanser – An all skin type cleanser.
2. Exfoliant – A gentle microfoliant (some brands offer a very gentle microfoliant that you can use daily, if you find something a little stronger I would suggest every 1-2 weeks)
3. Mask – There are so many masks out there. Decide what your skin is lacking that week. There are masks for hydration if you are feeling dehydrated. Let’s say you got a little red from the sun that day, there are oatmeal masks to help soothe your skin. Let’s say it is that time of the month, you are breaking out here and there, you can always use a clay based mask (absorbs oils) in those areas.
4. Moisturizer – A light to medium weight moisturizer.

2. Dry skin type.
Dry skin doesn’t produce an adequate amount of sebum. Dry skin is prone to wrinkles and fine lines if you don’t take care of it. And ladies that is what we are trying to avoid in life!! But don’t worry with knowledge, proper treatment and precautions we can prevent this from happening.

If there is not enough oils in your skin, it is not going to be nice and plump. Instead your skin is going to cave in therefore create fine lines and wrinkles. So our goal is to get an adequate amount of sebum so our skin is plump, yes I said plump! Normally plump isn’t the greatest word to be called but if your skin is nice and plump, its full and youthful looking!!

Suggestions for dry skin type products.
Cleanser: Find a cream based cleanser, this will bring nourishment, hydration and moisture to your skin.

Also if you are wondering what the heck is the difference between moisture and hydration in your skin?! Let me tell you. Our skin needs both. Moisture is the amount of oil our skin produces and hydration is the amount of water your skin holds. Therefore the dryness is related to the lack of sebum production and hydration is related to the lack of water (dehydration).

1. Exfoliant – Dry skin needs to be exfoliated 2-3 times a week. There are a lot of dead skin cells sitting on top of our faces, all that flakiness is causing a barrier for any of our products to penetrate into our skin. So our best bet….get rid of those pesky gross dead things!!!
2. Mask – A great benefit you could give your skin is a mask 2-3 times a week! Give your skin that extra zing! A cream based mask, a hydration mask, an oatmeal mask can help moisturize, soothe and nourish dry skin.
3. Moisturizer – A medium to heavy weight moisturizer is a good choice to help give your skin adequate moisture.

3. Oily Skin Type.
Oily skin type is not so fun but we can get it into control! Oily skin displays excess sebum production which appears thick and shiny. Oily skin type is prone to breakouts and clogged pores. They have large pore size. In contrast to dry skin, oily skin appears plump and less likely to display fine lines and wrinkles. So that is a plus.

Oily Skin Type Suggestions.

1. Cleanser – Oily skin needs a foaming cleanser that is going to trap all of the oils.
2. Exfoliation – You may feel you want to exfoliate several times a week, but don’t! I promise you ladies you will end up with it way worse. Over-exfoliating can strip your natural oils and trick your skin into believing it needs to produce even more oil and cause acne. So keep the exfoliating to 2-3 times a week with a gentle exfoliant.
3. Mask – Oily skin needs a clay based mask that will absorb all of the excess oils.
4. Moisturizer – Your oily skin still needs moisture and hydration!! So using a moisturizer that is perfect for your skin type is so important. If you use a heavy moisturizer your skin is going to look like a giant grease ball!

So a light weight moisturizer would be best.

4. Combination Skin Type.
Combination skin type is two different worlds! You can be combo oily where the t-zone is oily and the rest of your face is normal. Or you can be combo dry where the t-zone may be normal or slightly oily and the rest of you is dry.

It may sound a little difficult to treat this type of skin but let me tell you it is not! There are so many products out there it is all about finding the product that works best for you.

Combination Skin Type Suggestions.

1. Cleanser – Combo skin type should use a cleanser for all skin types. Or you can choose a cleanser based on the day your skin is having. If you are extra oily that day, use a foaming cleanser to trap those oils. If you are feeling more on the dry side that day, use a cream cleanser to add a little extra nourishment.
2. Exfoliate – Combo skin type should use an exfoliant around 2-3 times a week to get rid of the dead skin cells sitting on top of your skin.
3. Mask – This is where I think it gets fun! Choose two masks. One mask to target oily or dry parts of your skin and one to target the normal parts of your skin. Apply these masks where they are needed.
4. Moisturizer – Use a medium weight moisturizer.

5. Sensitive Skin Type.
Sensitive skin type is rough but you can help nourish and take care of it! Sensitive skin is prone to inflammation. So steer clear from friction and hot temperature.

Sensitive skin’s surface is compromised and can display acne, rosacea, or contact dermatitis which is a red itchy rash. Coolness and hydration is going to feel good on this skin type.

Sensitive Skin Type Suggestions.

1. Cleansers – A very mild and gentle cleanser will work well for this skin type.
2. Exfoliant – Exfoliating is okay! However do not use a manual exfoliant that will cause friction and a lot of irritation. I would recommend a chemical exfoliant that does its job without being moved around.
3. Mask – A great mask would be an oatmeal based mask. This will give the skin a calming and soothing experience while hydrating.
4. Moisturizer – A heavy weighted moisturizer that will help protect, renew and nourish the skin all day.

There you have it! The five skin types. I hope this has helped you decide which skin type you are and helps you start being preventative today!

Serums Can Help Boost Your Skin Care Routine.
I want to point out there are also serums that target specific concerns whether it be hydration, irritation, acne, sunburn, etc. These are great to pat into your skin right before you apply your moisturizer. Serums can help give your skin that little added boost it needs.

Seek Out a Great Esthetician Before You go Running to a Dermatologist.

I just want to give a recommendation from my personal experience. As a teen I had gone to a few dermatologists and didn’t have the greatest experience as I said above. I’m not saying they can’t be amazing, I just didn’t have a good experience. I suggest going to an esthetician and learning about microdermabrasions and chemical peels because let me tell you these did wonders for my skin! Microdermabrasion exfoliates and sucks out the dead skin cells and clogged pores giving your skin the room for new skin cells to come to the surface and give you such a glow!! Chemical peels get even deeper than manual exfoliants and really deep clean your pores!! I get both of these done together and its a beautiful combination!!

Most importantly ladies I can’t stress this enough, every season, every day apply an SPF to your morning routine!! Wrinkles are 90% caused by the sun and only 10% by natural aging. Think about that!!! You can prevent that!!

Comment below and let me know what your skin type is!

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