What's Your Type?
Admit it, we all have a type.
This is something I thought I had written about, but when I went back through my blogs, I realized I couldn’t find anything that just went into skin types. So here it is.
For sake of confusion later, there are five skin types:
Normal
Dry
Combination
Oily
Sensitive- kinda
The first four are your “traditional” skin types. The reason sensitive has “kinda” next to it is because sometimes you won’t see it listed, sometimes you will, so I am adding it as a skin type and not a skin condition.
To figure out your skin type, look at the pore size in your T-zone, are they visible? By visible, I do not mean stand right up against your mirror and inspect your face. No one (hopefully, except in intimate partner) is getting this close to your face. By visible pores means I can see them from a distance of at least a foot, so stand at a reasonable distance when looking at your pores.
The next step is to record what time of day you notice an oily shine. Keep track for a couple of days, just to account for hormonal fluctuations, or other factors. Find a regular time of day when you notice that oily shine, and not from product but from your skin. If it is early or before 11am, you probably fall in the oily skin category. If after 12pm, this could be a result of a. product oil or b. combination skin. If you don’t ever notice an oily shine, most likely dry skin. Let’s say sometimes your skin has oil in the T-zone but not really noticeable, most likely normal skin. Sensitive skin type is not based on oil production, but more your skin’s natural reactivity and surface redness.
Now that you know how to determine your skin type, there are some important notes to make about ALL skin types. These are four facts that we all share, should live by when it comes to taking care of our skin and seeing that we are all share a lot more in common.
Your skin type isn’t based on your skin’s tone. Your skin is colorblind.
- unknown
Your skin type, as mentioned above, is based on your oil production and pore size. That is something that you are born with, and doesn’t change over time, it stays consistent. As in the case with sensitive skin, genetics play a huge role in your skin type. Just look at your parents and grandparents, and you should have a pretty good idea of what your skin will be like, and who you get what from.
Not to sound like a broken record, but again oil and water are your balance points, too much of either sends your skin out of balance. With normal and combination skin types, you will find there is a close balance already, and easy to keep it in balance. In dry skin, you will need to add oil in to maintain the balance, the opposite being true for oily skin, it needs water and absorption of oil. Your skincare is where you support your skin’s balance. A healthy lifestyle and diet are also going to be key, but your body isn’t sending resources to your skin unless wounded, so our products act as that exterior support.
This is really where your skincare starts to shine. So we discussed that your skin type is, for lack of a better word, fixed. What changes are the skin conditions, like acne, dehydration, pigmentation and sensitized skin. The products that are targeting these conditions are typically: exfoliant, toner, serums, treatment masks. Check out and of my “Back to Basics” blog series to learn more on each one of those.
Our skin is pretty wise in giving us life lessons. It shows us how important self care is when that late-night snack pimple pops up, it reminds us to stay hydrated, and shows us that no matter what changes we experience on the outside, who we are stays the same. Knowing your skin type empowers you in the product choices you make, and in understanding why your experiencing something, and that it’s just a condition and not the end of the world.
There is also one very important note I would like to make about ALL skin types:
No matter what skin type you have, we all need moisturizer. It serves many purposes other than just hydrating our skin, and what changes (based on your skin type) is the “weight” of the moisturizer.
If your skin produces more oil, go for a lighter, more gel like moisturizer and not a rich cream. Similarly, there are medium weight for combo or normal skin types and heavier ones for drier skin.
I will say, once I started using the right weight moisturizer for my skin, and it was some trial and error, I notice how happy my skin feels after my nightly routine, and how much more hydrated it looks, without looking greasy.
Hopefully, this quick blog explained skin types and maybe even helped you find out which one you have. If you ever want to talk skin or talk with me about your home skin care routine, visit my Instagram and drop me a message!
Till next time, be good to your skin and even better to yourself,
xx eri