We all want perfect skin, but buying the right products and properly caring for your skin is near impossible without knowing your skin type! One size does not fit all in the world of skincare. Your skin type is usually due to genetic predisposition, but your habits can affect your skin type as well. Each skin type has a specific set of characteristics and symptoms that require special treatment. Read on to learn how best to treat your skin!

5 Skin Types

Dry

Dry skin typically feels tight or rough, and sometimes even itchy. It can also have some scaly or flakey patches that may cause some irritation.

Dry skin is caused by the lack of sebum production – sebum is the stuff that’s produced by the skin’s oil glands – and is usually genetic. Many assume that because they have dry skin, they aren’t drinking enough water. While it is important to drink enough water every day, that alone won’t help your dry skin!

The two most important things to remember if you have dry skin are to wash your face with gentle, non-stripping cleansers, and to always use a moisturizer at least after cleansing, but possibly even more throughout the day! Try to avoid any cleansers that foam – these are the ones that strip oils from your skin, causing it to become even more dry than it already is. Using something gentle like our Earthly Dreams Cleansing Oil or Rose Water Cleanser will help maintain moisture while removing dirt from the skin. Follow with a heavier moisturizer, like our Forever Young Luscious Lotion, to help your skin stay hydrated!

Oily

Those with oily skin tend to notice a great deal of shine on their face, and may deal with more breakouts than others. They may also feel “greasy” or notice that they have big pores.

Oily skin can be genetic, but hormonal changes may also be to blame. Some have more active oil glands, which may result in the overproduction of sebum. When the body experiences a fluctuation in hormones, which then signals the production of androgens – a hormone present in males and females. The production of androgens stimulates the production of sebum, but when an excess of sebum is produced, it can clog the pores and cause acne breakouts.

The tendency to go for the “anti-acne” cleansers leads to many people’s oily skin to become even more oily. These treatments tend to completely dry out the skin, but when this happens, the skin becomes confused and kicks sebum production into overdrive, thus causing more blocked pores and worse breakouts. Those with oily skin should use a gentle exfoliating scrub 2-3 times a week, as this will remove dead skin cells and other dirt that may be contributing to clogged pores. For your every-day cleanser, choose something gentle that won’t strip your skin. We recommend our Lavender Skin Cleanser, as it is gentle and moisturizing, as well as a mild astringent, antiseptic, and anti-inflammatory – all of which will help speed the healing process of breakouts. Though it seems counterproductive, don’t forget your moisturizer! Using something light, like our Everyday Face Lotion, will help your skin maintain moisture without clogging pores.

Normal

If you’ve never thought about your skin type, that probably means you have normal skin! Normal skin is typically clear and not easily irritated.

Just because you fall in the normal skin category doesn’t mean you have perfect skin. Nobody is immune to the occasional blemish, sunburn, wrinkles, or “dull” skin. Taking care of your skin is important no matter what!

If you have normal skin, wearing sunscreen, moisturizing, cleansing, and removing makeup at the end of the day are all still very important things to remember. A light sunscreen/moisturizer cream may be the right choice for you, or you can apply a light moisturizer like our Everyday Face Lotion along with sunscreen and your makeup foundation. Whether or not you wear makeup, cleansing is still important. A gentle one like our Rose Water Cleanser is nice on the skin, and our Earthly Dreams Cleansing Oil is a lovely makeup remover. Don’t take your beautiful skin for granted – it needs some love too!

Combination

Combination skin is exactly what it sounds like – a combination of dry and oily skin. You will notice some oily spots, as well as some dryer spots on different parts of your face.

Combination skin can be tricky to take care of, because it requires a little more work to figure out what it needs most. But don’t let that get you down – there are solutions for all of us!

Those with combination skin usually notice that the more oily parts of their faces is their forehead, nose, and chin – this is called your T-zone. There are more active oil glands here, so they tend to produce more than other spots. Try to stick to natural ingredients for treating combination skin, and avoid artificial fragrances as these will irritate the skin. Exfoliating is important (our Cocoa Facial Scrub is amazing), as well as cleansing. Choose something with antiseptic and anti-inflammatory properties to help soothe the more oily parts of your face – the Lavender Skin Cleanser is perfect for that. Then when you moisturize, you may want to consider using two different creams. For the dryer parts of your face, use a heavier moisturizer like our Forever Young Luscious Lotion. For the oily parts, use a lighter one like the Everyday Face Lotion. This will help leave your whole face feeling clean and balanced!

Sensitive

Sensitive skin can exhibit characteristics of oily, combination, and dry skin. The difference with sensitive skin, however, is that it is easily irritated. Sensitive skin is pretty dependent on each specific person, but generally people with sensitive skin should try to avoid any harsh products, chemicals, and fragrances. A good rule of thumb is to avoid anything that causes irritation or allergies!

Though there are only a few skin types, these are all broad categories. Skin characteristics vary from person to person, and there is a lot of wiggle room within each skin type. These tips will help you get on the right track to finding the right treatments that work for you – but just remember, only you know what’s best for your skin!