Know Your Skin Type

When caring for your skin, the most important thing to know is what skin type you have. Without knowing that, you can make disastrous decisions that affect your skin by choosing the wrong products to use on it.

These are the different skin types. Oily skin, dry skin, combination skin, t-zone type and sensitive skin.

All skin types needs a different skin care regiment and different kinds of cosmetics to care for it.

Oily skin

Oily skin type needs maximum care, as it's prone to acne, pimples and breakouts. Teenagers especially suffer from this skin type due to hormonal imbalance whereas others have it due to excessive sebum production in the body. This skin is mostly oily and greasy which contains lots of unnecessary shine on the skin surface. One needs to wash and clean this skin more often as all dirt and dust gets to stick to it. The skin gets large with visible skin pores which if open breaks skin out in pimples.

You can come to know very easily if you have oily skin by wiping off your face with a tissue in the morning when you get up before washing your face. If there is so much oil trace on your face then your skin is oily and requires more care then other skin types.

Caring for oily skin - For those with oily skin there are specially formulated face washes available in the market. A generic option is to use astringent and rose water then wipe off with a cotton dab often to clean the grease off the face as using soap many times on face isn't good for this type of skin. It requires more care. While choosing moisturizers for oily skin you should remember that they should be water based. Gel creams and lotions are good for oily skin. One with oily skin should avoid consumption of fried and saturated food. Clay and sandalwood powder packs are very good for oily skin. A mild scrubber too should be used on oily skin to remove black heads and dead skin cells.

Normal skin

If you have normal skin you are lucky, as you require the least amount of care for your skin type. You just need a normal skin cleaning and caring routine. You can check for a normal skin the same way one finds out about oily skin. Wipe your face off with a dry tissue in the morning without a wash. If there is neither oil nor dryness then you have a normal skin.

Caring for normal skin - normal skin requires normal cleaning, toning and moisturizing on the skin. Once in a fortnight you can apply a face pack for normal skin to keep it fresh.

Combination skin

This skin type is somewhat dry and somewhat oily. It can be oily around the nose area and patchy or dry on cheeks. You can find out the same way as you would find out about oily and normal skin with a dry tissue paper. If there is oil only in the center part of the tissue then you have a combination skin. For people with a combination skin oil comes off from the forehead and nose which is considered to be the oiliest part of the skin, but does not come from the cheeks. Most people have combination skin.

Caring for combination skin - wash the skin off with a mild cleanser. Use astringent on the oily part of the face. While applying moisturizers concentrate on dry area more. Apply little on oily parts of the face and properly on the dry area. Otherwise you will get dry patches on your face. The best way to balance combination skin is, while getting up in the morning spread oil based skin care solution all over the face, then wash it without soap. You should never use any soap on face in the morning before taking bath. That natural oil on the face is very good for the skin to keep it moist and young.

Dry skin

A dry skin has a thin texture and looks visibly dry normaly. You have dryness on your face even in the morning. This skin type requires more care like oily skin. Caring for Dry Skin - It requires more moisturizing than the other skin types or it will look patchy/red.It requires face wash and creams that are specially made for dry skin type. If you have a dry skin should never forget to apply a good night cream while going to bed. The only advantage with this skin is that it hardly breaks into acne and pimples.

One with dry skin needs lots of water to hydrate the skin, as it requires lots of moisture since the body produces less sebum than it requires.

Sensitive skin

This skin is sensitive to dirt, dust, sun and most creams, soaps and lotions. There is itching, redness and patches on the skin and you break out easily. You have to be very careful while using anything on sensitive skin. Caring for Sensitive Skin - You should use all mild skin products as face wash, moisturizers and face packs specially made for sensitive skin. You cannot use perfumed soaps and lotions on sensitive skin.