Knowing what type of skin you have is absolutely imperative in order to make the proper decisions in what kind of skin cares and treatments you should use. Skin is determined genetically, therefore you are born with it, like it or not..
Although you your initial skin type is genetically determined, later in life, what you eat and how you treat your body will affect the appearance of your skin. In order to take good care of your skin, we must first be able to determine our skin type. There are 5 basic types of skin: Normal, Dry, Oily, Combination and Sensitive. Each of these types has special needs and requires different cares and treatments.
So how do you know what kind of skin type you have? A great way to determine this, is to do a basic test when you first wake up in the morning; wipe your face with a tissue and check the below:
If you don't notice anything on the tissue, your skin would fall into the "normal skin" category. Your skin should feel rested, healthy, hydrated and vibrant. Lucky for you, normal skin is the easiest to maintain. This means that you have excellent circulation in your body and in general your skin will age well and will not needs as much wrinkle creams as the other categories.
If your tissue is clean, without residue, but your face feels tight and dry after you tested it, you would fall into the "dry skin" category. Dry skin is most prone to aging and fine lines become more obvious and apparent. If you are under 30, your skin may look great, but as you age, your skin will require the proper care, using
If your tissue has oily spots on it, you clearly would fall under the "oily" skin category. Unlike normal skin, oily skin types are usually the most problematic. Not only do you have to deal with oily residue but also you are prone to bad cases of acne. On the bright side, oily skin is more protected from the exterior chemicals and therefore you are not as prone to aging and wrinkled skin. Being able to determine your skin type as oily is the first step in taking proper care and minimizing the negative effects. Cleansing and staying away from those heavy creams will help your skin to glow.
This is the most popular category, Combination Skin accounts for over 30% of women. Your tissue would have some oily spots from the nose and forehead area, however your cheeks are clear and show no residue. Hence its name, combination skin has a combination of both oily and dry skin. This means it requires a special attention, as you need to care for both types. The dry areas tend to be around your cheeks and under the eye area. You will need to tend to those areas with ultra hydrated moisturizers and wrinkle creams, and the oily areas, which tend to be the nose and forehead areas will need daily cleansing (and avoiding those heavy creams) in these zones.
Finally, if your tissue is without any residue, however if your skin feels irritated from test, you most likely have sensitive skin. People with sensitive skin usually feel dry and tight, and has a history of inflamed skin with reddish and scaly areas. You find your self scratching and have issues with acne in some repetitive areas. Sensitive skin types require a very special type of moisturizer to avoid making things worse. You need to do your research on beauty products in general and to check ingredients in all face creams, wrinkle creams and anti aging creams. Now that you are able to determine your skin type, you need to be able to go out there and choose the correct skin care and moisturizer that suits your needs. Always read reviews of people that