Having previously worked in the beauty industry for over 15 years now, skincare has always been my main passion as well as make-up of course, but skincare was my first career path. Whilst chatting skin with a friend recently, our discussion made me realize how much basic skincare knowledge people just don't know or aren't aware of. This is mainly because today we live in a society where companies want to sell us their products so they focus on that, not about the skin itself. I feel I want to address this on my blog and share my knowledge with you by featuring more skincare posts that shall hopefully teach you a few tricks and facts that you never knew!
So first things first back, do you actually know what 'real' skin type you are? This is so important because by learning what skin type you have means knowing how to treat it correctly. So many of us just use products that we read good things about or saw on YouTube regardless if it's actually designed for our skin. Is that you? Come on hands up!1. Normal Skin
Your skin is not too dry, not too oily, just the perfect skin type (The Three Bears Syndrome). You are the lucky ones and rarely have any skin issues and can use an array of products. You don't need to apply too much product to your skin, just make sure that it's evenly distributed and absorbed.
2. Dry SkinDry skin is frustrating. We aren't talking 'dehydrated' skin here as you shall know if you really fall into this category by the dry, flaky patches that you have to contend with. Dry skin demands a lot more up keep and can make having to apply skincare and makeup a chore rather than ejoyable. You need products that help your skin to retain your it's own natural oils not strip them! Hyaluronic acid is great for dry skins as it helps skin cells retain 1000 times their own weight in water all without drying out your face and absorbs super fast, so this is perfect for all dry skins.
3. Oily SkinAlways shiny as your skin over produces oil and sebum. You may feel it a nuisance being shiny all the time but you shall stay younger looking for longer as oils keep the skin youthful so it's not all bad! Most importantly, you still need to moisturise as this shall help keep skin balanced. In winter months use oil based moisturisers and in the summer months use light cream gels. Oil cleansers are great for oily skins as only oil can penetrate another oil, so this can really get to work on the skin by keeping it clean and clear.
4. Combination SkinThe most common skin type where your skin is both oily and dry in different areas and often diagnosed by an oily zone including the forehead, nose and chin. Other areas shall either be normal or dry on the cheeks. You need to use a lightweight moisturiser on the oily areas and a heavier cream on the dry areas, this way you shall please all areas of your face. You have a great choice of skin products but essential that they are marked for combination skin otherwise anything too rich in oil shall aggravate your t-zone but too little shall not hydrate the dry patches. Enjoy using face masks and treatments depending on how your skin is feeling at that time.
5. Sensitive Skin Your skin is very fragile and reactive to it's environment and skincare products. It suffers from redness, dry scaly patches and maybe spots. You need to be very careful when choosing skincare and avoid anything highly scented or with highly active ingredients that can trigger it off in an instant. Keep your routine very simple by not using too many products but still give it all the hydration and care that it needs. The less you play about with it the better.
• Dehydrated SkinNot a skin type but a skin condition. Every skin type can be dehydrated which means we are not giving our skin enough water and this is apparent in about 90% of us because we live in a world where environment, life and diet all play a part in this being an issue. You can usually tell if your skin is dehydrated by lifting your cheek with the side of your finger and seeing tiny lines. These are dehydration lines. It can be easily resolved by using more targeted hydrating products such as serums, face masks and drinking lots of water of course!
• Adult Breakouts / Acne
What no one wants! Spots and breakouts that appear in times of hormonal changes, life stresses, product reactions etc. I never suffered with acne at school then I get to my 30s to have the occasional break out?! This shows we can all get breakouts at any age or with any skin type. Use on the spot targeted treatments for when this happens and carry on your skincare as normal and after time it should calm down. Failing that, a trip to the dermatologist maybe in order to obtain stronger products to help target the acne.I have combination skin that is actually very normal apart from getting a shiny nose but thankfully no dry patches which is due to a good skincare routine as recently posted up here if you want to see what products I am currently using. Where you live, climate, season, age, hormones and so on all affect our skin so you need to adapt your products and routine to your surroundings. I thankfully have always had good skin but that doesn't stop the aging process. Sadly.
Ageing is inevitable we all know that, but there are lots of things we can do to stay younger for longer (yes please!) and knowing your skin type means that you can treat it better with the right skincare.
So, do you know your category? Good, that's a start!
I shall feature a lot more posts on skincare so if you have any skincare topics or questions you would like covered then let me know!
