(Photo by Roman Kraft on Unsplash)
I often meet some people who are confused with their skin type. Some of them don't know, and some aren't sure if they have certain types of skin. Knowing the skin type is the starting point to determine two things: (1) what skincare products to use, and (2) what life style to do. Someone with oily skin would be in risk of pore clogging if she uses skin care products for dry skin. Or the opposite way, someone with dry skin will find her skin drier if she uses ones for oily skin. Other with sensitive skin needs high-SPF sunscreen if she has much sun exposure, or needs to manage her work stress well, if she has sensitive and acne-prone skin.
Skin type is influenced by some factors: genetic, hormonal cycle and dietary. The genetic is inheritance. Knowing how the skin of our mother may be good as initial precaution about what skin type of ours. Hormonal cycle during puberty, pregnancy or menopause would alter the skin condition differently. Dietary plays important role to the skin. It gives nutrition to the skin, but on the other way, it may be also cause allergic reactions to people who is sensitive to certain allergen.
So, how to determine the skin type correctly? The answer is by knowing the features.
NORMAL SKIN
How is it? It refers to the skin that doesn’t experience excessive conditions, such as too oily, too dry, or too sensitive. It is just normal and in good balance. People with normal skin usually find her skin smooth, supple and glow.
What to use? In terms of maintenance, it just needs basic regular cleansing and moisturising. Normal skin can use most skin care products, as long as it doesn’t give negative reactions.
In the frame of natural preference, normal skin suits any nutritious vegetable oils and essential oils like rose, frankincense, lavender, palmarosa and geranium.
OILY SKIN
How is it? An easy indication for oily skin is that it is easily getting shine within one hour (or less) of cleansing. Although without using moisturiser, people with oily skin feels oiliness on her forehead, nose and chin, that is more pronounced in hot weather or when getting stress. This is as the result of large pores in those area, that subsequently making the skin prone to pore clogging and acne breakout. As the effect of excessive oil, the make up doesn’t stay on. Despite of those all, this skin type benefits from less prone to wrinkles.
What to use? Skincare experts suggested to use skincare products that is oil-free and ones with salicylic acid and benzoyl peroxide. They believe that oil-free skincare products give less effect to pore clogging. The salicylic acid can penetrate to skin pore to control sebum production, while benzoyl peroxide can get rid of bacteria under the skin thus it prevents acne. However, one must take precaution that the salicylic acid and benzoyl peroxide can be irritating if she has sensitive skin.
In the frame of natural preferences, oily skin deserves to keep using natural oils to gain the benefits without compromising the risk of pore clogging. Natural oils that suit oily skin are: jojoba, argan, hazelnut and grapeseed oil. While essential oils that suits this are cedarwood, cypress, vetiver, orange, lemon and patchouli oil.
DRY SKIN
How is it? This is an opposite of oily skin. An easy indicator is that a feeling of skin dryness and tightness after one hour (or less) after cleansing, particularly the area of eye, cheeks, nose, chin and mouth. People with dry skin will have visible lines and wrinkles on the forehead, and will experience of red and flakiness. Despite of those all, this type of skin benefits from small/invisible pores, especially on the nose and chin, compared to other skin type.
What to Use? Skin experts suggested to use skin care with hyaluronic acids or sodium hyaluronate contents to keep the skin supple and moist. The compounds function as humectant to bind moisture to the skin. They also suggest to use skin care with ceramide content to strengthen skin barrier toward dryness.
In the frame of natural preferences, dry skin can take the benefits of moisture-rich natural oils like avocado, argan, grapeseed, olive, rosehip, and wheatgerm; as well as of essential oils like chamomile, jasmine, neroli, rose, palmarosa and sandalwood.
SENSITIVE SKIN
How is It? An indicator for sensitive skin is that it is prone to conditions like rosacea, as well as reacts to certain topical products (e.g. retinoids) and to the sun. The existence of asthma, allergy or eczema may be also another indicator that someone has sensitive skin type. People with sensitive skin will experience of dryness and scaling on the area of hairline, and inflamed or blushing on cheeks and nose.
What to Use? The best way is to avoid risky ingredients, including ones that is potentially causing irritation like salicylic acid, benzoyl peroxide, glycolic acid and retinoid, as the experts said.
In the frame of natural preferences, sensitive skin can still enjoy the benefits of some natural oils like apricot kernel, almond, jojoba, avocado, rosehip and wheatgerm; as well as some essential oils like lavender, rose and chamomile.
COMBINATION SKIN
How is it? An easy indicator for combination skin is that it is oily in the T-zone area (i.e. forehead, nose and chin) and -at the same time- dry on the other area like cheeks, hairline and nose.
What to Use? People with combination skin needs different skin treatment. For instance, is she has acne spot, then she just need to treat that spot only instead of using it all over the face.
In the frame of natural preferences, natural oils that are good for oily and skin are also good for combination skin. People with this skin type can enjoy natural oils like hazelnut, jojoba, wheatgerm, avocado and wheatgerm, as well as some essential oils like rose, jasmine, frankincense, neroli, lavender, bergamot and palmarosa.
After knowing the features, it may be relatively easier now to determine what skin type of ours. But we should remember that a lot of people out there have combo skin that is unique than as described above. They may have dry-sensitive skin, or combination-sensitive skin, or even dry-acne prone skin. At the end, we may come out to the important conclusion: that everyone’s skin is different. ***
REFERENCES:
Neal’s Yard Remedies, “Beauty Book”, DK London, 2015.
Julia Brucculieri, “How To Determine Your Skin Type, According To Skin Care Experts” in Style & Beauty, Huffpost, 08/05/2019, https://www.huffingtonpost.com.au/entry/how-to-identify-your-skin-type_l_5cd1d496e4b06c00871a7f2a, retrived on 6-Dec-2019.