Did you know that every skin type reacts differently to different ingredients? While choosing the right kind of moisturizer for one’s skin, several factors need to be considered. Weather, lifestyle, medication, skin conditions, hormones, diet, and skin type are some of the essential elements that decide the kind of moisturizer you should pick. Remember, your moisturizer should always be custom-fit for you. Kind of occasion and styling also plays a vital role in choosing the right-fit moisturizer. Moisturizer keeps your skin healthy and hydrated.
WHAT ARE THE FOUR TYPES OF SKIN?
When you understand your skin type, you’ve won half the battle in taking care of it. There are four main skin types that are listed here and have their own care regime – normal, dry, oily, and combination, and each one of these skin types comes with its own sets of benefits and challenges. Let’s have a look at each of the skin types.
1. NORMAL SKIN
Normal skin is neither too oily nor too dry. Easy to maintain kind of skin and less reactive to external factors. Individuals with normal skin have even complexions with few blemishes. Normal skin tends to have balanced pH levels and sebum production.
2. DRY SKIN
The skin is prone to peeling due to flakiness and gives a powdery look. This type of skin is generally sensitive to products like foaming face wash, serums etc. and cause irritation when applied. Individual with dry skin produces less sebum than it is required.
3. OILY SKIN
Oily skin appears greasy from an external appearance as the sebaceous glands are constantly in activity leading to excessive sebum on the skin. The skin seems to be shiny, especially around the nose and forehead. Individuals with oily skin are prone to pimples or blackheads.
4. COMBINATION SKIN
Skin type where the T-zone is oily and the cheeks are dry. This type of skin in weather-sensitive and oscillate between oiliness and dryness during season change.
HOW DO I IDENTIFY MY SKIN TYPE?
And if you are still worrying about your skin type, try these simple methods for identifying your skin at home.
The Bare-Faced Method
Follow the simple the bare-faced steps to identify your skin type.
1. Wash your face with a gentle cleanser
2. Pat dry with a clean towel
3. Leave it for 25-30 mins. Refrain from applying any skincare products.
4. Observe how the skin looks, feels and changes over the next few hours.
If your skin feels dry and uncomfortable, you would probably have dry skin. People with excessive shine on their skin will fall into the oily skin category. If your skin displays both oily and dry areas, you would likely have combination skin, and if you experience none of these concerns, you’re blessed to have normal skin.
The Blotting Sheet Method
This is another simple way to determine your skin type at home. Follow these steps to identify your skin type.
1. Wash your face with a gentle cleanser
2. Pat dry with a clean towel
3. Leave it for 25-30 mins. Refrain from applying any skincare products.
4. Press a clean blotting paper against different areas of your face.
5. Hold the sheet to the sun or light to check how much oil was absorbed.
The more oil absorbed on the paper, the more oily your skin will be. In the same way, if you see little to no oil, you may have dry skin. Finally, if the blotting sheet reveals minimal oil from your T-zone only, you probably have a combination or normal skin type.
Normal skin is generally balanced and is usually free from any kind of breakouts. In order to maintain your skin’s balance, pick a moisturizer which is neither too slimy nor too thick. Individuals with normal skin can opt for a refreshing gel cream with antioxidants, as this will help strengthen your skin’s protective barrier, thereby shielding you from pollution or any kind of environmental factors. Antioxidants also lock in moisture, thereby keeping your skin hydrated.
It’s a common misapprehension that individuals with oily skin do not need moisturizer. However, that is not the case. It is as vital to moisturize oily skin particularly after cleansing to stop it from. Any hydrating oil-free moisturizer or moisturizer with an oil-control feature is a good pick as your skin will be in good form and ready for makeup afterward.
As your dry skin tends to flake, it is very important to cleanse off any dead skin cells first, followed by moisturizing it to hydrate and restore it. Individuals with dry skin should look out for moisturizers with ceramides or essential oils, as this will help your skin look supple. Individuals with combination skin should go for an oil-free moisturizer or apply an oil control cream. You can then support it by applying a nourishing moisturizer to your dry cheeks and outer regions of your face. One can also look out for just one moisturizer cream for combination skin readily available these days in the market, which helps keep your skin soothed and hydrated.
TAKEAWAY
Regardless of what kind of skin you have, it is important to moisturize your skin to promote healthy skin. Moisturizer helps increase hydration, protection against sun, brightening and anti-aging properties. So, take care of your skin right away and say goodbye to all your skin worries.