What is the Right Skin Care for YOUR Skin Type?

Normal skin

Normal skin is not too oily nor too dry. There usually isn’t any redness or breakouts. The pores are small, almost invisible, and although some women with this skin type may occasionally detect a sudden pimple, it’s usually associated with the menstrual cycle.

How to pamper normal skin:

• Cleanse your face daily with basic, gentle skincare products
• Opt for those that are high in antioxidants that fight free radicals and ward off signs of aging.
• Don’t forget to apply a sunscreen containing moisturizer (even on cloudy days).
• Consider the possibility of adding retinoids (a vitamin A derivative) or vitamin C to your daily diet to increase collagen production.

Dry skin

If your face is itchy, peeling, tight and often red, the outer layer of your skin probably isn’t too efficient and is saving some of its natural oils, leaving the skin dry instead of moisturized. 

How to pamper dry skin:

• To keep the skin full of vitality, use cleansing products and lotions with ingredients containing hyaluronic acid and ceramides, as well as alpha-hydroxy acids, which help remove the top layer of skin making way for new and healthy cells.
• Skip the foamy face soap as it removes the oily layer of the skin and dries it out. There are tons of products out there meant for dry skin. These products open up the pores helping the skin better absorb moisture.
• Try not to wash your face more than once a day.
• If the skin is really flaky try an oil-based cleanser and toner. 
• Be sure to enrich your skin with products that are designed for this purpose and are based on natural nourishing ingredients.
• Silica / Silicone is a building block of skin, hair, and nails and serves as a major component of collagen production. If your daily diet is low in essential vitamins and minerals, consider taking silica as a dietary supplement essential for maintaining radiant and healthy skin.
• Add essential omega-3 fatty acids to your daily diet, which has a beneficial effect on the skin and maintains the integrity of the cell membranes throughout the body.

Oily skin

If soon after washing your face, it looks shiny and feels oily, and/or if you suffer from blackheads, medium to large pores and acne that aren’t related to menstruation, your skin type is oily.

How to pamper oily skin:

• Keep your pores clean by using a peel containing salicylic acid or alpha hydroxy acid on a daily basis.
• The skin works in a funny way – if you dry out your skin as much as possible the sebaceous glands will work harder to produce oil increasing your chances of developing acne - the key here is balance.
• Use an oil-free moisturizer or sunscreen to prevent it from worsening.
• Use oily skin type products to treat acne, protect the skin and reduce oiliness (without drying the skin out)
• Keep your pores clean by using a peel containing salicylic acid or alpha hydroxy acid daily.
   

Combination skin:

This type of skin is characterized by shininess, pores that are larger than normal, and a tendency to develop blackheads. The skin may be dry and normal in some areas but oily in others such as the T-zone (nose, forehead, and chin). This skin type is tricky to care for but not impossible. 

How to pamper combination skin:

• Use a lotion-based or gel-textured cleanser.
• Make sure to use a toner to tighten and close pores.
• Moisturize often using a light gel-based moisturized.
• Protect your skin daily with sunscreen – but make sure you buy one meant for combination skin. 
• Exfoliation is key here. It stimulates the blood in the face and gets rid of flaky old skin cells. 
• Make sure not to touch your face too much, and as tempting as it is, don’t pick at your acne! This only aggravates the skin and introduces germs to your infected pores.

Sensitive skin

If almost every new product you apply to your face, especially one that contains a scent or preservative, triggers a reaction in the form of redness or a rash, you have sensitive skin

How to pamper sensitive skin:

• Use a daily dose of gentle cleansing and skincare products.
• Avoid any scented products, and try to use ones free of preservatives.
• Soothe irritations and redness with anti-inflammatory products, such as green tea and licorice root extract.
• Do not give up sunscreen. Be sure to choose products with fine protection factors and non-harsh ingredients such as zinc, or consume zinc as a dietary supplement. Zinc is an essential mineral that encourages the healing of skin sores.

Bonus! - Mature skin

When a woman reaches menopause, estrogen levels in her body begin to decline, causing a slowdown in body processes. As part of the slowdown, skin cells are also scarcely renewed. The result: the skin becomes inflexible, and looks slack and lifeless. In addition, wrinkles, brown spots, and sunburn begin to appear.