First thing you need to know is that your skin is a living organ that is constantly regenerating itself. The outer layer, called the epidermis, is as thin as a thread. It consists of a protective layer of skin cells that is continually shedding while giving way to new cells. Below the epidermis are the dermis and hypodermis, two layers that produce the oil and collagen that gives your skin support, elasticity, and shine. It is very important to take care of your skin especially before you go out and spend money on skin care products, it is important to know what type of skin you have and what kind of care it needs.
The first step to healthy skin is to know your skin type. There are four basic skin types. Dry, Oily, Sensitive and combination...Then there is normal skin.
Oily SkinOily skin is shiny, thick and dull colored. Often, protracted oily skin has coarse pores and pimples and other embarrassing blemishes. It is prone to blackheads and whiteheads. With this skin type, the oil producing sebaceous glands are overactive and produce more oil than is generally needed. The oil seeps through the skin and gives the skin a greasy shine. The pores are enlarged and the skin is coarser in texture. This skin type attracts more dirt than dry skin.
The great advantage of oily skin is that it ages at a slower rate than other skin types. So when your 60 years old you can pass for 50, LOL.
The solutionCleanse your face with plenty of hot water and soap to prevent the pores from being clogged. Avoid harsh products that strip your skin of oil and encourage flakiness. To cleanse oily skin, use oil-based products as they dissolve sebum (the fatty secretion of the sebaceous glands) effectively. Opt for oil-free moisturizers to maintain a shine-free complexion.
Keep your skin very clean. Limit washing your face to two or three times a day. Too much washing will stimulate your skin to produce more oil.
Choose your cleanser with care. Avoid heavy cleansing creams. Avoid the use of harsh soaps or cleansers. Use a pure soap with no artificial additives. Try an antibacterial cleansing lotion or a lightly medicated soap, and use it in combination with a water rich in minerals, not tap water. Do not use cleansers or lotions that contain alcohol. After cleansing, apply a natural oil-free moisturizer to keep the skin supple.
Use hot water when washing your face. Hot water dissolves skin oil better than lukewarm or cold water.
If your skin is extremely oily, three or four daily cleansings may be in order and little or no moisturizing necessary before you are 30 years old. After that point, the skin around your eyes and mouth and on your throat may benefit from a nightly moisturizing, plus a mere touch of moisturizer in the morning.
When cleansing, massage your face well with your fingertips, using an upward and outward motion. Be careful not to rub soap into the skin; it can clog pores.
If your oily skin is scaly, you can often correct the problem by using a deep-cleaning exfoliant on alternate nights, and following the treatment with a light coating of moisturizer.
Try using a clay or mud mask. If you have sensitive skin, use white or rose-colored clays.
Use a light antiseptic night cream from time to time if you wish, and apply a clarifying mask one or two times a week.
Choose cosmetic and facial care products specifically designed for oily skin.
Before applying makeup, use an antiseptic day cream with active ingredients that diminish sebaceous secretions. Look for benzyl peroxide in the list of active ingredients.
Use a light antiseptic night cream from time to time if you wish, and apply a clarifying mask one or two times a week.
Washing your face and neck twice a day with a gentle non-foaming cleanser rinsing with warm water. Use an alcohol-free, hydrating toner to help remove additional residue. Oil blotting sheets through out the day can help control shine.
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Dry SkinDry skin has a low level of sebum and can be prone to sensitivity. The skin has a parched look caused by its inability to retain moisture. If your skin has a strong tendency toward dehydration, lacks oil, and has few breakouts if any at all, it is considered dry. It usually feels "tight" and uncomfortable after washing unless some type of moisturizer or skin cream is applied. In more extreme cases, dry skin lacks elasticity and can be extremely sensitive to the sun, wind, and cold temperatures. Chapping and cracking are signs of extremely dry, dehydrated skin. This type of skin is tightly drawn over bones. It looks dull, especially on the cheeks and around the eyes. There may be tiny expression lines on these spots and at the comers of the mouth.
The Solution
Wash your face once a day with a rich, creamy cleanser and warm water. Rinse with warm water and pat your skin dry. Use toner to help with that tight and flaky feeling of dehydration. Avoid toners and makeup that contain alcohol as alcohol-based products have a drying effect on skin.
Avoid the use of tap water when cleansing dry skin. The deposits are too drying on the skin. And never, ever use hot water. Use mineral water to freshen your face. Don't use a washcloth-a rough texture can irritate. In the morning, apply a spray of mineral water on your skin misted on with a plant sprayer. (Do not use a sprayer that had been used for spraying insecticides.) Lightly pat dry.
Dry skin needs plenty of thorough but gentle cleansing, regular stimulation with massage and generous quantities of oil and moisture. It also needs extra careful protection. Washing dry skin with soap and water not only removes grime but also the natural oils protecting the skin. A moisturizer increases the water content of the outer layers of the skin and gives it a soft, moist look.
Use nondetergent, neutral-pH products to cleanse your skin. Avoid using any commercial soap. And always touch your face gently. Double-cleanse with a cream, leaving a light, thin trace of it on the skin after the second cleansing.
Follow a bath or a shower with a mild application of baby oil. Massage your face with home-made nourishing cream every night before retiring. Be generous with the cream in the areas surrounding the eyes where tiny lines and crows feet are born.
Avoid coming in contact with highly alkaline soaps and detergents like washing sodas and powders which contain highly alkaline and drying ingredients.
Moistening with water, then applying a thin film of air-excluding moisturizer, restores the suppleness of the dry skin.
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Sensitive Skin
some people may have sensitive skin long with normal, oily, or dry skin. If your skin has allergic reactions to beauty products and is usually sensitive to the sun, wind, and cold weather then you may have sensitive skin. Sensitive skin has a low tolerance level to certain products or environmental conditions. Sensitivity can show up in rashiness, redness, inflammation, acne, and dilated capillaries. People with sensitive skin may react quickly to chemicals, heat or wind by developing red, blotchy and irritated skin. Different people have different levels of skin sensitivity. Some people may react to a product, while for others it produces no effect. Similarly, some people may have a very severe reaction, while others only have a mild reaction.
The Solution
Look for cleansers, toners, makeup, and moisturizers that are fragrance-free and hypoallergenic. Cleanse, tone and moisturize with gentle products everyday. The idea for your skin is to always choose products with a soothing benefit. Some common ingredients to look for are: chamomile, azulene, bisabolol, allantoin, lavender, camphor, calamine, rosemary, thyme, aloe vera etc.
Minimise the amount of products you put on your face and do not over wash your face. Two times a day is perfectly fine.
When choosing make-up, especially foundation and blusher, buy oil-free products. Make-up that is water-based and non-comedogenic (non-pore clogging) is the best option. There are also oil-absorbing foundations that help keep oil off the face.
Use a daily sunscreen that is not oil-based, preferably a gel, as it's less greasy.
Be sure to use a minimum SPF of 15.
If you have breakouts, use a cleanser with salicylic acid to help exfoliate pores. Salicylic acid in moisturisers can also be beneficial.
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Combination Skin
Combination skin is truly two extreme skin types on one face, both oily and dry skin. These situations occur when there is acne and a lot of oil in one area when the rest of the skin is generally not producing oil and dry. Also, There is a greasy center panel consisting of nose, forehead and chin and a dry panel consisting of cheeks, mouth and the areas around the eyes. Two common examples are a dry skin with papular and pustular acne on the cheeks or a normal skin with inflamed papular and pustular acne in the chin and mouth area. This type of skin is very common, and it should be treated as if it were two different types of skin. If the acne is severe, consult a dermatologist or esthetician.
The Solution
See solution for both oily and dry skin.
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Normal SkinNormal skin has an even tone, soft, a smooth texture, no visible pores or blemishes, and no greasy patches or flaky areas. This type of skin has a clear, fine-textured, supple and smooth surface which is neither greasy nor dry. It glows with an inner health which stems from good blood circulation and excellent health. There may be occasional pimples in women just before menstruation due to increased hormonal activity, which makes the sebaceous glands overactive. Acne is, however, not a problem for people with normal skin.
Some consider normal skin to be Combination skin, but it is not. If your skin is marked by oily skin in the T zone and dry, taut skin on the cheeks, and changes with seasons (dryer in winter, oilier in summer) it is considered normal. Normal skins can also be 'Normal-To's' as in normal to oily or normal to dry.
The Solution
Wash your face with cleansers that are designed for your normal/normal-to skin type. Wipe an alcohol free, hydrating toner all over the face. Apply moisturizer more frequently to dry skin.
The only care this skin requires is cleaning it twice a day with a mild baby soap and water and toned with something mild, like rose water.
At night, to keep your skin's normal moisture- balance apply a thin film of home-made moisturizer.
Any time your skin becomes slightly oily or slightly dry in any area correct these tendencies by following the advice given regarding these types of skin.
Follow every cleansing with a mild freshener to keep pores tight and to remove traces of cleanser clinging to the skin. Use an astringent with a low alcohol content.
Avoid direct heat on the face-including that from blow dryers.
Always use a mild, oil-based moisturizer under makeup to help retain surface moisture.
Guard against the drying, aging effects of the sun by using makeup products that contain a sunscreen.
Once every two weeks, stimulate the circulation and smooth the surface of the skin by using a nondrying mask.
