Part of good skin is having a great skin care routine that involves protection, cleansing and moisturizing. Another piece of the great skin pie is understanding what type of skin you have and then building products around your skin type and your skin care goals. It turns out a lot of our goals are defined by our skin type.
Skin Types
There are five major skin types: dry, oily, combination, sensitive, and normal. Here’s a bit about each according to the American Academy of Dermatology.
Dry Skin - typically include skin feeling tight, and can also be flaky, itchy, or rough.
Oily Skin – can seem shiny or greasy. Oily skin is more prone to breakouts and acne.
Sensitive Skin – may sting or burn after product use.
Combination Skin – skin that is dry in some areas and oily in others. We’ll often hear folks say they have an oily t-zone (the forehead, nose, and chin) and dry skin elsewhere.
Normal Skin – is well-balanced and not too dry or too oily and not sensitive.
Which category does your skin generally fall into? Mine tends to be normal to dry with my legs getting particularly dry in the winter.
Skin Care Goals
Understanding your skin type can help you determine your skin care goals and what products to buy.
For example below are some possible goals:
- You have oily skin so your goal is to clear up the acne you are experiencing
- You have dry skin and want to keep your skin from getting too dry and itchy in the winter
- You have normal skin and want to prevent further signs of aging
If you define your goals, it can save you from over-spending on unnecessary products that don’t work.
Skin Care Products
So, once you define your goals based on your skin type, you can pick products that work for you. We find that cleansing and protecting are pretty universal – cleanse daily with a gentle cleanser and protect with a good SPF product.
Moisturizing is pretty universal too but I find that’s where folks goals often come into play. For example, depending on your skin type – you might want a heavier or lighter cream.
In the end it really depends on your skin type and what you are looking to achieve.
Skin Care Smarts
Like I’ve said before – skin care doesn’t need to be complicated or pricey. It can be simple. You just need a few basic things and a little bit of understanding about your skin.
For even more tips and tricks to building an effective skin care routine check out our Skin Care blog series.
