Hi there! Thank you for stopping by! I am Mary-Anne, a Glaswegian writer who loves treating my eczema-prone skin to the very best, natural products.
Unless your skin is quite obviously dry or sensitive, it can be hard to figure out what is your own skin type!
We must know what our skin type is so that whatever products we put on it are suited and going to do their job!
So, in today's blog post, I have shared everything you need to know about skin types so that you can easily determine what type you have!
Skin can change!
Before I begin, I thought that I would highlight that skin can change throughout various times in our lives and not all skin types are the same as each other. There are lots of factors that may cause your skin to act out of the ordinary. These can be:
- Stress
- Sweat
- Viral infections
- Hot and cold weather
- What we eat and drink
- Chemicals in our soap and hairwash
- Lots of sugar
- A drop in Melanin levels can commonly discolour the skin
- Illness
Quite often, skin is a reaction to something which is in your body. Therefore, we can break out when we get colds as our immune system will be busy fighting in another area. Our skin will then produce more oil which will lead to breakouts.
You will know best what is normal for you, if anything at all pops up that is new to you, always visit your doctor just to be safe!
What skin type are you?
If you aren't too sure what is your skin type, then sit back, relax, and read on!
Remember, if you feel like you don't have completely normal skin, it doesn't mean your skin isn't healthy. It just means that you need to give it special care in the best, targeted way.
Dry skin
Think you might have dry skin?
Having dry skin can be extremely uncomfortable, or it might be something that you can manage in a few simple steps. The spectrum is wide here! So, if you feel any of the following in your skin, you probably have dry skin.
- Skin tightness. - Especially after showering, washing your hands or even in the rain. My partner often laughs at me after I have been in the rain, and I'll say that my hands are so dry. He'll say, "but they are wet Mary-Anne, how does that make sense."
- Itchiness. - Skin can itch on its own or when being touched by non-cotton fabrics. It can itch because of very warm or very cold weather, and it can be irritated by perfumes and chemicals causing cracked, itchy skin.
- Rough feeling skin. - Dry Skin often feels a little rougher compared to skin full of moisture.
- Stinging, painful skin - Dry skin is often already cracked and when something goes onto the skin, such as water, this can feel like a burning sensation because the skin has lost its moisturised protective layer.
Sensitive skin
Sometimes, sensitive skin can go hand in hand with dry skin. Here are some signs to look out for.
- Red skin - Much like dry skin, sensitive skin can feel dry, tight, and itchy.
- Infections and allergic reactions. - This type of skin is quite fragile and has lost its protective barrier. This makes it easier for irritants and microorganisms to enter inside.
- Skin disorders - Sensitive skin can come along with eczema, dermatitis, and rosacea.
- Easily irritated skin - Skin may become red after hot showers and flare up when exposed to different materials and certain weather conditions.
Normal skin
Fairly normal skin will feel not too dry or oily. It won't flare up unexpectedly or feel very sensitive.
Combination skin
People with combination skin tend to have different areas of their skin with different needs. Some areas may be dry, some oily and some might be prone to breaking out. Here is what to look for in combination skin type!
Oily skin - More commonly, combination skin will present oily skin on the jaw, nose, and forehead.
Dry skin - Often dry skin will show up on the cheeks, jawline, and hairline.
Notable pores - Combination skin often comes with large pores around the nose.
Test it out!
Wash your face and wait 1 hour. Is your T-zone looking oily and not the rest of your face?
If so, you may have combination skin! This just means that you will need to pay slightly more TLC to the dry areas of your face and not clog up the oily areas of your face.
Many of us have combination skin - Lots of people have certain areas on their face which is oily, alongside other areas that are dry and in need of attention.
Oily skin
You may have an excess of oil on your skin and here is how to spot it!
- Oily skin - Can appear shiny or greasy looking.
- Wrinkles are less visible - Woho!
- Slippy skin - Make up may come off easier
- Blackheads, enlarged pores and acne may be caused by this skin type. - Without any treatment, the oil can clog up your skin, causing breakouts and accumulating dead skin cells.
So now you might have more of an idea what is your skin type, the best thing to do next is to try out a few products within your type!
Our website has a super easy box where if you select what skin type you are, it will give you everything you'll need in that niche!
If you can wait until next week, I am going to be sharing the latest and greatest treatments for every skin type and how to keep your skin type glowing and gorgeous!
Any questions in the meantime, please leave a comment below and we will get back to you!
Until next week,
Mary-Anne x