How to Assess Your Skin Type + Healthy Skincare Routines
Get familiar With your skin
If you’re not too sure, this post or video below will help you assess your skin type and conditions, and then we will formulate you a routine that will work best for you!
Background: For many years I have worked and trained under many leading experts in both the conventional and green beauty cosmetic industry. I have helped numerous people discover what their skin truly needs and helped them bring their skin back into balance. This being said, all posts are my personal recommendations from years of experience helping others, but I want to disclose that I am not a certified dermatologist, doctor, or full aesthetician, so please seek their advice.
Your Skin Type + Conditions
Many many moons ago when I worked for Mac Cosmetics, the first question I would usually ask a customer was “what does your skin do throughout the day?”, and I began to learn that many people don’t understand the importance of knowing their skin.
Now, ask yourself, “what does my skin do throughout the day?” and below you can self assess your results with the following skin types and conditions:
Oily: Excessively shiny, greasy, especially around the forehead, nose, chin, your skin never feels dry or tight
Dry: Tight, flakey, tired, dull or scaly
Combination: A little shiny in some spots most commonly in the T-zone, dryness elsewhere most commonly the cheeks and around the nose, your skin results might change depending on the weather
Normal: There is not much difference from morning to night. You feel a little drier in winter and/or have the occasional pimple but overall no obvious symptoms or concerns
Sensitive: Redness, red cheeks, scar easily, reactive to certain ingredients, irritated, and inflamed
Dehydrated: Dark under eye circles, surface wrinkles, skin isn't “bouncy”
Acne: Many groups of small bumps, large bumps, painful bumps, pimples, white heads and/or black heads that don't go away easily
Un-even: Easily damaged by the sun with hyper pigmentation, brown spots
Mature: Fine lines and wrinkles, loss of volume, elasticity, and firmness
Routines For Every Skin Type
Oily Skincare Routines: As much as I am sure you want to, do not over wash the skin! An overproduction of oil can sometimes be caused by stripping the skin too much. Try washing your face with a gentle foam, gel, soap, or cream cleanser with ingredients such as grapefruit, charcoal, and small amounts of tea tree. Make sure that has your skin feels fresh, but not stripped after washing. Then be sure to then hydrate and balance your skin, I would suggest a light layer of a squalane oil as it will quickly sink into the skin and not appear “greasy”.
Dry Skincare Routines: If your skin is dry, you do not want to be over washing the face as or further dry out the skin. Try washing your face only once a day, and see if this alone helps. I would recommend oil or cream cleansing with a rich product, making sure your skin feels nourished and not dry after washing. After cleansing, bring hydration to the skin by toning with hydrating floral mists such as rose water or products with coq10 and/or aloe. Then be sure to further encourage hydration with a face oil with ingredients such as rose and jojoba oil, and a heavier day/night cream. I would also recommend gentle exfoliation once a week.
Combination Skincare Routines: Combo skin is tricky to generalize a routine for as it is all very relative to the person. The routine would be a combination of products and routines from both oily and dry routines that would bring back the balance to your skin.
Normal Skincare Routines: I recommend only washing your face once a day to everyone, but the group that can best get away with twice a day would be normal skin as there appears to be a healthy balance. I would recommend using a light weight oil or cream cleanser once a day and then hydrating the skin with an oil with ingredients that contain antioxidants to prevent free radical damage and at the very least, my holy grail, jojoba oil.
Sensitive Skincare Routines: If anyone is to only wash their face at maximum once a day, it is anyone with easily irritated, sensitive, red skin. The goal is to touch the skin as little as possible to give it space to heal. Do not use water that is too hot, including hot showers, baths, saunas, and/or facial steams, as this will only worsen the condition and encourage further damage. Sensitivities are caused by inflammation and you want to reduce heat and cool these areas as much as possible. I would recommend using a light weight cream or oil cleaner that has very minimal and lightly scented ingredients, such a chamomile, aloe, and cucumber. To hydrate the skin use a light weight aloe based moisturizer or pure golden jojoba oil.
Dehydrated Skincare Routines: Dehydrated skin is caused by just that, lack of water. It is very important to drink plenty of fresh water to really see results. I would recommend following the normal skin routine along with also using facial serums that contain hyaluronic acid as it holds up to 1000 times its own weight in water and will plump the skin.
Acne Skincare Routines: Acne is caused by your hair follicles becoming plugged by dead skin cells, oil, and bacteria. You will want to have a combination of routines from oily and sensitive, plus added detoxify and clay masks.
Un-Even Skincare Routines: Un-even skin is usually caused by sun damage or scarring. To repair existing damage you will want to incorporate gentle physical and chemical exfoliation with products that include BHAs, AHAs, and Vitamin C to resurface, nourish, and brighten your skin. To prevent further damage you will want to make sure you wear sun protection before any sun exposure.
Mature Skincare Routines: Fine lines, wrinkles, and loss of elasticity is the inevitable. This being said, if you protect, nourish, and hydrate your skin, it will definitely promote it’s health and firmness. You will want to use a combination of dry and dehydrated skin routines, by using rich and hydrating products.
Now that you know your skin type, condition, and ideal routine, you will be best prepare when you go shopping for all your cosmetic needs. I hope you found this helpful, and leave a comment below if learned anything new or have any other skincare tips!