HOW TO KNOW YOUR PERFECT SKIN TYPE

Your skin is your largest body organ. Understating your specific skin will help you in caring for your skin and knowing how it adapts to different circumstances and seasonality. Every person’s skin is unique, but the main skin types are dry, oily, normal or combination and sensitive skin. Before you decide on what type of product to use o your skin, there different steps used to figure what type of skin you have. • Prepping Your Skin Remove any makeup. Use makeup remover to remove all traces of make-up from your face. This will also help with removing dirt and oil from your face. Wash your face . Wet your face with warm water, then pour a dime-size amount of a gentle face cleanser in the palm of your hand. Gently massage your face with your fingertips ensuring that you've covered all areas with the facial soap and water. Thoroughly rinse your face with cool or warm water, then pat your face dry with a clean towel or washcloth. Avoid over-washing your face as this could lead to dry skin. Wait a few minutes. Don't apply any products to your face during this time such as moisturizer or acne spot-treatments, and avoid touching your face. • Examining Your Skin Notice how your skin feels. If you have dry skin, your face will feel taut after cleansing whereas oily skin will feel cleaner right after washing it. Your T-zone will feel clean if you have combination skin, but your cheeks will feel tight. Sensitive skin will react to certain cleansers, and may cause itchy skin or a rash. If you have sensitive skin, your face will get red, itchy, or a rash could form after using certain facial products. Oily skin will start to feel greasy again as your day continues. If you're noticing your skin doesn't fall under any of these categories and you're free of problem areas, you have normal skin which requires low maintenance! Congratulations! You can get pimples or acne at any age, especially if you have an oily skin type. Look in the mirror. If you notice red, flaky patches all over your face, you most likely have dry and/or sensitive skin. If your face is shiny all over, you have oily skin. A combination of both means you have combination skin. Look at your pore size. If you have normal skin, your pores will be visible but not large. Take a few steps back from the mirror. If you still see your pores, you have oily skin. If your pores are not at all visible, you have dry skin. Combination skin occurs when you have more than one pore size on your face resulting in a combination of dry, oily and normal skin. Pinch your skin. If your skin easily wrinkles after pressure is applied, you have dry or combination skin. Oily skin will feel smooth. Dab your face with a tissue. Wait a few hours after you wash your face. Pat the area of the T-zone, which consists of your forehead and nose. Look at the tissue to determine if oil rubbed off on it. If it did, you either have oily or combination skin. • Treating Your Skin Apply moisturizer to dry skin. Apply a fragrance-free cream to the dry areas on your skin. Don't overdo it on the soap when you take a shower, and use warm water, not hot water. Dry skin can also lead to dermatitis. In this case, treat your problem areas with hydrocortisone ointment. Cleanse morning and night if you have oily skin. Apply a gentle facial cleanser with warm water to wash your face for 30 seconds to a minute. Treat your problem areas with facial products containing benzoyl peroxide, glycolic acid or salicylic acid. Buy a small sample before trying these spot treatments or medicated pads so you can test which one works the best on your face. You can also use blotting paper to remove excess oil from your face. Press it against the oily area for about 15 seconds. This will absorb the oil and make your face appear less shiny. Don't avoid moisturizer. Even oily skin needs to be moisturized, just use an oil-free moisturizer. Find a balanced treatment for combination skin. Use a fragrance-free gentle cleanser to wash your face, and avoid soaps with harsh chemicals. Eat more foods with essential fatty acids including salmon, flaxseed and walnuts or take a fish oil supplement. This will help moisturize your skin without adding oil to it. Use a soap-free facial cleanser on sensitive or acne-prone skin. Use a gentle facial cleanser without added fragrance or chemicals in order to prevent skin irritation. Moisturize your skin to prevent potential breaking of dry spots. Test skin products before using them by applying a small amount behind your ear, then to the side of your eye, and seeing how it responds overnight. Stay hydrated . Drink water if you want a healthy complexion. Your skin will produce more sebum (oil) if it's dehydrated to keep itself lubricated. If you stay hydrated, your skin will thank you.