About Skin Types

Unlike a chameleon we can't really change much about our skin.

skin types ...

Essentially there are three skin types, oily, dry, and combination. You may find yours is a composite of more than one type.

oily skin ...

Oily skin tends to shine and be prone to black heads and acne. The cause of oily skin is the large quantity of sebum. This helps prevent the skin from drying out but also attracts more dirt and dust than dry skin.

Use soap and water with a cleansing bar to loosen the dirt, then use cold water to rinse. Use toners and astringents containing alcohol and always use a light, non-greasy liquid cleanser. Very oily skin does not require additional moisturizing particularly on young skins.

dry skin ...

Dry skin feels dry and sometimes flakes. The cause of dry skin is usually a lack of the protective sebum. Because of this it tends to tightening up in hot or cold weather. One advantage in having dry skin is that it is less likely to develop acne than oily skin.

To care for a dry skin use rich, creamy cleansers then mild, alcohol-free toners and make up. Keep your skin moisturized as much as possible and when you wear makeup, use a moisturized foundation. Try not to use powder. You should wash your face using a liquid or cleansing bar. Use warm water to lather it then close the pores by rinsing your skin with cold water.

combination skin ...

The most common type of skin varies between dry in some places and oily in others. On the face, for example, the tendency is to have an oily center area across the forehead, nose, and chin (the T-zone) and drier areas around the cheeks, eyes and neck.

Rather than use a both oily and dry skin products to treat these areas individually, there are single products available. It's much easier to use a cleanser created for a combination skin. You can use the cleanser straight from the bottle for the oily areas and dilute it with water when cleansing the drier areas. You will need to moisturize the dry areas more frequently.