What Skin Type are You?

If you're looking for skin care products to help your skin, it often leaves you scratching your head about what your skin type is. Sensitive skin is often mistaken for oily skin, and normal skin is almost non-existent.

There are five different types of skin and each have different needs. Using the right product will help you balance your skin and get it as close to normal as possible. But first, you have to figure out which skin type you have.

Normal: Blemish free with no dry patches, itchiness or redness. You don't break out from certain foods, lotions or make up. Your pores are relatively small, and you rarely need any concealer. If you have normal skin, you still need to wash and moisturize to keep the balance, but you don't have to read the labels to find something that will work well.

Sensitive: Your skin is prone to bouts of redness, and seems to react with disapproval when you try something new. Your skin is quite fussy and needs protection from the elements, as well as products that don't absorb too deeply into the skin. You need gentle and calming ingredients that won't aggravate your skin and should use non-soap cleansers and organic toners.

Oily: One of the more common skin types, oily skin produces too much oil which causes the face to look shiny. It's also prone to acne and blemishes because the excessive oil clogs pores, trapping bacteria and dirt. A mistake with oily skin is looking for ingredients that have a drying effect, as essentially this will force your body to produce even more oil. Balance for this skin type means deep cleansing to unclog pores, and a lightweight soluble moisturizer.

Dry: While flaky, peeling or itchy skin is a good indicator of dry skin, it can also present as taught skin, especially right after a shower. Applying moisturizer doesn't always relieve your skin, and you find that applying lotions offers little relief.

Combination: If your forehead, nose and chin are oily and subject to break outs, but the rest of your face is either dry or normal, this is combination skin. It can be a frustrating problem trying to achieve the right balance, but there are products designed to give you all over PH balance for this skin type.

Once you've determined your skin type, look for products that cater to your needs. If you have a specific problem you'd like to resolve, such as acne, talk to a cosmetician about which products will have the best effect on your skin type.

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