By Regina Due, Fashion & Beauty Editor-at-Large
Take a look around. It should be obvious just by looking at other people that we don’t all have the same skin type. Some of us have oily skin, while others have dry skin. Then there are people with combination skin and those with the most coveted skin type of all: relatively easy to deal with, normal skin. Each of these skin types can have a subset of skin conditions, ranging from sensitivity to eczema to rosacea.
It’s a lot to think about, which can make selecting the best skin care for your skin type seem impossible at worst, exhausting at best. Each of these distinct skin types requires a distinct type of moisturizer. Sure, you can use a moisturizer for dry skin on oily skin, but you’ll likely break out. And you can use a skin moisturizer for normal skin on combination skin, but it won’t address the needs of your whole face, and you’ll still have overly dry areas and oily areas.
So, what’s a girl to do? First, suss out what sort of skin you have.
Dry & Mature skin: You have small, tight pores, and you likely produce almost no oil. You’re more prone to flaky skin and fine lines. Your skin may have a reddish or even bluish hue. Your skin will often look tired, even if you’ve just had the best sleep of your life.
Oily skin: The name says it all. Your skin is an oil factory, particularly your T-zone (forehead, nose and chin). Your pores will be on the larger side, which is part of what facilitates your oily look, and your skin will often appear thicker. While this may seem like a bummer, the good news is people with oilier skin tend to age better.
Normal skin: You have small-like pores on your T-zone area, and your overall skin tone is even. You don’t typically have blemishes, and your skin usually looks smooth and soft.
Combination skin: You have this skin type if your T-zone is oily and features medium to large pores, but the rest of your face is dry. More than dry, areas like your cheeks could appear irritated or dehydrated.
Moisturise to Maximize Your Face
Like we’ve already discussed, every skin type requires a different moisturizing approach. Now that you know what kind of skin you have, here’s the type of moisturizer you may want to use.
The fix for Oily skin: Look for a moisturizer with beta hydroxy acids (BHA), which help reveal younger, healthier and smoother skin because of its oil-soluble properties.
The fix for Dry & Mature skin: Look for a moisturizer with alpha hydroxy acids (AHAs). AHA moisturizers stimulate cell turnover, helping to shed that dry, dull skin, while helping to infuse parched skin with a healthy hit of hydration.
The fix for Normal skin: Maintenance is the name of your game. You want a balanced moisturizer that touts antioxidants to fight free radical damage that might tarnish your otherwise even skin tone.
The fix for Combination skin: Opt for a moisturizer with hyaluronic acid. This will lock moisture into those dry spots, without adding unwanted grease to your oily patches.
Keep this in mind: you do have one skin type. Experiencing a breakout that would rival that of a 13-year-old doesn’t mean you have oily skin. Hormonal changes play a huge role in our skin’s appearance, as does our age. Our skin tends to become dryer and duller as we get older, but that doesn’t mean we have dry skin. To find your skin type, and, by extension, your skin solution, think about what your skin is like overall.