Understanding What Type of Your Skin

The first step in maintaining good facial skin care is understanding your specific skin type.

There are three types of skin: oily, dry, and combination. And, to get the best results from your beauty regimen, you have to know what kind of skin you have, and how to treat it.

For example, if you have dry skin, washing your face with soap meant for "normal" skin could dry out your skin even more, leaving it feeling tight and rough. On the other hand, if you have oily skin, using a moisturizer meant for someone with dry skin could make your face even more oily, and make you prone to break outs.

Here's how you can determine your skin type.

Oily Skin

If you have oily skin, your face will tend to be shiny, even fifteen minutes to an hour after you washed it. Your pores will be large and visible. And you will often get whiteheads or blackheads on all parts of your face, including your cheeks.

Those with oily skin have to wash their faces more often to get rid of excess oil. But washing too often can backfire, causing the oil glands to produce even more oil. Your best bet is to gently wash your face with an oil-free soap two or three times a day.

Dry Skin

If you have dry skin, your pores won't be visible. Your skin will look dull, and your face will often feel dry. You might have patches of skin that feel rough. And those with dry skin never get black heads.

We've all been told that good facial skin care means washing your face at least twice a day. But, for some with dry skin, twice a day can be too drying. Washing once a day with a gentle cleanser might be enough.

Combination Skin

Having combination skin means that some parts of your skin will be dry, while others will be oily.

The skin on your cheeks and the sides of your face will be dry. The oily portions will be in the T-Zone, which includes your forehead, nose and chin. If you get blackheads or whiteheads, they will appear in this T-Zone.

If you have combination skin, you should use products for dry skin on the dry parts of your face, and products for oily skin in your T-Zone. If that seems like too much trouble, you can use a mild cleanser all over, and then use an astringent in your T-Zone, and extra moisturizer on your cheeks. You can also use products specifically formulated for combination skin.

Determining your skin type is the first step in good facial skin care. Once you know what skin type you have, you'll know which products will truly help you look your best.

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