Which Ingredients Work for YOUR Skin Type?

Are you always seeing hundreds or thousands of skin care products promising to fix every possible skin issue and have no idea what works and what doesn't?  Do you know your skin type, and which ingredients are best for YOUR skin?  Let's break it all down.

Skin Types. 
There are 5 skin types:

• Normal
• Combination
• Dry
• Oily
• Sensitive

Still not sure which one describes you? 

• Normal - You have no issues with breakouts, oil production, dryness, redness, sensitivity.  Your skin behaves and needs minimal maintenance.
• Combination - You tend to be shiny in your 'T' zone (forehead, nose, chin), experience a few breakouts and feel dry or normal in your cheek area.
• Dry - Your skin lacks oil production and often feels tight & flaky, can have a tendency to redness and be senstitized. 
• Oily - Your skin always looks shiny, feels greasy and you tend to experience breakouts. 
• Sensitive - Your skin feels tight, itchy, burny, and has a tendency to redness.  Alot of products can cause stinging and further redness. 

So now you have an idea what skin type you have, let's find out what products/ingredients work best for you.

Normal:

• Your skin needs minimal maintenance and basic products. Pick a cleanser specific for facial skin and without any reference to acne or oil control.  Your skin doesn't need it.  You need a basic moisturizer with SPF for day and if you are over 30, a good anti-aging night cream with a retinol ingredient will be good to keep skin looking and feeling young. 

Combination:

• Your skin needs a gel based cleanser that foams to help combat oil production and give you a feeling of clean skin.  On extra oily areas, a clay mask once a week will do wonders to reduce oil and draw out impurities and blackheads.  Look for an oil free moisturizer with SPF for day and a slightly more hydrating one for night.  Anti-aging products are fine for your skin as well if you are in that age group.

Dry:

• Your skin needs hydration and humectrants to keep any oil you do produce in your skin.  Start with a creamy cleanser to avoid stripping your skin of oils.  A hydrating mask once a week will really help your skin retain moisture and look radiant.  Avoid oil free moisturizers, your skin needs heavier creams to maintain hydration.  You can use anti-aging creams with retinol as well, but build up to them, start using every other night to avoid drying skin too much. 

Oily:

• Your skin produces too much oil which can contribute to breakouts.  The key here is to reduce oil production, but not stop it completely.  Going overboard with oil-combating products will cause your skin to over-compensate, resulting in even MORE oil production.  A clay  based cleanser will greatly reduce your oil production and help your skin feel more balanced.  It can also double as a mask once a week, simply apply to dry skin and rinse off after 10 minutes.  Your skin still needs SPF and moisturizers.  Make sure you use OIL FREE, which will hydrate your skin, but will not clog your pores.  This could take some getting used to, as it may feel like too much, but trust me, it will balance your skin, reducing oil production.  Oily skin can still get dehydrated, which is why a moisturizer is essential. For breakouts, using 2% salicylic acid in a cleanser and 5% benzoyl peroxide will clear skin in 3 months, when used as directed. 

Sensitive:

• This one can be tricky.  You want to look for calming products (most have this right in the name).  My recommendation is getting checked by a Dermatologist first, to rule out Roseca or any other ailment contributing to sensitivity.  Look for creamy cleansers.  Avoid anti-aging products until sensitivity is controlled.  A product that promotes repair of the skin's natural barrier is best to protect it from outside elements while it heals itself.  

All skin types have different needs.  If you are still confused, schedule a FREE consultation for a skin analysis and I can help you determine what will work best for you!