What Is My Skin Type? Different Skin Types and How to Determine Yours.

How many times do you see the words, “oily skin,” “dry skin,” “combination skin,” and have no clue what skin type you even have? Or you spend tons of money on products for normal skin, just to find out that you have sensitive skin and require totally different products. It can be overwhelming. Don’t worry - we’ll help you out.

In this article, we’ll go through six skin types and tell you how to figure out which skin type you have. And where to go from there.

Six Skin Types:

• Normal

• Oily

• Dry / Dehydrated

• Combination

• Acne-prone

• Sensitive

Normal

“Normal skin” refers to skin that usually doesn’t experience extreme skin conditions such as dryness, oiliness, sensitivity, acne, premature aging, or conditions like eczema or psoriasis. The skin will typically have a healthy balance of lipids (oil) and water (moisture), avoiding dry or oily skin. Those with normal skin most likely have smaller pores, smoother skin, and an even skin tone.

How to tell: When trying new or harsh products, your skin doesn’t tend to react adversely to them. You don’t experience many breakouts, blemishes, fine lines, or wrinkles. When the weather changes, your skin doesn’t react negatively, dry up, or look oily.

What to do: Consider yourself #blessed — you can use almost anything! Now, we don’t mean go to your local drugstore and pick up a chemical-filled face mask that looks like it was formulated by just about anyone — BUT you can play around with new products and find what works best for you.

If you start to experience any adverse effects from experimenting with different products, stop using them immediately, and give your skin a rest! Remember to discontinue using any products that make your normal skin feel well… not so normal (breakouts, blemishes, redness, irritation — the whole nine yards).

Oily

“Oily skin” sounds exactly like what it is - your skin is shiny and oily, a little more than you’d like it to be. Oily skin is caused by excess sebum (oil) production, leading to clogged and congested pores.

Those with oily skin may experience breakouts and blemishes more often due to the overproduction of sebum and clogged pores. You may also be prone to PIH (post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation), a condition where dark spots are left on the skin as the result of healed breakouts.

How to tell: You are no stranger to blotting pads. Your skin is always glowing, but maybe a little too much. You find that even after applying makeup, your skin still appears oily throughout the day.

What to do: Daily enzymatic exfoliation will help promote cell turnover and prevent sebum buildup in pores. Avoid abrasive exfoliators with plastic beads and harsh chemicals that may damage the skin (causing more harm than good).

Exfoliation will help lighten hyperpigmented dark spots by getting rid of dead skin cells on the uppermost layer and revealing new skin cells. If your oily skin causes extreme breakouts, consider using a gentle, enzymatic exfoliator with anti-bacterial ingredients to prevent further blemishes.

Dry / Dehydrated

“Dry skin” is dehydrated skin that feels tight and may even be flaky and painful. Dry skin can happen genetically, through lifestyle and diet, hormonal changes, and climate (especially during colder, drier months).

How to tell: Your skin feels tight, dry, and may even appear flaky or cracked. You find yourself adding a rich moisturizer in the morning, only to reapply halfway throughout the day. You may even see fine lines in your skin as a result of your dry skin.

What to do: Dry skin can be the result of dehydration, so start by staying hydrated and avoiding diuretics like alcohol and caffeine. Make sure your skin is topically hydrated as well, using a moisturizer with properties such as ceramides, hyaluronic acid, squalane, and niacinamides. For extra moisture, a serum with naturally hydrating and repairing oils will help, too.

Contrary to popular belief, gentle exfoliation (specifically from non-abrasive fruit enzymes), can be good for dry skin! It helps promote skin cell turnover and get rid of dead skin cells blocking moisturizers and oils from being absorbed. Be wary of how often you exfoliate with dry skin, however. Start with exfoliating once to twice a week. If your skin reacts negatively, cut back to exfoliating biweekly to protect your skin barrier.

Lastly, avoid any products with harsh chemicals or fragrances as these may strip your skin of its natural oils and dry out your skin.

What is Dry Skin and How Does it Occur? (And How to Treat It)

5 Tips to Combat Dry Skin from Colder, Winter Weather

Combination

You guessed correctly. “Combination skin” is a combination of oily skin and dry skin. Those with combination skin usually have an oily T-zone (the area across the forehead and down the nose) and dry on the cheeks or the rest of the face.

How to tell: You experience both of the above descriptions of oily skin and dry skin. Your forehead and nose are likely oily while your cheeks or other areas of your face are dry.

What to do: Combination skin may sound tough to take care of, but it can be managed with these pointers. Use a gentle exfoliator all over, going lighter on your dry areas. Use a light moisturizer so you can keep dry areas hydrated, but oily areas won’t get too clogged. Try an oil-based moisturizer like this one to balance sebum production. Use a toner to even out your skin as well.

Acne-prone

“Acne-prone” skin isn’t necessarily a skin type, but it is a common condition for many individuals that requires special care and attention. Acne is usually caused by clogged pores from either sebum or pore-clogging products.

How to tell: You frequently breakout and sometimes they over their welcome on your facial real estate. Acne can come in many forms from whiteheads, blackheads, papules, pustules, nodules, or cysts. You can have oily or dry skin and still experience acne. If you experience a pimple here or there, you most likely do not have acne-prone skin.

What to do: Starting with the products you’re already using, make sure none of them contain ingredients that will clog your pores. You want to use non-comedogenic products. If you’re not sure, use CosDNA to check.

When shopping for new products, use cleansers and exfoliants specific for combating acne with ingredients like salicylic acid and benzoyl peroxide. If you want to remain more natural, we recommend this face oil which contains natural acne-fighting ingredients like lavender oil, marula oil, rosehip oil, sea buckthorn oil, grapeseed oil, and more.

Note that although acne is caused by clogged pores from potential overproduction of sebum, using a face oil will NOT make this worse. Surprising, right? Ingredients like argan oil and jojoba oil are very similar to our skin’s oils, allowing them to balance out sebum production without promoting acne.

Sensitive

“Sensitive skin” is what it sounds like - sensitive skin. This skin type is delicate and needs to be treated carefully, using minimal and gentle products. Sensitive skin might be caused by genetics, environmental causes, or allergies.

How to tell: Your skin is often red or flushed. You experience frequent rashes, bumps, and/or patches of dry, flaky, irritated skin. Your skin negatively reacts to many products or fragrances, typically with a burning or stinging sensation.

What to do: Stay away from harsh products. We repeat: stay away from harsh products. What does this mean?

Avoid rough physical exfoliators, products for acne-prone skin, and wearing makeup more often than needed. Other irritants may include makeup, perfumes, soaps, and laundry detergents, especially for individuals with eczema (contact dermatitis).

Opt for products that specifically say “for sensitive skin” and are free of synthetic fragrances, parabens, phthalates, mineral oil, or sulfate detergents. As it may be difficult to determine which products work for you and which cause more harm than good, introduce one new product at a time.

When trying new products always do a patch test by applying the product to a small area on your neck or behind your ear.

A product for all skin types

• Oil balancing: Argan oil and jojoba oil, in the River No. 2 face oil are perfect for sebum production balance - making this oil great for normal skin, oily skin, dry skin, and combination skin.

• Moisturizing: Ingredients like marula oil help reduce water loss, while vitamin E, a fat-soluble antioxidant in argan oil, improves water retention in the skin. For these reasons, River No. 2 is a good option for individuals with dry skin, but also won’t increase the appearance of oil on those with oily skin.

• Acne-fighting: River No. 2 contains a boatload of acne-combatting ingredients: lavender oil, marula oil, rosehip oil, sea buckthorn oil, grapeseed oil, chamomile oil, and clary sage oil. Why are these acne-fighting? They contain anti-inflammatory, antibacterial, antimicrobial, healing, and moisturizing properties that work together to prevent breakouts, reduce redness, and heal the epidermis.

• Natural: River No. 2 face oil is made from 100% natural, plant-based oils, making it a safe bet for those with sensitive skin. Always do a patch test before totally committing to a new product, especially if you have sensitive skin.