What type of skin do you have?

Knowing your skin type is absolutely necessary in order to make a right decision about a proper skin care or treatment, which is suitable for your particular skin needs.

The health and beauty of your skin largely depends on what you eat and how you take care of yourself. A popular Russian saying states that - "after the age of 30, a woman looks the way she deserves". To keep your skin looking great, the first step is to determine your skin type so that you can match it with the best products suitable for your type to improve your look and slow the aging process. Generally, there are five basic skin types: normal, dry, oily, combination, and sensitive, with each having particular characteristics and requiring specific care and/or treatment. To determine your type, use a simple test with a clean facial tissue (or paper) to wipe your face in the morning, when you have just woken up: 1. Normal Skin

If you skin belongs to the normal type, the tissue will not reveal any traces of oil. Your skin should feel vibrant, elastic, and supple. Normal skin is the least problematic type. Lucky girl! It looks clean and smooth and has a good circulation and healthy complexion. Even with a minimum care, it will look good well into your advanced age.

Caring tips:

• Keep your skin hydrated

• avoid alcohol in your products

• keep wearing sunscreen in the day time

• exfoliate as needed

• mask as needed

2. Dry Skin If your skin is dry, the paper will be clean, too, but your face skin will feel flaky, dry, and tight after you have wiped it. It is very common to misjudge dry skin from dehydrated skin. Dry skin is a skin type dehydration is a skin condition. Dehydration is usually caused by a change in your diet, routine, or hormonal, and is temporary. Dry skin is if you skin are normally dry and flaky and is not temporary. Dry skin can easily develop a sallow tone, wrinkles, and fine pores, and it is very prone to aging and irritating. To keep it healthy, you should apply thorough care and use regular skin or beauty treatment with natural masks and moisturizers.

Caring tips:

• Keep your skin hydrated with emulsion and heavier creams

• avoid alcohol in your products

• keep wearing sunscreen in the day time

• exfoliate as needed

• mask at least twice a week

• take omega 3 pills as a supplement, about 2000mg a day is ideal

3. Oily Skin If you have oily skin, the paper will have spots of facial oil on it, corresponding to the areas of your cheeks, nose, and forehead. Oily skin is problematic – it usually looks greasy, thick, coarse, and shiny, has enlarged pores, and tends to break into acne.

Oily skin may be a misconception for people with dehydrated skin, because your skin is dehydrated, your skin is trying to produce more oil to hydrate the skin which in turn makes your skin oily. A good thing though, if you are truly oily skin type, is that oily skin is not prone much to aging and wrinkling. Careful cleaning, minimizing of carbohydrate consumption, and avoiding rich creams can be helpful in improving the quality of oily skin.

Caring tips:

• Keep your skin hydrated with gel based or water based moisturizers

• avoid alcohol in your products

• keep wearing sunscreen in the day time

• exfoliate as needed

• oil control products

4. Combination Skin If you skin is combination, like that of most women, the tissue will have traces of oil coming from your nose and forehead, but will be clean in the areas that touched your cheeks. Combination skin has patches of both dry and oily skin, and it requires different types of care in relation to particular facial areas. Dry zones, which are usually located on the cheeks and around the eyes, should be treated with rich creams and moisturizers, while oily areas, usually on the forehead and nose, will benefit from frequent and thorough cleaning.

Caring tips:

• Keep your skin hydrated with rich creams around the drier areas

• avoid alcohol in your products

• keep wearing sunscreen in the day time

• exfoliate as needed

• mask as least once a week

5. Sensitive Skin Sensitive skin is usually very dry, tends to feel tight, and becomes inflamed and irritated easily. Typically, sensitive skin develops reddish and scaly areas, can be itchy and tingly, and is prone to breaking into spots. It is the most problematic and fragile type of skin, which needs a very special type of care. To get the right body products for this skin type too requires great research.

Caring tips:

• Always test your products on a small part of your skin first

• Less is more

• Keep your skin hydrated but don't put too much products on

• avoid alcohol in your products

• keep wearing sunscreen in the day time

• exfoliate as needed

• mask as needed

Your skin type can change as well if you change your diet, routine, treatments you use, etc. You may have combination skin now but if you use the right products and routine your skin may become normal skin type. So don't give up and don't think no matter what you do your skin type is already determined!

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