Beauty 101: What's your (skin) type?

One of the most frequent questions I receive, either in my DM’s or IRL, is some variation of “what’s a good moisturizer?” which is kind of like asking me what a good vitamin is. It’s an extremely vague question that begs a very specific answer. Everyone needs moisturizer, just like everyone needs vitamins, but the type of moisturizer you choose is dependent on your skin type. Knowing your skin type is, in my opinion, as important as knowing your shoe size, or if you have any allergies, or if you’re one of the cursed people who think cilantro tastes like soap. If you don’t have this critical information, you’re going to be really uncomfortable and make a lot of bad choices. I’d love to be able to answer every product Q that comes my way, but skin type needs to come first. So let’s save the moisturizer recommendations for another day, and instead let’s talk about skin types.

There are four basic skin types:

Normal, dry, oily, and combination. I often see “sensitive” categorized as a skin type, but that is more of a quality. You can be oily/sensitive, dry/sensitive, etc etc. “Sensitive” just means your skin is more prone to reactions. Same with “acne prone”. Acne prone skin often lives in oily land, but acne is such a complicated and varied condition that it simply can’t be pinned down as one “type”. One of the easiest ways to figure out your skin type is to evaluate how much sebum your face produces.

Sebum is an oily substance that our body produces that is necessary for lubricating our skin and keeping our cells healthy. Sebum helps keep a natural barrier on our skin that keeps it hydrated and protects it from external factors that may cause harm. However, if your body over-produces sebum, you may be more prone to acne and blemishes. Sebum is a major component of what you see at 3pm when you look in the mirror and realize your T-zone is gleaming like Beyonce’s 24 Grammy’s. We love sebum, but like most things, it serves us best in moderation.

Some of my personal favorites are the DHC Deep Cleansing Oil and Kiehl’s Midnight Recovery Botanical Cleansing Oil. Massage 1-2 pumps of the product on your skin in circular motions for 1 minute before rinsing off with lukewarm water to avoid dehydration. There are a ton of amazing oil cleansers on the market, and as one of my favorite categories of skin care, I’ve tried more than a few of them. You can shop my favorites here.

Normal Skin

“Normal” simply refers to well balanced skin. Not too oily, not too dry. In general, the pores are neither tight and small, nor large and over-productive. However, it is normal for “normal” skin to be a bit oily and have visible pores in the T-zone (forehead, nose, chin). Normal skin will typically have a smooth texture, and a uniform flush. 

Dry Skin

“Dry” refers to skin that does not produce enough sebum. A lack of sebum means that your skin doesn’t have the lipids necessary to maintain healthy barrier function. If you have dry skin, your face might often feel dry, or “tight”. Using overly astringent products may cause a stinging or burning sensation. You probably do not have many visible pores, especially not out towards the perimeter of your face. Dry skin exists to varying degrees, but it is more common in women than in men, and can look tight, rough, dry, and dull.

Oily Skin

“Oily” refers to skin that over produces sebum. If you have oily skin, you probably notice that you look extremely shiny throughout the day. If you wear makeup, it may cause your makeup to break down in your T-zone. You probably have fairly large pores, especially in your T-zone spreading out towards your cheeks. If you notice your makeup settling literally inside of your pores, or if you must use a “pore minimizing” (not a thing, but we’ll talk about that later,) or a pore-filling primer, you’re an oily bitch.

Combination Skin

“Combination” refers to skin that has multiple types present. The most common is to be oily in your T-zone, and dry in your perimeter/cheeks. Combination skin is one of, if not the most, common skin types. To give combo skin the love and respect it deserves sometimes means using multiple different products, which can be extremely disrespectful to your bank account, which is why it is so important to understand your skin type. If you know what your skin type is, and understand what each type needs (come back in a few days for a deep dive on that!) you’ll be able to make wiser product selections and hopefully end up with less duds on your shelf.

The goal in caring for any and all types of skin is achieving balance.

Much like work/life, sweet/spicy, and leather/lace, balance is the key. Dry skin needs extra moisture to bring it in balance, oily skin needs extra exfoliation and astringents to bring it in balance, normal/combo skin needs maintenance to keep it in balance. Balance is the name of the game, and each skin type requires different mechanisms of finding balance. In the next post I’ll break down a basic skin care routine with some product recommendations for each skin type, so stay tuned! 

Have a specific skincare question? Let me know!