Achieving a healthy, youthful, and radiant complexion is an ongoing process. First, you have to adopt a skincare regimen that uses the right skincare ingredients, which suit your skin the best. Although, this may not be as simple as it sounds. The addition of new and improved skincare formulas into the infinite world of skincare has made it quite challenging to decide what your skin needs and what is just an advertisement gimmick.
The key to finding the best skincare products is determining your skin type and knowing your individual skin needs for optimal functioning and appearance. If you’re struggling to identify your skin type, you’re in the right place. Below are tips on how to identify your skin type and look after it using the right ingredients:
Assess Your Skin Type
It’s imperative to know your skin type because all skincare formulas are not created equally and may not work for everybody the same. One skincare product that works like magic for your friend may not do anything for you or, even worse, may damage your skin. Therefore, it's best to find out your skin type to make selecting skincare products easy and to ensure the efficiency of the ingredients used in them. Here are some simple and basic steps to assess your skin type:
- First, cleanse your face with a gentle and effective cleanser to clear your skin of all the dirt, oil, bacteria, makeup residue, and other impurities lying in your pores.
- Pat dry your face and leave your skin to dry for about an hour.
- If your skin feels tight, rough, or flaky, you have dry skin.
- If your face looks shiny and when you press a tissue paper against it, it comes off with oil on it, you have oily skin.
- If you observe both textures with some parts of your face feeling tight, while others feel greasy, your skin type is combination.
- Last but not least, if you feel that your skin doesn’t appear or feel dry or oily, you are among a few lucky ones with normal skin type.
Ingredients for Each Skin Type
Now that we know how to assess your skin type, the next step is finding out which skincare ingredients or combinations of ingredients are suitable for your specific skin type and its problems. Here are some of the best ingredients for different skin types:
For Dry Skin:
- If you have dry skin, you probably know it's often accompanied by dehydration, scaling, itching, and redness. Therefore, it’s best to select skincare products formulated with deeply moisturizing, soothing, and nourishing compounds to deal with the dilemmas that come with dry skin. Look for skincare formulas containing vitamin E, hyaluronic acid, niacinamide, shea butter, aloe vera, glycerin, ceramides, and lactic acid. According to Dr. Doris Day, founder of Day Dermatology and Aesthetics in New York City, "Just hydration to the skin will make it look younger, plumper, and more radiant.”¹
- It is also crucial to keep your skin protected from harsh environmental factors to prevent oxidative damage, dryness, and inflammation. The best way to defend your skin is by applying and reapplying a broad-spectrum sunscreen or a moisturizing day cream with SPF 30 or more. It will inhibit moisture loss from the skin and reinforce the skin’s lipid barrier, enabling the skin to fight off drying and damaging external elements.
- When applying your skincare products, don’t neglect your lips, neck, hands, and eyes because the delicate skin of these areas requires special attention. It will prevent and reduce fine lines, wrinkles, inflammation, and discoloration.
- Moreover, if your skin is itchy and sensitive, stay clear of skincare products with harsh and abrasive ingredients, like alcohol, preservatives, artificial fragrances, and dyes. They can irritate skin, leading to redness, flaking, itching, and premature signs of aging.
For Oily Skin:
- Those with oily and shiny complexions should avoid skincare products that are comedogenic, greasy, and chemical-filled. Since oily skin is more susceptible to acne breakouts, blackheads, and inflammation, it’s advised to avoid putting anything on the skin that can pave the way to these skin issues.
- Go for skincare formulas made of gentle, non-comedogenic, oil-free, and lightweight ingredients. These should be potent enough to deliver hydration to the skin without aggravating or making it appear greasy.
- Furthermore, if you use oil-based skincare products or products with harsh chemicals, it can clog your pores and cause the formation of blackheads, whiteheads, and acne. Choosing non-comedogenic products can prevent this problem.
- Some skincare ingredients to look for when buying products for oily skin include salicylic acid, tea tree, glycolic acid, hyaluronic acid, and retinol. These compounds are known to be particularly effective for oily and acne-prone skin.
For Combination Skin:
- Since combination skin is characterized by two different types of skin, i.e., oily and dry, it requires you to look after the needs of both skin types.²
- The t-zone area, which includes the forehead, nose, cheek area close to the nose, and chin, is usually oilier than other parts of the face. Use skincare products aimed at regulating sebum production in the skin and help manage oily skin.
- The remaining areas of the face typically have the attributes of dry skin and are easily prone to dehydration, redness, itching, and flaking. It’s best to apply skincare ingredients that work to restore and retain moisture, nourish the skin, and soothe inflammation.
For Normal Skin:
- If you have normal skin type, you don’t have to stress about managing or treating too many specific skin problems. Normal skin doesn’t have the problems associated with oily and dry skin.
- Your skincare regimen needs to be all about preserving the health, radiance, and youthfulness of your skin. You can achieve this by cleansing your face twice a day, exfoliating every week, hydrating and moisturizing thoroughly, and protecting the skin from oxidative stress.
- Some of the ingredients to look for are Vitamin C, AHAs and BHAs, hyaluronic acid, fatty acids, peptides, and ceramides.³ You can enjoy a healthy complexion by simply focusing on maintaining your skin.
Sundree products are formulated for all skin types, and they work overtime to hydrate, restore and support the skin barrier. Our superstar products are crafted to perform whether you have normal, oily, dry, or combination skin. Sundree’s RYSE+SHYNE Facial Serum is filled with skin-soothing ingredients hyaluronic acid, niacinamide, and aloe to keep skin hydrated while minimizing the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles.
Sundree's PEPT EYES Bio-cellulose Eye Masks are Copper Peptide infused eye masks with glycerin, cucumber, and white tea extract to firm, brighten and hydrate the delicate under-eye area. We like to say these under-eye masks help make puffiness go poof!
How to Find the Best Products for Your Skin Type?
After identifying your skin type, the most crucial step is finding the right products and embracing a proper skincare routine tailored to suit your skin’s specific needs. Here’s how you can make the best choices:
- Do Some Research and Scan the Labels - It’s important to read through the ingredients on the back of a skincare product and know what it contains before investing your money in it. If you end up buying products with ingredients that don’t suit your skin, you may not reap the benefits from it, or, even worse, it may harm your skin. If you encounter an unfamiliar ingredient, don’t worry. Just look it up to see how it works and what it does for the skin.
- Order of the Ingredients Matters - Another important thing to consider while buying a skincare product is the order in which ingredients are labeled on the ingredient list. Compounds are tiered on the list in order of their concentration in a product. An ingredient with a high concentration in the product is placed before the ingredient with a lower level. To ensure the product you choose has active compounds of your choice in high concentration, look for them in the first 4 or 5 ingredients. It's not a good sign if you see synthetic chemicals or irritants at the top of the list.
- Minimal can be Better - You don’t necessarily have to buy skincare products with a plethora of ingredients and follow an elaborate 10-step skincare routine to maintain gorgeous-looking skin. Sticking to the basics can provide your skin with all the nourishment it needs. Just find a few products with fewer ingredients that suit your skin type and use them regularly. Even a simple 4-step skincare routine, encompassing cleansing, exfoliation, moisturization, and sun protection, can be highly effective when you use the right products.
- Consult with a Skincare Specialist - If you cannot assess your skin type or which ingredients will work for your specific skin, talk to your skincare specialist or dermatologist. They can guide you after examining your skin and help you choose the products that can address your skin concerns and prevent future skin issues from emerging. Furthermore, they can assist you in picking safe and effective active compounds while eliminating the chances of side effects and allergic reactions due to harsh and toxic ingredients.
Final Thoughts
Adopting and following a consistent skincare routine can be frustrating and may not yield the promised results if it doesn’t suit your specific skin type. Hence, it’s fundamental to assess your skin type and make your skincare-related decisions accordingly. Feeding your unique skin with the essential ingredients it needs will deliver your desired results. We hope this article helps you reap maximum benefits out of your skincare regimen and achieve a radiant complexion without much hassle. For more tips, checkout the video below by Sincerely Miss Ash. Keep glowing!
Citations:
- Lowe, Lindsay. (2019). ‘There are 5 different skin typed: Which do you have?’, Accessed December 21, 2021. Available at: https://www.today.com/style/5-different-skin-types-which-type-skin-do-you-have-t152786
- (2021). ‘What’s Your Skin Type’, WebMD.com. Accessed December 20, 2021. Available at: https://www.webmd.com/beauty/whats-your-skin-type#1
- Shunatona, Brooke. (2021). ‘Ceramides for skin: Benefits and How to Use’, Accessed December 22, 2021. Available at: https://www.byrdie.com/ceramides-4693671
- Sincerely Miss Ash. "How To Find Your Skin Type", YouTube. December 16, 2019. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k34nJ0JV8ng&t=15s
