Building the Best Skin Care Routine for Your Skin Type
One of the best things we can do to protect our skin health is to find the best skincare routine for ourselves. Before creating an adequate and healthy routine, the most important thing we need to know is our skin type. We now know that the needs of oily skin and sensitive skin are not the same, so what should we change in our skin care according to our skin type, how can we find products that are good for our skin, we will discuss these in this article.
What Are The Skin Types?
Although skin types can be diversified, we can say that they are basically divided into four: dry skin, oily skin, combination skin, and normal skin. Each skin type’s needs are different, so understanding your skin type will help you meet its needs and help you achieve healthier skin. Let’s examine the characteristics and needs of skin types.
1. Dry Skin
This skin type, which generally has a dry and matte appearance, is close to the skin type generally considered sensitive skin type. Effects such as cracking and irritation may occur more easily compared to other skin types. Although it is important to maintain moisture balance in all skin types, regular moisturizing of the skin in dry skin types is very important to protect the skin barrier.
2. Oily Skin
It has a much brighter and oilier appearance than dry and normal skin types. Generally, pores are enlarged and the skin may be prone to acne. It is important to exfoliate regularly to prevent comedones. Moisturizer preferences should definitely be water-based.
3. Combination Skin
Combination skin actually is the combination of dry skin and oily skin types. While the cheek areas are generally dry, the forehead and nose areas, which we call the T zone, are oily. What needs to be taken into consideration, unlike normal skin type, is that each area should be cared for according to its own needs. For example, if your T-zone is oily, you can take care to use toner in this area, while moisturizing dry areas more often.
4. Normal Skin
Normal skin is relatively luckier because it is not too dry or too oily. Still, finding the right products can be as much of a challenge as it is for other skin types. Exfoliating too much and using oil-based moisturizers too frequently can damage your skin barrier and disrupt your skin’s moisture balance. The skin barrier and the skin’s moisture balance are directly related to each other and are very important to protect your skin health.
How to Know Your Skin Type
Here are three things you basically need to observe to understand your skin type:
- Does your skin often feel dry and tight? — Dry skin
- Does your skin look brighter than most around you and leave your hands feeling greasy when you touch them? — Oily Skin
- Do you observe different pore sizes or different appearances in different parts of your skin? -Combination Skin
If you answered yes to any of these three fundamental questions, you can easily understand which skin type you have and your skin’s needs by examining the features above. If your answer is no to all of them, you probably have normal skin type. You can also find out what skin type you have by taking this skin type test.
Best Skin Care Routine Steps
1. Cleanser
It is recommended to use a cleanser consisting of ingredients suitable for your skin type every morning and evening. Especially if you have oily and combination skin types, a gentle cleanser forms the basis of your skin care routine. Those with oily skin should prefer cleansers containing ingredients that will remove excess oil from the skin, such as salicylic acid; those with dry skin should prefer ingredients with high moisturizing effects, such as hyaluronic acid; and those with normal and combination skin should choose cleansers containing pH-balanced ingredients.
2. Toners/Serums
As a second step, you can choose tonics or serums. For oily skin, ingredients with exfoliating effects and pore-shrinking effects, such as glycolic acid and niacinamide, can be preferred. All other skin types should focus on maintaining moisture balance and using ingredients that will not irritate the skin. Also, various essential oils can be used in this step. For example, while tea tree oil removes excess oil from the skin, jojoba oil can be used to maintain the skin’s moisture balance and increase elasticity.
3. Moisturizer
Keeping the skin moisturized is a very important step in protecting the skin barrier. While it is important not to irritate the skin while cleansing, using a moisturizer according to your skin type is very important for the skin’s moisture, oil, and sebum balance. People with dry skin type may turn to oil-based moisturizers, but water-based moisturizers are recommended for all other skin types.
4. Sunscreen
Sunscreen use is essential for all skin types. While protecting our skin from UV rays can prevent effects such as redness, burns, and itching in the short term, it reduces the effects of aging and the risk of serious diseases such as cancer in the long term. While it is important to use sunscreens that protect from both UVA and UVB rays, learning what SPF values are and which SPF should be chosen according to the daily UV Index value will help your body produce sufficient amounts of vitamin D and also support your budget, as sunscreens with higher SPF are more expensive.
Key Take-Aways
Our skin is our first defense mechanism against harmful effects such as UV rays, bacteria, and viruses coming from outside, and therefore taking good care of it is very important for our overall health. You can easily understand your skin type with 3 basic questions and create the best skin care routine for your skin in 4 simple steps. As someone with normal skin, a cleanser containing ceramide, hyaluronic acid serum, a water-based moisturizer, and SPF 30+ constitute my daily skin care routine. For healthier skin and a healthier body, don’t forget to check out my other articles as well.
