How To Determine Which Skin Care Routine Is Best For You
Finding the right skincare routine can be hard, and frankly, kind of confusing. There are so many products and ads and prices and words we don’t entirely understand. But taking care of your body also means taking care of your skin. Part of this means finding the right routine and sticking to it. But not all of us know where to start. There are many beauty brands telling you what you need, but not every face is the same, so, where do you start? Here are some ways to determine which skin care routine is best for you.
1. Knowing Your Skin
The first step in determining your skincare routine is first determining what type of skin you have. Not all skin is alike and there are a few categories that define specific skin issues. These categories are oily, dry, combination and sensitive. These primary categories may jump out at you right away as you try to define what issue with your skin you are trying to solve. In case you may not know, let us break it down for you.
Oily skin
This one’s pretty easy to identify. It feels oily and looks shiny in the morning, and by the end of the day your pores are really visible.
Dry skin
This one’s also not tough to figure out. It probably feels tight a lot of the time. During the winter months you may be prone to flaky skin and dry patches of rougher texture.
Sensitive skin
This one is a little trickier because it diverges from the scale of dry to oily. Your face may appear red and patchy in some spots and be acne and inflammation prone in others. Certain products can really irritate sensitive skin, so you have to be careful what you choose.
Combination skin
Combo skin is back on the scale of dry to oily, but it sits right in the middle. No, I don’t mean it’s perfectly balanced. If your skin is perfectly balanced, you don’t need a skin care routine! Combination skin will have certain areas (typically your T-zone) that are more oily and others that are really dry.
2. Finding the Right Products
Once you have determined what skin type you have, you may think the hard part is over. Not quite yet. Now it is time to find the right products to use in your skin care routine. The good news is, you know what to look for. The less good news is, there are thousands of products screaming at you from the shelves. But there are a few ways to narrow down the search.
For oily skin
You want to find a strong cleanser and a light moisturizer. Cleansing takes off all the oily from your skin, so you’ll need to replace a little of it to prevent your skin from making extra of its own. For your routine, splash warm water on your face to open the pores and apply cleanser. Apply a light moisturizer that won’t provide too much moisture. For very oily skin, it is recommended to do a simple skincare routine three times a day.
Here are some products to use:
For dry skin
The main goal here is to hydrate the skin, of course. So find an intense moisturizing cleanser and a serum to follow. The key is to avoid products with alcohol in it, as they will dry your skin out further. Apply moisturizer regularly and spritz your face with a refreshing hydrating mist throughout the day. Also, drink water! Here are some products to use.
For sensitive skin
The key for sensitive skin is finding product that won’t easily irritate. The best part about finding out what kind of skin you have is that a lot of products will tell you what kind of skin their product is for. Looking for that specific banner saying, “for sensitive skin” is key for you.
Here are some products to use:
https://www.ulta.com/oil-free-moisture-sensitive-skin-ultra-gentle-facial-moisturizer?productId=4046
For combination skin
Combinations skin is known for having oily skin here and dry skin there. So combining a bit of the dry skin routine and oily skin routine and experimenting with that will help. Try alcohol free products and light moisturizers to figure out what your skin needs. You may need to specialize certain products for certain parts of your face.
Here are some products to use:
3. Creating Your Routine
Now that you have determined your skin type and what kind of products work for you, create a skincare routine for yourself. The most common and basic routine is as follows; splash some water on your face, apply toner, cleanser, then a moisturizer. Depending on your skin type, this may vary. If you have dry skin, you may want to apply a hydrating sheet mask. If your skin is oily, you might limit a step of two. The most important thing is to stick with your routine once you find one that works. The worst thing for your skin is change.
