Determine Your Skin Type

There are five basic skin types but your skin type can change when you enter different life stages. Your skin type can also change because of illness or many other reasons. Here is an easy guide to determine your skin type:

Dry Skin

Dry skin is the result of having inactive oil glands which don’t produce sebum to keep the skin lubricated. Dry skin has a dull appearance and is itchy, flaky and sensitive at times. Dry skin is also prone to premature aging. One of the tell-tell signs of dry skin is "poreless" skin. Because the skin does not produce the necessary amount of sebum the pores are very small or fine.

This type of skin should be hydrated from the inside out and it should be moisturized with rich hydrating creams such as Fra Fra's Naturals Ultra Moisturizing Organic Raw Whipped Shea Butter.  Be careful not to over exfoliate dry skin. Try not to exfoliate more than once per week. Some might find their skin responds better to a biweekly schedule of exfoliation.

Oily Skin

The glands can make skin oily by producing sebum thus making skin shiny with large clogged pores. This skin type is acne prone because of the trapped sebum inside the pores which results in comedones. The upside of having oily skin is that it stays youthful longer.

You can improve the quality of oily skin by keeping a skincare ritual, cleansing your skin with a gentle cleanser that will not strip your skin of its essential oils (shop our foaming African Black Soaps here), avoiding comedogenic creams and lotions and by reducing your sugar and carbohydrate intake. 

Sensitive Skin

Sensitive skin can be oily, dry or normal and can be defined more as a skin condition rather than a skin type due to its delicacy. Sensitive skin can easily have a negative reaction to common environmental conditions and often needs special treatment. Sensitive skin is more prone to react to cosmetics containing alcohol, artificial colors and fragrance oils. If you have sensitive skin you may benefit from natural skin care products and treatments containing essential oils and light steaming. 

Normal Skin 

Sebum is produced at moderate rate in normal skin. This type of skin is not too oily or too dry. It looks consistently moist, plump and vibrant. This type of skin requires less attention as compared to other skin types. Regular cleansing, moisturizing and toning can be good for normal skin type.

Combination Skin 

There are many people who have two different types of skin. This combination is normally categorized by T-zone area covering nose, chin and forehead. The skin around the eyes, cheeks and mouth is dry. The people with two different skin types should assess their skin type regularly because they require different treatments and different products. There will be traces of oils in the tissues in case of combination skin type.