What skin type are you?

Having good skin is the fundamental to looking your best, but as everyone knows, a hectic lifestyle can leave little time for pore pampering.

So let's start off with the basics. The first key to speedy skincare if to understand what kind of skin you have so you know what products are suitable for your skin type. Products that works great on your best friend doesn't mean it will do you the same favours.

Dry skin

• Prone to flakiness and never feels moisturised unless you've just applied moisturiser
• Unable to retain moisture 
• Often feels tight
• Without extra care, this type of skin is prone to premature aging

What to do

• Don't use tap water or soap, instead use a rich cold cream to cleanse
• Massage your skin with moisturising oil or serum every night to help stimulate the sebaceous glends into producing more sebum
• Be generous with eye cream in the areas surrounding the eyes

Normal skin

• Neither greasy nor dry
• Even tone and soft, smooth texture with no visible pores or blemishes 
• No greasy patches or flaky areas
• Odd pimple before menstruation 

What to do

• Cleanse twice a day with gentle facial wash and water
• Tone with something mild, such as rose water
• Use a light moisturiser with at least SPF 15 to protect from the sun's damaging UV rays
• Smooth the surface of the skin with a tightening or moisturising face mask once a week

Sensitive skin

• Thin and fine-textured
• Reacts quickly to heat and cold
• Prone to dryness and sunburn
• Usually dry, delicate and prone to allergic reactions
• Certain temperature changes, detergents and cosmetics can cause irritation

What to do

• Apply sunscreen everyday - select one designed for sensitive skin with an SPF of at least 30.
• Choose products with the word "hypoallergenic" on the bottle
• Cleanse with a light cleaning milk

Oily skin

• Shiny with large pores
• Prone to blackheads and pimples
• Could be hereditary, may be made worse by pregnancy, stress, or contraceptive pills

What to do

• Cleanse gently with soap or foaming wash
• Avoid harsh cleansers that strip the skin of oil - this causes your oil glands to work overtime to comensate for the loss!
• Use oil-free moisturisers
• To prevent blackheads, use a clay-based mask once or twice a week
• Choose skincare products with the word "noncomedogenic" on the bottle, this means they have been tested to not block pores and trigger blemishes

Combination skin

• Both oily and dry
• Greasy T-zone, dry around the cheeks, eyes, and chin

What to do

• Use a light cleansing lotion
• Use a mild toner on the T-zone, avoid the cheeks
• Apply a light moisturiser to the cheeks

Tip:

Try taking a daily multivitamin to nourish your skin from within. There are specific vitamins & minerals that are designed to boost "skin, hair and nails", they contain the right balance of vitamins, minerals and antioxidants to keep your skin looking and feeling healthy.