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Skin type is predominantly a genetic trait and generally doesn’t change much over our lifetime. However, nutritional status, our overall health, external factors such as sun damage and aging can cause changes in the integrity of our skin and it is important to reassess your skin’s needs so that you use the appropriate products as your skin does change. While skin type isn’t the only way to determine the best products for you, using products that don’t suit your skin may actually cause problems such as congestion or dehydration. So using skin type is a good place to start.

There are four key skin types: oily, combination, normal and dry. The characteristics of the particular skin types and topical ingredients that are suitable are discussed below.

Dry skin lacks oil and water and may feel tight or uncomfortable at times. First and foremost it is important to prevent further skin drying. To do this it is crucial to avoid alcohol based products as they make skin dryness

worse. Daily moisturising is essential. The relative lack of water calls for the use of topical oils and moisturisers to hold in water and support skin nutrition. However, managing dry skin doesn’t need to be about rich and heavy creams. Moisturisers need to be nourishing without being too rich otherwise they will sit on the surface of the skin feeling greasy and increase the likelihood of congestion. Ideally use creams or serums based on carrier oils such as rosehip, apricot kernel, tamanu and avocado. These oils supply fatty acids which improve the flexibility of skin cell membranes, improve water holding capacity and in addition provide an effective barrier to environmental water loss.

Dry skin can often be sensitive or delicate and so needs essential oils that suit these issues. Rose, German chamomile and jasmin have a regenerative effect and add nourishment to dry skin. It is also very important to avoid foaming cleansers in general and particularly those containing sodium lauryl sulphate as they will disrupt the acid mantle and reduce the moisture holding capacity of the skin.

The most recent cosmeceutical ingredient introduced to cosmetics for dry skin is hyaluronic acid. A naturally produced molecule in the skin structure, its role is to support connective tissue by stabilising the intercellular (between cells) space. In skin care, hyaluronic acid has a powerful humectant effect, which is essentially the ability to attract moisture from the air and bind to the skin tissue, thereby increasing the moisture content and hydration of the skin. Hyaluronic acid added to skin care is sourced from plant material such as mushrooms.

Oily skin is caused by over-active sebaceous glands which secret too much sebum. Often oily in appearance, oily skin is also prone to blackheads and congestion. A common misconception with oily skin is that not using a moisturiser at all will help reduce oil production and shine. However, oily skins still need nutrition, moisture and ingredients that help to control sebum which can be delivered via a light or gel based moisturiser.

Topical ingredients for oily skin need to address the amount of sebum produced and control excess bacteria, which thrives on the surface of the skin, particularly oily and congested skin. Moisturisers need to be based on light carrier oils such as jojoba and sweet almond. Foaming or gel cleansers are ideal for oily skin as they remove excess oil. A toner containing essential oils such as rose geranium for its sebum balancing effect and cypress or juniper for their astringency (pore tightening) will help remove left over oil and dead skin cells after cleansing.

To draw out impurities, cleanse the skin and normalise sebum production an absorbent clay mask such as green clay will be of benefit. If acne prone tea tree essential oil or cleansers containing tea tree will help to reduce bacterial overgrowth.

Combination skin is both oily and dry. Usually the “t-zone” produces more oil and is prone to congestion and the cheeks and eye area are drier. Many with combination skin tend to go for richer creams to help moisturise the drier sections of skin but this causes issues such as clogging and breakouts with the oily sections. A light but highly nourishing moisturiser combined with an eye cream is a better option than a rich

cream. The other thing that is important for combination skin is regular but gentle exfoliation to get rid of the dead surface skin cells. On drier skin this is important to allow moisturisers to penetrate more easily. With the oilier areas, it stops the build-up of dead skin cells in open pores. Regular use of exfoliation is beneficial for oily skin types as well.

Again rose geranium essential oil is useful for its sebum balancing effect, with lavender and neroli being of benefit as well. Use the same carrier oils, sweet almond and jojoba for combination skin as an oily skin type.

Normal skin is neither oily nor dry. It has a smooth texture, medium pores and may occasionally get a little shiny on the T-zone towards late afternoon or be a little dry on the cheeks. For a normal skin type, gel or foaming cleansers are usually suitable along with a light moisturiser. Clay masks using red, pink or white clay are more suitable that green clays as they have a gentler effect.

In addition to skin types, sensitivity, dehydration and congestion are skin issues that can cause confusion about what to use at all. So yes, oily skin can be dehydrated, i.e. too much oil production but not enough cellular moisture and dry skin can have congestion. In a previous blog I addressed congested skin and how to manage this issue. In future blogs I will look at the external and internal factors that promote skin sensitivity and what can be done to manage this issue.