Genetics determine skin types. However, understanding your skin type will help you to know and stick to the perfect skincare product and routine. It will also help you avoid habits and environmental factors that otherwise affect your skin. 

This blog is a guide to understanding the five basic skin types for beginners while highlighting the characteristics of each.

The Five Basic Skin Types 

Skin types are classified based on various criteria ranging from colour, pigmentation, sensitivity to texture, thickness, oiliness, hydration and dryness. Combining some of these criteria gives us the five basic skin types from a cosmetic point of view.  

Normal Skin

Normal skin is scientifically known as euthermic. Your skin is normal when it reflects a balance between oiliness, hydration and dryness. Normal skin reacts less to external factors that otherwise affect the skin. 

Normal skin is remarkably effortless to maintain. With the proper skincare routine and products, it is much easier to maintain radiant skin with minimal effort when you have normal skin. The skincare routine for normal skin usually includes face cleansing, moisturizing toning and sunscreen.

Characteristic of normal skin 

• Smooth, velvety, soft texture 
• Free from blemishes 
• Good pores with adequate blood circulation 
• Uniform transparency

Sensitive Skin

Sensitive skin ranges from oily sensitve, to dry sensitive and normal sensitive skin. This skin type often react to external irritants triggered by certain ingredients ot enviromental factors. 

Sensitive skin react similarly to allegic reactions. Sensitive skin often feel itchy, buring and may sometime appear red. The best way to care for sensitive skin is to avoid food, ingredient, skincare product and habits that triggers the external irritants. 

Oily Skin

The overactivity of the sebaceous gland leads to high sebum production in oily skin, resulting in greasiness on the skin surface. In simple terms, oily skin means your skin produces more oil than is required to maintain an equilibrium between oiliness and dryness. 

While your oily skin may be due to genetics, other factors such as stress, medications, and hormonal imbalances and changes may trigger the overproduction of sebum. 

Oily skin is generally prone to acne, blackheads and whiteheads. The skincare routine for oily skin depends on the effect of the oiliness that you are trying to control. When you are trying to control acne and dark spots, Turmeric Bar Soap  naturally work wonders. 

Characteristics of  Oily Skin 

• Visible, dilated pores
• Greasy shine 
•  Pale, thick skin 
• Invisible blood vessels 

Dry Skin

Dry skin exhibits a brittle, rough, and dull look that can feel tight or itchy, especially for overly dry skin. Your dry skin may be a product of genetics. However, ageing, habits, nutrition, and improper skin care routines may worsen dryness.  

Dry skin is 100% manageable with the proper habit and use of natural skin care products that offset the effect of your low sebum production. Consistent Moisturizing is an essential skincare routine for dry skin. 

Characteristics of  Dry Skin 

• Roughness 
• Flakey patches 
• Mild to extreme scaling 
• Cracks 

Combination of Dry and Oily Skin

As the name suggests, the combination of dry and oily skin. The oily part is usually the T-zone of the face, the forehead, nose and chin. The dry part usually spreads across other areas of the body. The oily part embodies all the characteristics of oily skin, while the dry parts do the same. You should blend the skincare routines for dry and oily skin if you have a combination skin.  

Characteristic Combination skin 

• Oily T-zone (nose, chin and forehead) 
• Characteristics of oily skin in the T-zone 
• Characteristics of dry skin in hands and legs