Whenever we are shopping for a skin care or beauty product we always see these provisos and recommendations about what type of skin a certain product is best suited for. Normal skin, dry skin, oily skin, combination skin, these are a cipher of the cosmetics industry and we need to break down exactly what they all mean and how they apply to you and your selection of skin care products and makeup.  So many people go for so long with an incorrect perception of what their skin type is and are buying products that actually won’t be helping them as much as they could, or even worse, could possibly be making their skin situation worse!

Normal skin, if you’ve got it you’re lucky, it’s that easy! Normal skin is generally free of blemishes, free of excessive oil or flaking, and taught and firm in all the right places. The best regime for normal skin is to simply keep doing what you’re doing. Cleansing with a normal skin cleanser is very important, but you don’t need to get into to many exotic products with this skin type.

You might have dry skin if your skin feels tight, stretched, flaky, or irritated. Dry skin is subject to premature aging and breakouts and irritations. It might seem self evident, but many people miss the fact. Keep dry skin moisturized. That is the primary concern.

Consistent use of a moisturizer formulated for people with dry skin will go a long way. And when using sunscreen, (which is very important for dry skin) look for one with added moisturizer. Also, try and avoid going out in cold weather without properly moisturizing as the cold will dry your skin even more.

Oily skin is of course the antithesis to the dry skin problem. Oily skin is very prone to breakouts in various types of acne and can be difficult to control.  If you have oily skin the first thing is to find cleansers and moisturizers that are oil free and designated for your skin type. Yes, you will still want to moisturize, but defiantly with a product designed for people with skin like yours. Oily skin is so prone to acne that chances are you will want to engage in a good acne preventative routine as well. This includes watching your diet, and possibly using anti acne therapies of which there are many. Because this skin is so prone to break outs make sure to use only make up that is rated for oily skin as to avoid undue irritation. Also, don’t ever go to bed without properly removing makeup first with oily skin. That is important for all skin types, but the results will be especially obvious on someone with oily skin.

Combination skin is that tricky melding of both oily and dry skin. This typically happens over time as usually oily skin develops during puberty. Then, as maturation is reached, some parts of the skin, typically the forehead, dry out, sometimes all the way into being excessively dry skin, while others like the nose and cheekbones remain oily. The options here are to use a combination of therapies for oily and dry skin for the different parts of your face, or to look for products specially designed for people with combination skin.

There you have it. There are other skin types as well, such as sensitive and mature, but this gives you a broad overview, and hopefully an idea of what type of skin you have on you. Once you have that firmly established, it’s time to invest in makeup and skin care products that are right for your particular type of skin. Also, if you still don’t know for sure what type of skin you have; don’t be afraid to ask your local cosmetologist, they can be very h