Can I share a (not so) secret with you?
I don't believe in skin types,
I know it's a very un-popular opinion, but let me tell you why i think this way and how it might shift they way you think, and help you achieve your skincare goals:
What are skin types, anyway?
The Four Main Skin Types:
Normal Skin: This is the one we all are aspiring to, it's balanced, neither too oily nor too dry. With even skin tones and no breakouts.
Oily Skin: Here we have the excess sebum production, which brings about an overly shiny look,(which may or may not bother you depending on your preference) especially in the T-zone (forehead, nose, and chin), But with it also comes a sensitivity to acne and extra visible pores
Dry Skin: The one so many of us struggle with, with a lack of sufficient oil you might feel tightness and pulling on the skin. When it goes unattended it also brings about flakiness, irritation, or fine lines due to dehydration.
Combination Skin: A mix of oily and dry areas, with the T-zone typically being oilier and the cheeks being drier.
The problem with skin types
for example,
when we are you are young and dealing with a lot of hormonal changes, your skin is more acne prone, (which can also come back later in life with pregnancy, sickness or periods of high stress)
and an another increasingly common example,
Sensitive skin is often times the result of using irritating products for a long period of time, which causes the acid mantle in our skin to break down and become easily disturbed.
The benefit of thinking in phases, not types
So, what phase is your skin on?
In sha Allah you have seen why it might benefit you more to think of your skin as going through a phase, and to being a specific type.
You can be in a dry/sensitive phase, which will require more nourishment, more protection for your skin. Dry and sensitive means that hydration needs to be boosted, which can be done externally with a hydrating face spritz, or a heavier cream. It can also be done by adding a humidifier to your home. And furthermore by looking at your diet and seeing where you could boost foods that hydrate from within, like lemon water, soups, teas, fruits with high water content like watermelon, and veggies like cucumbers. Also avoiding washing your face with hot water, and reducing irritating products.
If you are in an oily/acne prone phase, then you want to think about detoxifying, and carefully balancing of your skin. We tend to want to dry out oily skin, but that has been proven to not work. Instead you want to add ligh moisture and hydration that allows your skin to not overproduce oils. You also want to look a cleansing from within to remove build up that causes breakouts, and focusing on a diet that has less sugar and more antioxidants rich food.
Also an important thing to note is that no matter the phase your skin is in, it will benefit greatly from stress control and proper rest. And in some cases, this can actually be the start to solve a lot of the issues we see with our skin.
![My No-makeup journey so far - [10 years]](http://claudianour.com/cdn/shop/articles/10_year-678172.jpg?v=1726756250&width=1)
